229. The Pearl Thief

Rating:  ☆☆☆

Recommended by:

Author:  Elizabeth Wein

Genre:  Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Foreign

320 pages, published May 2, 2017

Reading Format:  Audio Book

 

Summary

The Pearl Thief is a prequel to Code Name Verity and follows the life of fifteen-year-old Lady Julia Beaufort-Stuart before she became a World War II spy operating under the code name of Verity.  When she returns to her grandfather’s Scottish estate, Julia gets entangled in a mystery involving some very valuable river pearls.

 

Quotes 

“It is possible there are some things you want so badly that you will change your life to make them happen.”

 

“I need complicated railroad journeys and people speaking to me in foreign languages to keep me happy. I want to see the world and write stories about everything I see.”

 

“I love the story of a thing. I love a thing for what it means a thousand times more than for what it’s worth.”

 

“It’s like being raised by wolves — you don’t realize you’re not one yourself until someone points it out to you. Sometimes it makes me so mad that not everyone treats me just like another wolf.”

 

“For the pleasure of giving, because what’s the point of just having? If I give a thing, I remember how happy we both were when I made the gift.”

 

“Inspector Milne’s suspicious prying appeared to have awakened her inner Bolshevik, and so I discovered my own lady mother is not above quietly circumventing the law.”

 

“That is a terrifically intimate thing, you know? Letting a stranger light your cigarette. Leaning forward so he can hold a flame to your lips. Pausing to breathe in before you pull back again.”

 

My Take

After reading and really enjoying Code Name Verity, I put in a request at the Library for the prequel and sequel.  The prequel, The Pearl Thief, was first up.   I liked it, but not nearly as much as Code Name Verity.  It was a bit hard to follow at times and I had trouble keeping some of the characters straight.  While Julie, the main character, has a lot of appeal, I still found the book to be limited in other regards.