To paraphrase Patrick, I would rather read a mid-ranking Kate Atkinson novel than the very best of most others'. True, Transcription is not on a par with the mind-bogglingly good Life after Life and A God in Ruins, but it's terrific stuff. Juliet Armstrong is just 18 when she's assigned to transcribe recordings of secret meetings of a club of British pro-Nazis in 1940. I was fascinated by Atkinson's exploration of these slimy Brits from all walks of life, their pettiness, their anti-Semitism, their foolish treachery. The reader relishes the fact that they wound up on the losing side in 1945 and simultaneously agonizes that they are still among us today.
Great espionage, great history, great characters, a must-read.
No comments:
Post a Comment