Thursday, January 26, 2012

Book Look - #34

JACKDAWS by Ken Follett

Plot: A Chateau acting as a telephone station is a target that is pivotal for Germany's control over the French resistance. After a missed attack by a lady Major Flick, she goes back to UK to assemble a team for a repeat of the attack and the 'Jackdaws' get back to France with the watchful eyes of German Major Dieter being their single large problem.

Highlights:
  • Ken Follett's love for a lady protagonist goes one step further and here, in this huge essay, he also adds a lady team to play the title role! And he succeeds quite effortlessly.
  • The individual characterisations of Flick, Dieter are heroic; The ingenious and clever ways of torture adopted by Dieter are interesting to read.
  • Narrative, as ever, is classic with some implausible analogies (Arlington kids' prayers compared to agents' morse codes! etc.), humour and romance thrown in.
These Jackdaws fly long & fly fast!