So for those of you who don’t know me (and that’s everyone who’s reading this because nobody who does know I have this blog) I am a HUGE history lover. I have books and books on the Titanic (the real ship, not the movie) and collections of Horrible Histories.
I love learning about how things used to be, and getting caught up in the customs and lives of the ‘Olden times’. So when I saw the trailer for Their Finest, I added the film to my list of ones I had to see.
But somehow I missed its stint at the cinema, and I turned instead to the novel the film was based off.
So here’s my 2nd Basic Book Review of 2017.
Blurb: It’s 1940. In a small advertising agency in Soho, Catrin Cole writes snappy lines for Vida Elastic and So-Bee-Fee gravy browning. But the nation is in peril, all skills are transferable and there’s a place in the war effort for those who have a knack with words.
Catrin is conscripted into the world of propaganda films. After a short spell promoting the joy of swedes for the Ministry of Food, she finds herself writing dialogue for ‘Just an Ordinary Wednesday’, a heart-warming but largely fabricated ‘true story’ about rescue and romance on the beaches of Dunkirk. And as bombs start to fall on London, she discovers that there’s just as much drama, comedy and passion behind the scenes as there is in front of the camera . . .
Published: 2017
Genres: Fiction, War, Film & TV tie-in
Character Development: 7/10.
This was a tricky one, because the book’s told from various characters’ points-of-view. And I wouldn’t say that character development was a priority in this book, more the story itself. But still, Catrin and Edith are different at the end than they were at the beginning, so I decided not to discount this category.
Plot: 7/10
Again, the book is told through different perspectives, so it’s another 7. The whole thing reads a bit like a film, and if you aren’t concentrated on what you’re reading, it’s easy to lose your place.
Storytelling: 8/10
The style of Their Finest is similar to others of its genre, and the language and behaviour of the characters seems accurate enough for a period story, so it’s this which recovered my opinion on it.
It’s easy to become immersed in the Blitz raids and the character’s panic, and a few times I half expected to hear the air raid sirens.
Turning Point: 9/10
Shook up the story and kept me reading until the end.
Ending: 8/10
But only because of what happened in the last half. And I really didn’t like Ambrose.
Recommend: If you like reading about the 2nd world war.
Buy From: Amazon & Book Depository
Add to: Goodreads
I have not been paid for this review. The opinions here are mine and mine only.
Advertisements Share this:
