I started this book a couple of years ago and just didn't get into it. I decided to try it again since I have now read several books by Kate Atkinson and really liked them. I finished it this time, but was not really impressed.

There are a few good points -- the premise is intriguing and the main character is well developed, and the focus on espionage in WWII England is interesting.. Unfortunately the action is a bit slow, there are too many named characters to keep them straight easily, and it took too long to get to the point of the whole story. Atkinson's books frequently have a moment (about 2/3 of the way in) that cause the reader to gasp or say "AHA!" That moment comes a bit late in the book and was not much of a surprise to me. It's not a bad book, just OK. I found her other books better.

“She was the apple ripe for plucking…and had also been Eve…The endless dialectic between innocence and experience”

Atkinson is always a pleasure to read – or to re-read, as I have done here, as there is so much more to her than purely narrative and character, though she is excellent in both.

It is the sheer vivacity of her writing, her love of language itself which merits re-read, as sometimes, the demands of ‘what happens next’ forces speedy page turning, and linguistic precision may be glossed over by the frantic reader.

Central character in Transcription, set primarily in 1940, in the early days of the Second World War, in 1950, when the enemy was seen to be a one time ally, and also beyond, into 1981, where the novel begins, is Juliet Armstrong. Armstrong, in her late teens, recently orphaned, when the novel begins, is an intelligent, naïve, romantic yet also somewhat sardonic young woman. She has a love of literature, knows her Shakespeare well and has a rather quirky imagination, unable to prevent wild images arising when she hears common turns of phrase.

Armstrong gets recruited, as a lowly, but fast typist, transcribing secret conversations recorded in a bugged flat, by home grown fascist sympathisers who are blissfully unaware that they are part of a operation infiltrated by MI5.

As the story develops, after the war is over, Armstrong joins that other great employer of bright young minds, the BBC, where she is shunted into schools broadcasting as a producer. Some of her former colleagues from wartime security days are also similarly employed.

The structure of the novel dips back and forth, and is not linear. This works well, as the reader is constantly exposed to Juliet then, Juliet later, and back again, and we see how she becomes a more bruised, damaged person, someone whose romantic innocence is tarnished.

The earlier parts of the book are full of joy and wit, much brought about by Juliet’s inner pleasure in the vitality of language. This back and forth of time means that as darker strands develop in Juliet’s life, and optimism dims, the reader still gets interludes of laughter from within the earlier sections

Atkinson balances lightness of touch, vitality and playfulness, without shying away from murkier places

Highly recommended

I've loved many of Atkinson's previous novels, but this moved too slowly for me. I was not able to stay engaged and quit before 50%.

I read this a long time ago now but it is a brilliant example of Atkinson's wonderful storytelling and prose.

This is the kind of book I love - spies, espionage, mystery, and an engaging heroine that you don't quite trust...Kept me reading well into the night because I absolutely HAD TO KNOW how it ended. I really enjoyed this.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and will recommend it often to lovers of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels!

I wanted to love it but didn’t. I got tired of all of the spy games and multiple secrets. The behavior feels so extreme. Ms. Atkinson fails to convince the readers that people really were that suspicious of their neighbors during the war and that fear ruled the day. As such, the whole thing feels just a bit ridiculous.

Just when I thought I’d read enough World War II books (are they a genre? Should they be?), along comes another from Kate Atkinson, who has brought me through the war twice already, in Life After Life, and A God in Ruins. Ironically, I have these reviews back-to-back, but I actually read Transcription first, and am working my way through a backlog of reviews. In case you can’t tell, I’m a fan of Atkinson’s writing, and think that it can elevate even a mediocre storyline. There are compelling themes here—the women’s roles described offered yet another new perspective on the war—but the characters did not seem as developed, and the story as well-plotted as her other writing. You can see that even a partial miss for Atkinson still earns a respectable rating, because I liked it enough to finished it in a couple of days, and, even better, I learned something in the process.


For Goodreads:

Why I picked it — Because I love stories about WWII that offer new or interesting points of view.
Reminded me of… The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah
For my full review — click here

Kate Atkinson is an architect of stories; building and building to a triumphant conclusion. This may be the best of hers yet.

Juliet Armstrong is working transcribing conversations during WWII between spies for the Germans and one of their own. The story flashes forward to just after the war and during the war. But really, who is spying on whom maybe the real question.
Goodreads & Facebook

Thank you Netgalley for this copy of Transcription by Kate Atkinson. Bravo Ms Atkinson! I loved the story about how these brave women worked as spies in Europe against the Nazis. This was a definite page turner for me.

Transcription by Kate Atkinson, from the beginning, introduces a lot of characters other than the main character Juliet Armstrong, and I am not sure which ones will be important later and which ones I should remember. The book then also jumps in time and place, making it more difficult to keep the characters straight or invest in any of the side stories. Unfortunately, I find myself without a connection to any of the characters or the story itself, making it a really challenging read.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2019/05/transcription.html

Reviewed for NetGalley

I wanted so badly to love this one. I LOVE WWII stories, and this one sounded like it would unique with the barrage of books set during the era. But I struggled to connect or care about the characters to the point where I decided to DNF for now. This was my first Atkinson book after hearing hype about her books for years, but I might not have been in the right place for it.

This Kate Atkinson novel should have worked for me. There's an interesting, quite layered heroine. The mystery rolls out slowly, in ever deepening waves. There is a very complex plot, and I think that's what I look for in an Atkinson novel. I like the challenge of unraveling a well woven mystery.
I was disappointed by the conclusion of the book, it rushes to wrap everything up in the last 45 pages, which made the flow of the book really uneven.
I received my copy through NetGalley and am under no obligation to the publisher.

I was hoping for a World War 2 spy story, but most of this book took place after the war. Although Juliet was idealistic, she was also boring. This book seemed to drag on with most of the action towards the end.. Juliet was smart, but also socially retarded. Why would she become engaged to Perry, who was so obviously gay? I'm not sure that this did much for the story.

I tried to get into this book but unfortunately it's not for me. I am disappointed since i was looking forward to a spy story set in the war. I just couldn't connect with the characters.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I will not post a review of this book in my blog.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy of Transcription by Kate Atkinson. This is a powerful story with a strong woman character. If you enjoy stories about WWII, check this out. It tells about this time period from a new angle.

Three stars. Enjoyed the story but had a couple issue with the plot development.

DNF @ 5%

I tried reading this in print twice. I even tried listening on audio thinking I’d have better luck. I never got past 5% on either occasion. I could very well blame it on my mood reading tendencies or even my impatience, however, it’s simple: this book never managed to hook me. WWII, mid-century London, espionage… this really should’ve worked for me but I think I was anticipating much more action than what was being delivered and it ended up being a similar case like Sweet Tooth. Life After Life was stunning yet A God in Ruins was another DNF. Atkinson is an incredible writer but alas, I’m not sure her stories are the best fit for me.

I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Transcription opens with the aftermath of a traffic accident in 1981. Juliet Armstrong, who had been struck by a car crossing the street, flashes back to two times in her life - 195o - when she was a producer for BBC Schools, and 1940 when she transcribed recorded conversations of right-wing and or Fascists supporters for an obscure part of MI5. The tale slowly evolves into a convoluted jigsaw of obscure loyalties, justified homicides, missing spies, and betrayals by practically everyone. The author does a very nice job of baiting the reader in one direction while setting up the great reveal in a totally different angle. She provides the feel of 1940's and 1950's as background to the story. It is not your normal action filled thriller, but rather a steady accretion of small actions that leed to a very different mosaic.