Member Reviews
I am a big fan of books focused on WWII. But this one really fell short for me. It is a different take on the time period which is okay with me. But, to be honest, the characters were not that well developed. The main character, Anna, is overly obsessed with the scars on her face. The way the relationships are dealt with in such a shallow manner did not help my reading enjoyment.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Anna Hall was an air force operative guiding RAF pilot’s home during the battle of Britain, she had to make calculations and decisions quickly. During an air raid, her father’s church was hit, she was badly burnt and her sister Grace was killed. Anna had promised her father she would always look out for her older sister as she had several disabilities and she blamed herself for Grace’s death.
Anna’s face was badly burnt on the right side, she wears a veil to hide her disfigurement and feels extremely self-conscious. She’s approached by Alexander Beattie to work at a top secret political warfare project and they broadcast demoralizing propaganda over the German and Italian radio. It's purpose to cause concern, fear, and uncertainty, give England an upper hand and win the war.
The Truth in Our Lies plot had potential, but for some reason I didn’t feel any connection to the characters, I found the story moved slowly, it really dragged in places and it's a shame as I have really enjoyed reading two other books written by Eliza Graham.
Thanks to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review and two stars from me.
This was a very enjoyable read and one that will stay with me for a while to come. A thrilling, historical novel set in WWII.
Anna suffered bad facial burns in an air raid that killed her sister and so when an old university acquaintance recruits her for a secret mission, broadcasting to the Germans, she jumps at the chance, being in a quiet country village away from everyone and out of sight is perfect for her. The little team are soon broadcasting news stories to Germany aimed to create worry and instill doubt amongst it's listeners but how many secrets do the team members have and who can really be trusted?
A good story that I found very interesting as a different take on a WW2 novel, strong characters and enough intrigue and twists to keep you interested. Another good book by this author
Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon for this advanced reader's copy. I love historical fiction, especially WW2 fiction. This book grabbed my attention and didn't let go. Watch out for this author!
A phenomenal book!
Eliza Graham is one author I will be reading again.
I loved the character build of Anna. Growing from a heroine merely defined by her disfigurement and being put down by her guilt of her sister's death to the strong woman she became is inspiring, confident and hopeful.
I lo've this "un-put-down-able" book.
I found this book to be confusing. I gave up on it at 40%. I wanted to like it and tried, just couldn't get it.
Oh I am sorry but I found this book to be hard work.
I found the characters just didn't click with me or together.
I wanted to like them all. I found Bertie particularly irritating and pompous.
The story which could have been really exciting given the premise of the background, I found to be quite flat.
Based on fact, this story is set during WW2 and in the midst of a very secret propaganda department. Anna is recruited by an old university acquaintance and finds herself writing scripts for a radio programme. This programme however, is going out to Nazi Germany, made up of black news or propaganda. This was a real tactic used during the war, with every opportunity taken to spread disquiet amongst the German population. Information was taken from refugees and prisoners of war to ensure broadcasts were believable and contained elements of truth. Anna is soon working with a very disparate group of people, all of whom have different reasons for being there. And then disaster strikes..........
A well written and very well researched story, which kept me gripped throughout!
I really wanted to love the Truth in Our Lies but I couldn't get into it. I felt like character development was flat - as much as I love historical fiction, I didn't enjoy this one.
Holy cow. This book sucks you in, and you don't want to put it down. You often forget about Anna's disfigurement until it gets mentioned, but it plays a key role in her survival, as does her ability to think on her feet and help the war effort in ways she could never imagine.
I was a huge fan of Eliza Graham's "The Lines We Leave Behind", so I was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a disappointment. I really wanted to like it, but it just wasn't the right fit for me. I wasn't a fan of the characters or the story. Beattie, Anna, Becker, and William were just there and I felt no connection to any of them. The only interesting person was Micki and I still felt like I didn't know much about her. Throughout the book, Beattie was clever and always on top of things, I doubt he would have let anything fall through the cracks like it did. William's issues were extremely noticeable, Micki was able to spot the signs, so I'm sure Beattie was also aware. For such a top secret organization, so many things got past them.
If you are a fan of historical fiction and the propaganda side of war, this may be the book for you. I look forward to reading more books by the author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Amazon Publishing UK through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I truly don't know how to review THE TRUTH IN OUR LIES by Eliza Graham. It was slow and confusing and certainly wasn't what I expected.
When I requested it, I didn't know that it was more of a spy/espionage story as I hate those types of books and prefer just a heartwarming historical fiction read or even a psychological thriller. But not spies and espionage. Even that being the case, I still would have continued reading had it been the slightest bit enjoyable but I felt like I was reading a textbook on WW2 and MI6. I couldn't connect to any of the characters and had no idea what they were doing, and I basically felt it was just too convoluted for my liking.
However, I would loved to read a story about Anna and losing her sister in an air raid and the facial burns she received as a result. Something heartwarming despite the horrors of war. But this was no such book.
I gave up about a quarter of the way through. And I felt bad about it. Just as I feel terrible writing such a negative review. Because I know this is someone's hard work and they have spent many hours creating and producing it...but try as I might, I just couldn't enjoy it.
While the book may have gotten better had I stuck with it, as harsh as it may sound, I didn't care to find out. In all honesty, a book shouldn't take so long to captivate a reader. And this one sadly did not captivate me at all.
But I certainly haven't written off reading something else by Eliza Graham. I would be interested to see some other tales she's told. It may be that it was just THIS book that failed to hold my attention.
While I personally wouldn't recommend THE TRUTH IN OUR LIES, I'm sure there are plenty of readers out there who would devour this book. Everyone's tastes are different, and this one just couldn't whet my appetite.
I would like to thank #ElizaGraham, #NetGalley and #LakeUnionPublishing for an ARC of #TheTruthInOurLies in exchange for an honest review.
This was a well written piece of historical fiction! It focuses on Anna's struggle to come to terms with her sister's death and also the disfigurement she received from the same bombing. Her journey is one that was a joy to read.
Whilst I quite enjoyed this book, I found it muddled. The actually storyline was good and believable but I'm not sure about the characters. The main character obsessed about her looks, but as it's wartime would the general public be that shocked?
I think this is definitely a marmite book.
This is the first time that if have read a book by Eliza Graham and now cannot wait to read more. This was a very enjoyable read and one that will stay with me for a while to come. Whilst i rarely write what a story is about as i prefer one to read the book for themselves, i can recommend.
My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, freely given.
Anna's suffered a terrible blow- she feels responsible for the death of her sister and for her own facial disfigurement but she finds new purpose in this interesting novel about the British propaganda effort during WWII. The cast of characters who created, produced, and performed the clandestine radio broadcasts into Germany is well done. This isn't a deep emotional novel (where well it could have been) but it's a good informative read about a lesser known aspect of the war effort. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. For historical fiction fans.
Well-researched but the characters fall flat. I ultimately found the story not that interesting.
Many thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
An excellent book with a wonderful set of characters and an engaging storyline. Highly recommended to every reader that is interested in a book that really draws you in.
This is a fabulous historical fiction novel. Until reading this I knew nothing about the clandestine radio broadcasts of WWII. The author made the subject very interesting with her skillful writing style. The characters were an eclectic group and the more they learned of each other, questions started to arise.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.