Tamar, by Mal Peet
A Carnegie medal-winning YA. In one strand, two SOE operatives code-named Tamar and Dart (both male) are parachuted into Nazi-occupied Holland; in the other, 15-year-old Tamar (female), who was named by her grandfather, learns about his past after his death.
The parts of the book that are about the war, the resistance, and life under Nazism are excellent. Unfortunately, there is not one but TWO other plots. One is Tamar's story, which is fine but not outstanding until it goes off the rails on a truly ill-conceived romance. The other is a love triangle taking place between dude!Tamar, Dart, and Marijke, a young Dutch woman. I HATED that story and unfortunately it takes over the second half of the book.
( Aggravated spoilers )
I feel like fighting Nazis was sufficiently dramatic. The loooooooove story didn't come across as the deep statement on passion, love, and the darkness in men's souls that it clearly meant to be, but as eyerolly melodrama. IMO, anyway.
Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal[image error]
[image error] [image error]
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The parts of the book that are about the war, the resistance, and life under Nazism are excellent. Unfortunately, there is not one but TWO other plots. One is Tamar's story, which is fine but not outstanding until it goes off the rails on a truly ill-conceived romance. The other is a love triangle taking place between dude!Tamar, Dart, and Marijke, a young Dutch woman. I HATED that story and unfortunately it takes over the second half of the book.
( Aggravated spoilers )
I feel like fighting Nazis was sufficiently dramatic. The loooooooove story didn't come across as the deep statement on passion, love, and the darkness in men's souls that it clearly meant to be, but as eyerolly melodrama. IMO, anyway.
Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal[image error]
[image error] [image error]
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