"Exactly fifty women were sent into France as secret agents by the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. Of those, thirty-six survived the war. The other fourteen gave their lives. This book is dedicated to all of them."

Da Wikipedia su Ken Follett:
Considerato uno dei più grandi narratori al mondo...

Quanto è vero! La sua padronanza narrativa non si discute. A qualsiasi suo romanzo mi sia approcciata sono stata fagocitata e ammaliata dalla storia raccontata. "Le gazze ladre" riesce a tenere viva l'attenzione in modo particolare, tanto che al primo momento libero, fossero solo dieci minuti, correvo a prendere il libro per andare avanti anche di pochissime pagine.

"Nel corso della Seconda guerra mondiale, cinquanta donne vennero inviate in Francia come agenti segreti del Special Opertaions Executive. Trentasei sopravvissero, le altre quattordici persero la vita in azione. Questo libro è dedicato a tutte loro."

Follett prende spunto da questo evento e cuce su misura un romanzo meraviglioso, ambientato appunto in Francia poco prima dello sbarco degli Alleati in Normandia e non lascia nulla al caso scrivendo una storia completa che può soddisfare, a mio avviso, tutti i tipi di lettori. Non manca nulla: c'è suspense, azione, spionaggio, violenza, vendetta, riscatto, sentimenti romantici e non, e tanta, tanta storia. Quella storia che sui banchi di scuola sembrava così monotona e noiosa, ma che con Follett assume contorni così intriganti, tanto da portarmi a fare ricerche personali di approfondimento. Non è da tutti. Se non lo avete fatto, leggetelo e non fatevi spaventare dalla mole, va via in un attimo.

Em primeiro lugar começo por dizer que não só o autor, como também o livro me surpreenderam.

Este foi o primeiro livro que escolhi para dar início às leituras de Ken Follett, pois nunca tinha lido nada deste autor. Fiquei um pouco de pé atrás quando li a sinopse, pois pensei ser mais um de tantos livros que iriam descrever espiões e situações horríveis passadas durante a Segunda Grande Guerra. No entanto, este livro surpreendeu-me pela positiva, uma vez que não entramos apenas na trama que se situa ao redor da Grande Guerra, mas também tomamos conhecimento da vida de cada uma das personagens, o que são e de onde vêm.

Flick Clairet, uma agente secreta britânica, tem uma missão a cumprir que irá apaixonar o leitor. Com a Segunda Guerra Mundial como pano de fundo, somos levados a "presenciar" algumas das situações mais horrendas e sufocantes que jamais poderão ter acontecido na história da humanidade.
O que poderia ser uma história aborrecida, tornou-se num turbilhão de emoções e aprendizagens.

E aproveito para dizer que jamais se poderá comparar o trabalho de Ken Follett ao de Daniel Silva.

This book is dedicated to the 50 unbelievably brave, female secret agents that parachuted into France to gather intelligence or to prepare the invasion on hostile territory during the Second World War. This is one of their (fictional) stories, that is unfortunately all wrong.

First of all, the women: they are basically tough and randy men who just tend to burst into tears, are overly beautiful or just plain stupid.

Second, the plot: we already know the outcome, yes D-Day happened and yes it was a success, so instead the plot uses blunt torture, random sex quickly leading to love and throws in some homosexuals and queers to make it more diverse. Oh yes and all the Nazis’ decision are always plot-relevant meaning that if the author needed someone to survive he was sure to not be tortured right away but for some strategic reason only put away. Overall, this made everything too predictable. I have to confess that by the last 20% I wanted to know how it all ended, but really, I rather I haven’t read this. It is certainly not worthy of these amazingly brave women!

There was one quote that moved me:

My dear Papa, I am doing well in school although Dr Richter’s classroom has been bombed. Fortunately it was night time and the school was empty.

2.5 stars, rounding down.

O altă poveste tulburătoare din timpul celui de-al doilea război mondial. Este poveste unui grup de femei parașutat în Franța pentru a sabota o centrală telefonică. Dincolo de ficțiune se află realitatea. Deși femeile au participat activ la servicii de spionaj, după încheierea războiului o mână de bărbați, care nu au prea văzut frontul, au decis modul în care acestea să fie decorate. Bineînțeles că doamnele nu puteau primi decorații de prim rang ca și domnii...

Dedicato dall’autore alle cinquanta spie al femminile inglesi che si dedicarono a opere di sabotaggio dietro le linee durante la seconda guerra mondiale, ed in particolare alle 14 che perirono in azione, Le gazze ladre è un romanzo solido, storicamente ben ambientato, che si legge (come direbbero gli apneisti) d’un fiato (io l’ho completato in una notte insonne fra toni, lampi e motociclisti che sgasavano sotto le finestre di un convento, ma questa è un’altra storia). Azione pagina dopo pagina, la giusta dose di suspense e l’unica pecca di indugiare eccessivamente su aspetti sentimental-romantici che a un bruto come me, a caccia di semplici sparatorie del ’40, sono apparse un filo melense. Tutto sommato promosso.

