The Huntress - Book Rec.
"The dead lie beyond any struggle, so we living must struggle for them. We must remember, because there are other wheels that turn besides the wheel of justice. Time is a wheel, vast and indifferent, and when time rolls on and men forget, we face the risk of circling back.... Let us remember."
-Kate Quinn
First, let me apologize for my month long absence. Work life got in the way for a bit but now that things have settled and the holiday season is almost here I've finally had time to finish the book I've spent a month reading. After reading, and loving, The Alice Network this past summer I figured I'd continue on with this same author (Kate Quinn) and read her new release The Huntress. It's another post WWII story but different enough to hold it's own. It was an enrapturing story and definitely satisfying for a historic fiction fan like myself.
This book follows three points of view. The "present" day plot's main focus is Ian Graham's (Nazi Hunter) quest in a post war world to find and arrest his little brothers murderer The Huntress. On top of this already fascinating plot you have Nina Markova, a Russian fighter pilot in Stalin's Red Airforce and her journey through WWII to her eventual capture by The Huntress. And to tie it all neatly in a bow, their stories converge in the life of Jordan McBride (a Bostonian photographer with a dream) and her new mysterious German stepmother who seems to have a lot of secrets to hide.
I felt like the book was more fast-paced than it really was because of the constant switching of view points. In The Alice Network this was done as well, but with two instead of three. This made the pace go quickly and kept you hooked in order to see what happened next with each character. However, this gave the false impression that there was a lot happening. It wasn't until I finished it that I realized that there wasn't much true excitement until Part III. It was definitely a slow build compared to The Alice Network but it managed to keep me entertained anyway. There was also a great cameo of one of The Alice Network characters that made me extremely happy to read.
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Once again, we are thrown into an era where women are the showpiece. I think, on the one hand, this author does a great job of bringing to reality the things some of these female heroines go through in this time: Jordan's father and fiance are the ones deciding on her future apartment and her future "job" and she is expected to just go along. Her dreams are being told to be put to rest so she can become a homemaker instead, slowly and dreadfully easing towards a wedding and a life she does not want. Even taking over her Dad's shop becomes far-fetched as running the store is a "man's work" so her fiance will instead be the one inheriting the family business. (What a slap in the face hey?)
Yet on the other hand, there are a few elements that are completely unrealistic to the reality of the decade the story is set. Jordan freely brings a man up into her house not caring what the neighbours would think (even though the ramifications of this on her reputation could make life a whole lot harder for her) and the only male truly standing in her way of going to school is her Dad, as if there wouldn't be an entire line of other obstacles in her way. Nina's story is also slightly unrealistic in that she has no fear in being Bi in a time and country where it definitely isn't ok. She has no fear of being caught with her girlfriend/pilot when they sneak off (not very sneakily) to be together during the war and in between bombing runs. And when she reveals this (uncaringly) about herself to others, everyone she tells is accepting of the fact. No questions asked. That's not reality that's fantasy, especially for a woman in the 40s-50's. However it was nice to read about a character that was so accepting of herself. She didn't have time to worry about self-image or care what people thought of her and that was refreshing.
The descriptions, however, are my favourite parts of this authors writing. The research is extremely detailed and I feel like I'm transported into the middle of war torn Russia or sitting at Fenway Park watching a Red Sox game in a post-war America. The legends and histories that are intertwined with these characters' lives and backstories is so in depth and amazing and I think that's what keeps me coming back to this author. I enjoy the adventure that I know awaits when I pick up one of Quinn's books.
I give this 3 stars. It was a great read, but, being a post WWII novel just like her previous book made it seem very similar in some ways. It was also a slow build which are never my favourite. Fast enough to not seem that way but now thinking about it there was only a good few chapters that were the true meat of the story. I think it could have been more than it was.
-Taylor Paige