Book Review: The FitzOsbornes at War
Dec. 12th, 2012 12:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
osprey_archerI made a tactical error, I think, in reading Code Name Verity before The FitzOsbornes at War. It’s unfair to compare books, perhaps, but the two books are similar enough (both set in England during World War II) that I couldn’t help it; and I liked CNV so much, and found it so harrowing, that The FitzOsbornes at War could not but suffer by comparison.
This is not the say that The FitzOsborns at War is a bad book! (Although The FitzOsbornes in Exile is still my favorite book in the trilogy.) The characters are still lovely, the World War II England setting excellently portrayed, and when [spoiler redacted] died it still hurt like a son of a bitch.
It just feels much less special than the first two books: more like any other book about World War II in England, without the Montmaravian twist. The book would have been much stronger, I think, if Montmaray was populated: the FitzOsbornes would have much stronger motive to keep in contact with their isle, to negotiate with the Nazis who took it over, to try to sneak in supplies, to join the Red Cross and go to Montmaray on missions to meet up with the Montmaravian Resistence, to fly there and get shot down...
Lots of chance for adventure! And moreover, adventure that would have kept the FitzOsborne clan together, rather than splitting them up. It makes perfect sense (given that they have no populace on Montmaray that they need to help) that the FitzOsbornes would throw their all into the English war effort, but it means they spend a lot of time at opposite ends of England, which hurts one of the most interesting parts of the trilogy: their family dynamic. We see it in bits and bobs rather than as a constantly evolving thing.
Also, the fact that Sophie is sole narrator becomes a real problem now that they’re all split up. She’s as charming as ever, of course, but nonetheless it’s hard not to feel that we’re following the least exciting of all the FitzOsborne stories. Toby joins the RAF, Simon invades Italy, Henry (Sophie’s sister) joins the Wrens (the women’s naval auxiliary), Veronica goes on secret missions to Spain - and meanwhile Sophie works a dull job at the Ministry of Food and endures the Blitz.
There are a number of letters spliced into the book, suggesting that Cooper was aware of the problem, but I think the format needed an overhaul to give the other stories room to breathe. The letters allow us to follow what is going on, but we don’t get to experience the stories.
Obviously this means we need all the fanfic. Most of all, I want to see Veronica’s Adventures in Spain. I mean, from what she tells Sophie, it sounds like she does little in Spain but translate, which is terribly dull...but that’s what she would tell Sophie, after all, “Careless talk costs lives.” What do you want to bet Veronica has exciting espionage adventures all over the Basque Country?
This is not the say that The FitzOsborns at War is a bad book! (Although The FitzOsbornes in Exile is still my favorite book in the trilogy.) The characters are still lovely, the World War II England setting excellently portrayed, and when [spoiler redacted] died it still hurt like a son of a bitch.
It just feels much less special than the first two books: more like any other book about World War II in England, without the Montmaravian twist. The book would have been much stronger, I think, if Montmaray was populated: the FitzOsbornes would have much stronger motive to keep in contact with their isle, to negotiate with the Nazis who took it over, to try to sneak in supplies, to join the Red Cross and go to Montmaray on missions to meet up with the Montmaravian Resistence, to fly there and get shot down...
Lots of chance for adventure! And moreover, adventure that would have kept the FitzOsborne clan together, rather than splitting them up. It makes perfect sense (given that they have no populace on Montmaray that they need to help) that the FitzOsbornes would throw their all into the English war effort, but it means they spend a lot of time at opposite ends of England, which hurts one of the most interesting parts of the trilogy: their family dynamic. We see it in bits and bobs rather than as a constantly evolving thing.
Also, the fact that Sophie is sole narrator becomes a real problem now that they’re all split up. She’s as charming as ever, of course, but nonetheless it’s hard not to feel that we’re following the least exciting of all the FitzOsborne stories. Toby joins the RAF, Simon invades Italy, Henry (Sophie’s sister) joins the Wrens (the women’s naval auxiliary), Veronica goes on secret missions to Spain - and meanwhile Sophie works a dull job at the Ministry of Food and endures the Blitz.
There are a number of letters spliced into the book, suggesting that Cooper was aware of the problem, but I think the format needed an overhaul to give the other stories room to breathe. The letters allow us to follow what is going on, but we don’t get to experience the stories.
Obviously this means we need all the fanfic. Most of all, I want to see Veronica’s Adventures in Spain. I mean, from what she tells Sophie, it sounds like she does little in Spain but translate, which is terribly dull...but that’s what she would tell Sophie, after all, “Careless talk costs lives.” What do you want to bet Veronica has exciting espionage adventures all over the Basque Country?
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no subject
Date: 2012-12-12 05:22 am (UTC)By the way, Code Name Verity got mentioned on NPR a few weeks back--the person being interviewed was including it in her best-of-the-year list.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-12 03:21 pm (UTC)I'm glad CNV is getting more recognition!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-14 01:30 am (UTC)Yes. You. Go forth and write.
>.>
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Date: 2012-12-14 05:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-14 01:29 am (UTC)So yeah, ALL the fanfic. I don't know if I'd trust a lot of people to handle Veronica's Adventures in Spain properly (though I'd love to read it - but I read a fic somewhere where they had V & S speaking FRENCH and in France so my 'FitzOsbornes on the Continent' trust level is low), but I desperately want Henry in the WRENS. How did she make it through her training? And her troop must have either adored or despised her. It would be excellent!
no subject
Date: 2012-12-14 05:12 am (UTC)I do want to see Henry in the WRENS! It sounded like her troop adored her, from the book, but I can see that it might have been a rocky road getting there at first.