Jackdaws

by Ken Follett

Hardcover, 2001

Status

Available

Publication

New York : Dutton, c2001.

Description

In his own bestselling tradition of Eye of the Needle and The Key to Rebecca, Ken Follett delivers a breathtaking novel of suspense set in the most dangerous days of World War II. Look out for Ken's newest book, A Column of Fire, available now. D-Day is approaching. They don't know where or when, but the Germans know it'll be soon, and for Felicity "Flick" Clariet, the stakes have never been higher. A senior agent in the ranks of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) responsible for sabotage, Flick has survived to become one of Britain's most effective operatives in Northern France. She knows that the Germans' ability to thwart the Allied attack depends upon their lines of communications, and in the days before the invasion no target is of greater strategic importance than the largest telephone exchange in Europe. But when Flick and her Resistance-leader husband try a direct, head-on assault that goes horribly wrong, her world turns upside down. Her group destroyed, her husband missing, her superiors unsure of her, her own confidence badly shaken, she has one last chance at the target, but the challenge, once daunting, is now near impossible. The new plan requires an all-woman team, none of them professionals, to be assembled and trained within days. Code-named the Jackdaws, they will attempt to infiltrate the exchange under the noses of the Germans--but the Germans are waiting for them now and have plans of their own. There are secrets Flick does not know--secrets within the German ranks, secrets among her hastily recruited team, secrets among those she trusts the most. And as the hours tick down to the point of no return, most daunting of all, there are secrets within herself. . . .  Filled with the powerful storytelling, unforgettable characters, and authentic detail that have become his hallmarks, Jackdaws is Ken Follett writing at the height of his powers.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member AshRyan
Jackdaws is an exciting espionage thriller set in World War II with a bit of a twist: it's about a team of British spies operating behind enemy lines, who are all women (including a couple of lesbians)...well, and one German transvestite.

The heroines are very interesting (particularly the
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transvestite), but Follett's greatest achievement in this novel is perhaps his villain, a German interrogator in charge of rooting out and breaking up the French resistance. He is not averse to using extreme brutal torture to extract information if necessary (and there is some very graphic violence in the novel, but with the Nazis as a subject that's pretty much inevitable), but he is extremely intelligent and would rather use trickery or emotional manipulation when those methods would serve the purpose. In fact, he finds the methods of his fellow Nazis rather distasteful.

At the same time, Follett portrays the lead heroine, Flick, as somewhat cold and steely, willing to kill the enemy in cold blood to protect her mission. Many writers today would use this juxtaposition to insinuate that the Nazis weren't such monsters as they are often made out to be and that the Allies were just as brutal and vicious. But in Follett's hands, the Nazi interrogator's supposed "scruples" are clearly rank hypocrisy which only serves to highlight the atrocious nature of the ends he pursues and the means he employs, while Flick's actions are underlain by a righteous determination not to suffer the guilt which rightly belongs to the aggressors against whom she fights. Very well done.
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LibraryThing member donaldgallinger
Ken Follet achieves the nearly impossible task of creating genuine suspense about an event that is well-known, using fresh characters, clever plotting, and surprising twists on an old story. You will enjoy this book on a long plane flight, or just sitting out on your porch during the lazy days of
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summer. I always enjoy Ken Follet's approach to history--crackerjack pacing, strong dialogue, and a deep desire to entertain. If only all writers cared as much about their audience's enjoyment as Follet does, TV would become obsolete.
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LibraryThing member tuffstuff08
I couldn't put this down! It was very graphic and well written. Everything had detail. Highly reccomended.
LibraryThing member hellonicole
I picked up Jackdaws while waiting on my copy of Pillars of the Earth to see what all of the hype was about. Now, I'm even more eager to get PotE. Ken Follett is an amazing story teller, dragging you in with amazing characters and details. He can string you along and keep you turning pages with his
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abilities.

Jackdaws is about a group of women recruited to complete a Resistance operation during WWII. Follett gets you attached to the characters one by one, as well as sets up vivid scenes with his attention to detail. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member miyurose
Though I have listened to one of his books on tape, I've never actually read Ken Follett before. I'm glad I have a couple more of his books waiting for me on my shelf. This was excellent. I love a good WWII story. And he is really great at developing his characters. I essentially read this in a day
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and a half, it was so engrossing. And seeing things from both sides of the conflict was also a nice touch.
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LibraryThing member SLuce
Listened to tape. WWII story which I enjoyed.
LibraryThing member 5hrdrive
Awful. Can't believe this is the same author that wrote, Eye of the Needle and The Pillars of the Earth.
LibraryThing member Neilsantos
I really liked this. You have to thank the Nazis for this: No matter what else, they have provided the entertainment world with a universal villian. Folett's style is easy on the brain and fast-moving. I like most authors in inverse relation to the amount of words I have to read in order to
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understand the story. I'll definately grab some more of his off the library shelf.
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LibraryThing member robertgriffen
Well written and the story moves along at a good pace. The plot is very familiar but the switch between the German and British sides of the story makes it just a little different from the many 'resistance' stories that have been written since the Second World War.
LibraryThing member CynDaVaz
Another great WWII spy story by Ken Follett. I look forward to reading/listening to more of this author's novels.
LibraryThing member AmieG
Really, really enjoyed this one!