"Exactly fifty women were sent into France as secret agents by the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War. Of those, thirty-six survived the war. The other fourteen gave their lives. This book is dedicated to all of them."

So. Damn. Good.

Ken Follett is best known for his sweeping epics Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, and Fall of Giants which span decades, but in Jackdaws he manages to apply his same talent for engrossing description into a story that takes 10 days. The novel is centered around Flick (aka Felicity) who leads a group of all female secret agents into occupied France to disable an all too important telephone exchange. And if that wasn't difficult enough - the Nazis know she's coming.

It's emotional, heart-pounding, and incredibly descriptive. You'll swear you were there and you won't be able to put it down.

Oh, yeah. And chicks rule.

From the official history:
"Women did not normally organize sabotage; but Pearl Witherington, a trained British courier, took over and ran an active Maquis of some two thousand men in Berry with gallantry and distinction after the Gestapo arrested her organizer. She was strongly recommended for an MC (Military Cross), for which women were held ineligible; and received instead a civil MBE, which she returned, observing she had done nothing civil."

Follet come al solito costruisce una piccola storia durante la ‘grande storia’ che è un gioiello.

The problem I have with historical fiction is that I always figure there must be plenty of amazing true stories from the same time period, so why not read about those? Jackdaws brings attention to the Special Operations Executive, the British military division responsible for secret operatives sent behind enemy lines. According to a note in the book, fifty women really were sent into France as spies during World War II. So what are their stories? I'm sure they're as fascinating, or even more so, than anything anyone could make up.

Well, putting my own prejudices aside, the book was good. It held my interest enough that I looked forward to reading it each night, but not so much that it kept me up later than I wanted. It's the kind of book that does well as a TV substitute. It reads like a movie, it's entertaining, and it's a bit suspenseful.

Just like a movie, though, there was what I would consider superfluous romance that distracted from the action and actual plot.

Frequently when a book includes foreign words or references to political or military organizations, I'm annoyed that the reader is assumed to have sufficient knowledge of the references; I appreciate it when additional context is given, or when a foreign phrase is subtly translated. However, I dare say that Ken Follett goes overboard: Is it really necessary to explicitly define the word "suffragette"?

Finally, near the end, I think the main character Flick made two uncharacteristic moves - she made a decision against her better judgment, and she didn't react quickly enough given the circumstances. I wonder why Follett weakened her character after spending so much time before and after developing her character. Maybe just to show that she's human and makes mistakes, too.

Anyway, I wasn't blown away by the book, but it's easy reading and the kind of book that's good for passing the time. Since Ken Follett is such a prolific writer, I'll probably pick up more of his books from the library from time to time.

“Nome de Código Leoparda” é baseado em factos verídicos. A personagem de Flick foi construída a partir da história de Pearl Witherington membro do EOE (Executivo de Operações Especiais).
É um romance passado na II Guerra Mundial e aborda a força das mulheres e a importância que elas assumiram na vitória dos Aliados, mas esse estatuto nunca foi reconhecido oficialmente, porque pelo facto de serem mulheres nunca poderem ser condecoradas.

Ken Follett si conferma il mio autore preferito.. sia che scriva lunghi romanzi d’amore ambientati in epoca medievale o di avventure di spionaggio più contemporanee, riesce sempre a catturare l’attenzione e a creare suspence. Non è mai banale ne ripetitivo. Ha uno stile unico: pochi sono abili come lui nel narrare con maestria storie di generi diversi, mantenendo sempre alti standard di scrittura. Inoltre in ogni suo ogni romanzo riesce a trasmettere al lettore la sua passione per la storia. Questo romanzo in particolare e’ un tributo alle donne che fecero da spie durante la seconda guerra mondiale o si unirono alla resistenza francese, contribuendo in sordina allo sbarco degli alleati. In ogni pagina si percepisce la stima dell’autore per queste donne e il rimpianto che non gli sia stato riconosciuto ufficialmente nessun merito.

That's the last time I take a book recommendation from the head cashier at Barnes. The fact that she also recommended The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks should have been warning enough. I think I'll be pulling the fluff out of my eyes for days. Good try, Mr Follet, with your Nazi insignia designed cover and scattering of knowledge about code breaking and writing of LGBT characters. It was not a story about women fighting in the war effort so much as women arguing with each other and hooking up, sometimes with one anither, a Nazi with a twisted love of torture and Judas doors (No, really, we get interogation is about betrayal). I'll always have a special place in my heart for Pillars and World Without End, but no lasting love for Jackdaws.