Based on a true story of a "Dirty Dozen" group of women who parachuted into occupied France prior to the D-Day invasion, this book has the elements of a good story but is so poorly written that it interferes with one's enjoyment. This is surprising as Follett has the capability to write well; to wit: Eye of the Needle and other thrillers. One wonders if he did not just dash off this one for the loot. Additionally, his protagonists are normally male and he does not do a very good job getting into a female psyche.

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Gostei de ler este livro. Tinha saudades de ler um destes livros que pedem que se leia quase sem interrupções. Há ação a rodos, impaciência de saber se a tal missão vai ser concretizada e, nesse caso, quem escapa. É uma história de resistência aos alemães na véspera do desembarque e de algumas ações da resistência francesa e britânica. O resumo está aí. As impressões? As personagens são pouco detalhadas, dizem-nos tudo o que são, mas elas não o mostram e são mais planas do que deveriam, mesmo estereotipada algumas. O final poderia ter mais brilho, é um pouco a despachar depois do ponto culminante. E um livro destes precisava de um pós-facio decente, não chega a breve nota informativa. Os agradecimentos são secos. Esperava mais do sr. Follett nesse aspeto, uma pessoa lê sofregamente e ele agradece em lista à família e não tem um discurso eloquente??

You can always rely on Ken Follet for a good story.

Primeira experiência completa com um audiolivro. Foi interessante, melhor do que pensava, mesmo sendo uma versão em inglês (UK), será para repetir certamente.
Quanto à história, é mais um thriller típico da Segunda Guerra Mundial, de Ken Follett, que normalmente costumo gostar bastante. No entanto, este Jackdaws, apesar do ritmo acelerado e de algumas personagens interessantes, pareceu-me um pouco mais fraco do que os restantes que li.

Truly one of the best WWII thriller you will ever read!

rating: 3/5

Days before D-Day there is a high priority Nazi target on French soil that needs to be destroyed. However, there is a catch, only an all-female team can gain access to it. Flick is put in charge of this quickly formed, ragtag team as they attempt to fulfill their dangerous mission.

Loved the action, the plot, and the kick-ass female protagonist. The POV mostly alternated between Flick, the British agent on French soil, and Dieter, a Nazi commander. I had chills from viewing through a window into Dieter's head, especially during the torture scenes which left me feeling uncomfortable; he seemed to be the best developed and most complex character in the entire novel.

Most action occurred as Flick commanded a female unit in an attack on a Nazi target while Dieter pursued them. The plot revolved around a topic I've never read about before, British agents working with the French resistance during WWII. The plot was exciting, quick, fun to read, and kept me turning the page.

It's a great fast-paced action book; however, the character development mostly just wasn't there. There is a huge supporting cast of secondary characters but they are all two-dimensional (with two characters behaving in such an idiotic way that just didn't seem believable). Some of the characters are LGBT, they are badly written and stereotypical, but the straight characters seemed like they were taken from a stereotype encyclopedia so I didn't take offense. I couldn't connect with any of them.

Additionally, the romance element seemed like something lifted from a Harlequin novel. The sex scene was the most awful thing I've ever read and completely unnecessary. And the ending was too neat, wrapping up everything just oh so perfectly.

If you are looking for a non-cognitively involving but fast-paced action-y quick read, then this is the novel to pick up.

I like Follet (Pillars of the Earth etc... ) but this one was for me a B series with a not very believable plot, I only finished reading out of politeness, but it was a pain

"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."

horrible excuse for a book.

This is another historical fiction by Ken Follett. It was published about 15 years ago. This time, it's a about the women of the French Resistance who attempt to help the allied evasion by going after a highly-guarded military target. One of the women is gay man who works as a cross-dressing performer and identifies as a woman. The author calls her female for the whole book.

"Nu ai fost cel mai inteligent spion pe care l-am intalnit vreodata, dar ai fost un baiat curajos, zise el incetisor. Dumnezeu sa te ierte. Ii inchise ochii."
Romanul incepe cu o dedicatie pentru cele 50 de femei care au fost trimise in Franta ca agenti secreti de catre Marea Britanie. Dintre ele doar 36 au supravietuit razboiului. Autorul dedica romanul acestor femei.
Cartea este despre secrete, spionaj, decizii cruciale si mult curaj. Toate aceste lucruri pot schimba definitiv viata cuiva.
In ceea ce priveste actiunea, ne aflam in 1944 si o avem in prim plan pe Felicity Clairet care este agenta britanica si face parte din organizatia secreta Divizia de Operatiuni Speciale, cunoscuta si ca "Armata secreta a lui Churchill". Acesta este un serviciu special de spionaj si sabotaj.
Ea si echipa ei, din care face parte si sotul ei Michel, se afla in Franta cu misiunea de a ataca cladirea in care nemtii au cea mai mare centrala telefonica din Europa. Misiunea esueaza, echipa ei este omorata sau capturata, sotul ei este impuscat si ea ramane sa raspunda singura pentru acest esec.
Cei care supravietuiesc sunt interogati de maiorul SS Dieter Franck. Acesta o admira, o vrea si doreste s-o invinga pe Felicity. Ea insa are un plan in care sa transforme esecul misiunii ei in succes: o echipa de agenti secreti alcatuita din femei care sa se infiltreze in centrala nemtilor, dandu-se drept femei de serviciu. Ce nu stie ea este ca Dieter afla despre planul ei si o asteapta.
Echipa de femei care se incropeste pe nepusa masa este una inedita alcatuita din: o aristocrata aroganta si infumurata, o ucigasa din inchisoare, o cocheta visatoare, o specialista in explozibil trecuta de prima tinerete si un cantaret transexual, specialist in telecomunicatii.
Am retinut si o declaratie de dragoste care mi s-a parut frumoasa:
"Ma declar vinovat. Sunt un tampit. Dar un tampit care te iubeste si-ti cere sa-l ierti de data asta, in caz ca n-o sa te mai vad niciodata."
Romanul are toate ingredientele unui thriller de spionaj si de razboi reusit, are femei curajoase si frumoase, barbati sarmanti, pericol, sex, arme, misiuni riscante, decizii inteligente, calculate si personaje simpatice.
In incheiere atasez cateva citate care mi s-au parut interesante:
"Femeile frumoase erau aidoma minunatelor tablouri impresioniste franceze pe care le colectiona: daca aveai unul asta nu insemna ca nu-ti mai doreai altul."
"Durerea dureaza atata timp cat vrei tu. Cand vei decide sa-i pui capat, se va opri."
"Ai observat, mama, ca barbatii nu-si dau uneori seama cand o fata e proasta de bubuie?"
"Ai grija de mine intr-o lume in care nimeni nu e protejat. Si acum cred doar in tine."