In his own bestselling tradition of Eye of the Needle and The Key to Rebecca, Ken Follett once again strikes Nazi pay dirt as a gang of all-female saboteurs go behind German lines.
Jackdaws
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Book Description
--This text refers to the
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Ken Follett has made his mark as one of the most assured thriller writers in the business, and although his form has faltered of late, Jackdaws shows that he's lost none of his steely skill. The time is May 1944, and Follett takes us into the provincial French town of Sainte-Cecile, suffering under the Nazi yoke for several years as the novel begins. Follett's heroine is the resourceful "Flick", whose real name is Felicity Clairet. She is English, and honoured throughout the town as the wife of Michel, who heads the Resistance circuit based in Rheims. During the day, Flick performs first aid for the townspeople; by night she risks her life alongside her husband in the Resistance.
Flick has to persuade herself that she is ready for her most important mission: to inaugurate a fighting team for an attack on a château used as a key Gestapo base--her team (all women, with one exception) are the eponymous "jackdaws". This fresh concept is carried off with the kind of effortless skill that was the distinguishing feature of Follett's best books, and his protagonist Flick is a distinctive, unusual creation. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Time is running out. With D-Day rapidly approaching, the Nazis are actively trying to quash the French resistance. Meanwhile, Britain's Special Operations branch is working hard to supply the resistance with intelligence, supplies and agents. Felicity "Flick" Clairet is one of England's most effective operatives in northern France. Having failed in an assault on the Nazis' main European telephone exchange, she regroups in England for another attempt, this time with an all-female team that will infiltrate the exchange under the guise of a French cleaning staff. Unfortunately, finding female agents fluent in French proves impossible and Flick resorts to crash-training nonprofessionals for the task. Imagine Charlie's Angels (minus the campiness) in The Guns of Navarone. Written in Follett's (Pillars of the Earth, etc.) riveting style and with his penchant for historical detail, the Jackdaws (the codename of the all-girl team) are given a heightened air of authenticity with Kate Reading's performance. She flavors her confident delivery with a wry cynicism that is inherent to Flick's character, and her use of international as well as regional accents keeps the rapid narrative flowing flawlessly. Simultaneous release with the Dutton hardcover (Forecasts, Oct. 15, 2001).
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Ken Follet is usually a great writer. Not this time. His strength is strong interesting characters that you come to care about. Not this time. The first half of the book is mostly page-filler. The second half, the action half, has a weak plot that he supplements with detail about torture.
If you want a great Follet read on WW II, try The Key to Rebecca or other earlier works.
If you want a great Follet read on WW II, try The Key to Rebecca or other earlier works.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By J R Zullo
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Like some other bestselling authors (namely John Grisham and Tom Clancy), Follett's last books flopped in the critics' and customers' reviews. "The third twin", "Code to zero" and "Hammer of eden" were thrashed from left and from right, and in my opinion deservedly so. Follett is a talented author, but in these three books it seems he chose subjects that didn't appeal to the general public. Besides, his style of wrtiting was different from the successful one that made books like "Pillars of the Earth" and "Eye of the needle" become most wanted among legions of Follett's fans. It looked like the author himself lost interest in his books, and his fans didn't take it lightly.
These facts may be true, and the proof is that Follett wrote two thrillers in sequence, less than one year apart, going back to the subject and the atmosphere he knows best: World War II. It seems his public liked the change. At least, the reviews are a lot kinder than before.
"Jackdaws" is the story of a group of women lead by secret agent Flick Clairet. Their mission is to parachute into occupied France, and blow-up a telephone exchange that will help provide the security the Allies need on D-day. OK. That's a good subject. The plot in "Jackdaws" is interesting and the pace is very fast. In fact, the very opening scene is a pistol shooting between the Gestapo and agents of the french Resistence. The chapters are all full of action, and Follett doesn't let the rhythm slow down. Yes, it seems he's back on track.
But there are some problems. I was left with the impression that, though the plot is interesting, it's somewhat thin, and Follett had to struggle hard to keep the reader's full-time attention. That's why there are so many cold-blooded murders, shootings, etc. One other problem is about the characters. Flick Clairet and the nazi torturer, Dieter Franck, are both cool (enemies at haeart), but also full of contradictions. Sometimes what they did and said was plainly wrong. And all other characters are shallow to the point of oblivion. Follett tried to spice things up: there's homosexualism, a transexual, one (almost hot) lesbian scene. But it didn't work out as well as he intended, because he concentrated to much of the book's focus on the two main characters.
I give "Jackdaws" 4 stars because, even if it's not Follett's best, it kept me up reading way after midnight. And also because Follett shows that he worries about his readers. It's like he's thinking: "OK, I tried to change subjects, but maybe I didn't do my homework so well. I'll go back to World War II, give my constant readers (as Stephen King would say) two good books on that subject, and then I'll do a better research on future stories that are not about WWII". Let's hope this is true.
Grade 8.3/10
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Brendan
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Follett creates a riveting book during one of the most challenging times in history, with death and torture possible around any corner. The suspense feels real as we follow the French Resistance and the Germans trying to catch them. We find Flick Clariet to be an amazing heroine, stronger and more capable than most men would be. The antagonist in this book is very frightening, creating a real tension as the reader doesn't know if the protagonists will actually succeed. The strength of Dieter Franck makes the book that much more suspenseful and exciting.
Ken Follett is a master at putting you in the time period he is writing about. I loved this book and I look forward to reading many of his other WWII fiction. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
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4.1 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book!
Every Follett book is special, and so is this one.
You won't regret it.
You won't regret it.
Published on April 4 2010 by M. Chiasson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!
I loved this book, I couldn't put it down. The topic was great, it kept you on the end of your seat. I highly recommend it!
Published on Jan 20 2009 by G. Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars
My first Follett book........but it will NOT be my last!
I had not read anything for several years when I picked up the book Jackdaws. This was my first Ken Follett book. I could not put this book down. Read more
Published on Mar 3 2004 by Jeremy OBrien
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best WWII spy novels in years
The jackdaw is a bird and, in this case, the code name of a group of six female British spies in WWII. Read more
Published on Feb 26 2004 by Larry Gandle
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jackdaws
Jackdaws
I am a keen reader of Folletts work. Even though they all give similar flavor in different wrapping, I think his ability keep the reader on the tip toes must be... Read more
I am a keen reader of Folletts work. Even though they all give similar flavor in different wrapping, I think his ability keep the reader on the tip toes must be... Read more
Published on Feb 6 2004 by M D Seneviratne
4.0 out of 5 stars
Liked More Than I Thought I Would
I actually ended up liking this audiobook. Never having been a great fan of Follett's work, Pillars of the Earth being an exception, I actually found myself getting into the... Read more
Published on Jan 13 2004 by Avid Reader
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jackdaws
It's been many long years since I dipped into a Ken Follett novel; I recall reading The Eye Of The Needle as a youngster--I may have been about twelve years old! Read more
Published on Jan 10 2004 by sleeping sheepsnake
4.0 out of 5 stars
Did Follett write the entire book?
If I was a gambling man, I'd bet some serious money that Ken Follett had a woman write part of this book. Read more
Published on Sep 11 2003
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best...but very good
I have been a fan of Ken Follett for about 20 years. I have read all of his books except Night Over Water(partially read), Third Twin(started it 3 times), Hammer of Eden and Hornet... Read more
Published on Sep 9 2003 by Rodney Belcher
4.0 out of 5 stars
Girl Power
Ken Follett has been one of my favourites since the age of 12. I once read an interview on him in which he said something along the lines of, "My aim in constructing sentences is... Read more
Published on Aug 16 2003 by Liron Cahana
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