Review of Sandra Eden's War
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- Latest Review: Sandra Eden's War by Michael Low
Review of Sandra Eden's War
[Following is a volunteer review of "Sandra Eden's War" by Michael Low.]
Set mostly in rural France, Sandra Eden’s War is about a British Special Operations Executive (SOE), who successfully leads multiple operations against the Gestapo during World War II. Mike Low’s female protagonist Sandra Eden is brave, confident and ruthless when it comes to executing tasks at hand. After an action packed para drop into Nazi occupied France, she quickly establishes herself as leader of the local resistance fighters(Marquis). The initial reluctance on part of the Marquis in taking orders from a woman disappear soon after her very first operation, where she successfully sabotages a railway tunnel crucial to the Nazi Forces, without breaking a sweat. She displays tremendous amount of resourcefulness and precision in planning and executing the subsequent attacks, causing heavy and unexpected disruptions to German operations. After carrying out six weeks of continuous attacks on the Nazi forces and successfully handling minor setbacks, she is airlifted back to London.
The simple language used in Sandra Eden’s War makes it an easy- breezy read. This book is well edited and is free of grammatical or spelling errors. For those readers who are newly initiated into WW II stories, it gives a glimpse of the dangers which were integral to the lives of SOE agents and resistance guerrilla fighters of those times. I found the chapter about rescue of fellow agent Bobby Coles from the clutches of Gestapo interesting. Overall, the story is good and the nationalistic pride and dedication displayed by the characters are awe inspiring . Though it cannot be compared with the Bourne series or The Day of the Jackal, this book does try to depict the extremely difficult conditions in which these agents operated, and how they willingly lived in the shadow of death for the love of their nation.
I was however disappointed that, after piquing reader interest with a promising narration of protagonist’s para drop into Normandy, the narration becomes flat and predictable. The dialogues are “matter of fact” and fall short of evoking genuine interest in the reader. For instance, after successfully destroying an aircraft factory which was a major supplier of components to Germans planes, the jubilant mood is expressed as, “I think we can count this plan a success, don’t you think?’ Sandra addressed her remark to all in the room and it was met with a general rumble of approval.” Some characters (like SOE Nancy) are introduced with fanfare to create conflict but fade away without making any substantial impact or contribution to the storyline.. Another shortcoming of the story is that contrary to the actual reputation of the the Gestapo, they are shown as a weak adversary. Inspite of the several operations being planned in and around a particular village, the British planes are able to land multiple times in the same area without being spotted by the Germans. All operations, though hurriedly planned, are perfectly executed and diversions for the Gestapo during such operations are exquisitely timed!
Despite a good plot with a potential to be an edge of the seat thriller, the author is unable to weave a compelling narration. Hence I rate this novel 2 out of 4 stars
This book is suitable for readers of any age who are looking for a leisure read. However, those looking for nail biting action, may look elsewhere.
******
Sandra Eden's War
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Set mostly in rural France, Sandra Eden’s War is about a British Special Operations Executive (SOE), who successfully leads multiple operations against the Gestapo during World War II. Mike Low’s female protagonist Sandra Eden is brave, confident and ruthless when it comes to executing tasks at hand. After an action packed para drop into Nazi occupied France, she quickly establishes herself as leader of the local resistance fighters(Marquis). The initial reluctance on part of the Marquis in taking orders from a woman disappear soon after her very first operation, where she successfully sabotages a railway tunnel crucial to the Nazi Forces, without breaking a sweat. She displays tremendous amount of resourcefulness and precision in planning and executing the subsequent attacks, causing heavy and unexpected disruptions to German operations. After carrying out six weeks of continuous attacks on the Nazi forces and successfully handling minor setbacks, she is airlifted back to London.
The simple language used in Sandra Eden’s War makes it an easy- breezy read. This book is well edited and is free of grammatical or spelling errors. For those readers who are newly initiated into WW II stories, it gives a glimpse of the dangers which were integral to the lives of SOE agents and resistance guerrilla fighters of those times. I found the chapter about rescue of fellow agent Bobby Coles from the clutches of Gestapo interesting. Overall, the story is good and the nationalistic pride and dedication displayed by the characters are awe inspiring . Though it cannot be compared with the Bourne series or The Day of the Jackal, this book does try to depict the extremely difficult conditions in which these agents operated, and how they willingly lived in the shadow of death for the love of their nation.
I was however disappointed that, after piquing reader interest with a promising narration of protagonist’s para drop into Normandy, the narration becomes flat and predictable. The dialogues are “matter of fact” and fall short of evoking genuine interest in the reader. For instance, after successfully destroying an aircraft factory which was a major supplier of components to Germans planes, the jubilant mood is expressed as, “I think we can count this plan a success, don’t you think?’ Sandra addressed her remark to all in the room and it was met with a general rumble of approval.” Some characters (like SOE Nancy) are introduced with fanfare to create conflict but fade away without making any substantial impact or contribution to the storyline.. Another shortcoming of the story is that contrary to the actual reputation of the the Gestapo, they are shown as a weak adversary. Inspite of the several operations being planned in and around a particular village, the British planes are able to land multiple times in the same area without being spotted by the Germans. All operations, though hurriedly planned, are perfectly executed and diversions for the Gestapo during such operations are exquisitely timed!
Despite a good plot with a potential to be an edge of the seat thriller, the author is unable to weave a compelling narration. Hence I rate this novel 2 out of 4 stars
This book is suitable for readers of any age who are looking for a leisure read. However, those looking for nail biting action, may look elsewhere.
******
Sandra Eden's War
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Sandra Eden's War by Michael Low