Flick must lead a secret mission deep into Nazi-occupied France. Time is short and personnel is difficult to find.

Great story about female spies during WWII. It was fantastic!
LibraryThing member edwardsgt
A well-written and researched story about a group of women parachuted into WWII France to destroy a vital German communications centre.
LibraryThing member starkravingmad
A good, fast-paced tale, but not of the same caliber as Follett's best works like "The Key to Rebecca". The most interesting character turns out to be a Nazi. Perhaps a precurser to Quentin Tarantino's bad guy Nazi, Col. Lada, in "Inglorious Basterds". Perhaps Christopher Waltz could also play the
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Nazi in this book - if ever made into a movie.
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LibraryThing member ILSBecky
Love to read historical fiction, especially from WWII. This book has the right amount of suspense and great characters. As a tech on an adult circulation desk, I always recommend this book to interested in this genre and they usually come back for more of Ken Follett's books.
LibraryThing member jhempel
slow start - but once it took off - very engaging, fun read. Would make a great movie
LibraryThing member MarkMeg
Probably not the best book by Ken Follett, but held my interest and at many points kept me on the edge of my seat.

DDay is approaching. The phone system for the Germans in France needs to be destroyed and Felicity "Flick" Clairet is enlisted to do it. She organizes a band of women to take the place
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of the cleaning women and destroy it. Everything is done in a hurry with much interference from time, the Germans and the French citizens who are very intimidated by the Germans.

Two of the women are captured and tortured and then sent to the concentration camps, where they die. Two of the women die in the raid and Flick and one other survive. In the process the German commander is shot and becomes a vegetable. Flick's husband dies at the time of the raid, but by that time she discovers that she is in love with someone else, as is her.

The conclusion of the story is Flick's marriage to the American who helps during the raid and saves her at many intervals. As they return from the raid, they fly over the boats heading for the DDay invasion.

Much of the story is predictable, but handled well and it held my interest.
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LibraryThing member skraft001
Set in France during WWII. Flick is the main heroine in the story, with the mission being to blow up a Nazi telephone exchange in a small town in France. An excellent story that was well crafted by a superb author. One was definitely drawn into the story and pulling for the success of the mission.
LibraryThing member Carl_Alves
On the eve of D-Day, the Nazis are trying to crush the French resistance. Felicity Clairet of Britain’s Special Operations branch is working with the resistance in Northern France. After a failed attempt at taking out a European telephone exchange, Felicity is once more going after the exchange.
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Her plan is to create an all-female unit posing as a cleaning staff to carry out the mission. After not being able to find Brits who can speak French, she recruits non-professionals who speak French, and has to crash train them on the operation.

This novel is typical of other Follett novels in terms of writing style, which I find enjoyable to read. It has plenty of action and tension, which Follett can be relied upon to deliver. The overall believability is not that strong. There are also some plot holes that leave a little to be desired. While I did enjoy reading this novel, it is not at the same level as some other Follett novels that I have read in the past.

Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
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LibraryThing member mummimamma
Rather predictable, but as long as I skipped blatant love of technical stuff; okay. Particularly along with a bottle of red.
LibraryThing member Northern_Light
I really enjoyed this book which featured the women who courageously helped to change the course of WWII with their daring deeds in occupied France. The twists and turns leave you eager to read what happens next and will they succeed in their audacious plan to outwit the Nazis.
LibraryThing member rondoctor
Light reading, good read.
LibraryThing member TheWasp
A group of British women are sent to destroy a strategic target in France in 1944. Fast paced. Enjoyed being able to follow the story from the German side as well as British/French side.
LibraryThing member markknapp
An entertaining historical fiction tale, a look at the women of the Resistance and the agents of the SOE who helped them. Interesting characters, well-researched details.
LibraryThing member Charon07
Entertaining. Follett is always good for a serviceable potboiler.
LibraryThing member RBeffa
This was a very fine WWII espionage story. Although interesting, the early part of the novel is a little slow after starting with a bang, but it is worth getting through that. The story starts on May 28th, 1944, less than 2 weeks before D-day. The French resistance with British undercover agents,
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some in deep cover, are trying to disrupt German communications which is seen by both sides as critical to the success or failure of the invasion. The book starts with a failed attempt to destroy a telephone exchange. With only days before the invasion a second attempt is planned, this time with an all-women force of cast-offs and third string agents who had been washed out of training. Time is of the essence, however, and a rushed operation is put together.

I can't say I bonded much with the characters in this story - in particular the lead agent "Flick" who does come across as a real person. I did however get very drawn into this story as everything played out. It is a rather harsh and desperate time for all involved. Overall I found the portrayal of all the main characters pretty vivid and well done, and liked how they were developed through the story, with the Germans really done well. Getting inside the head of one of these guys, a German Army officer, Dieter, was spooky. I hate to admit that he was the most interesting character in the sense that he was really brought to life and I could understand who he was and his motivations.

There are some elements in the story (Nazi torture in particular) that might bother or upset some people. I enjoyed this a lot, and it is well written and it just makes it up to the level of an excellent book for me.
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Barcode

11657
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