Transcription by Kate Atkinson

Description

"In 1940, eighteen-year-old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathizers, she discovers the work to be by turns both tedious and terrifying. But after the war has ended, she presumes the events of those years have been relegated to the past forever.

Ten years later, now a radio producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, but Juliet finds herself once more under threat. A bill of reckoning is due, and she finally begins to realize that there is no action without consequence."

Review

As soon as I started reading this book I just couldn't put it down, it really transports you back to London in the 1940s/50s. I think this story is really unique as it portrays the world of War and post-war espionage from a different perspective. I loved how the novel showed the contrast of life during the war, exciting, dangerous, secretive, and life after the war.

I really loved the main character, Juliet, the author really brought her to life. I think what makes Juliet such a great character is that she is so relatable, she views the world of spies and the people in it in much the same way any of us would. Spy novels have the tendency to describe everything from the point of view of a spy, but in transcription, you experience this world through the eyes of a "normal" person. This helps to bring the story to life as you can imagine yourself in Juliet's situation.

Another part that really brings the story to life in the relationships between the characters. Throughout the book, the author develops the relationships between the characters so that you feel you know them just as well as Juliet. Every character has been wonderfully created to play a different role in Juliet's life, and you can't help be like them (even the ones your not supposed to).

The only thing I found slightly frustrating about this book was that at the end the author quickly summarized the time from 1950 to present day, this annoyed me as the rest of the novel was slower paced and described what was happening in great detail.

In summary, I really loved this book, it took on a unique approach to the world of ww2 espionage. I would highly recommend this book if your a fan of a spy book, historical fiction, or just female novels. I love Atkinson's writing style and will defiantly be reading more of her books in the future.