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Front Lines #1
Front Lines
1942. World War II. The most terrible war in human history. Millions are dead; millions more are still to die. The Nazis rampage across Europe and eye far-off America.
The green, untested American army is going up against the greatest fighting force ever assembled—the armed forces of Nazi Germany.
But something has changed. A court decision makes females subject to the draft and eligible for service. So in this World War II, women and girls fight, too.
As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, three girls sign up to fight. Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman are average girls, girls with dreams and aspirations, at the start of their lives, at the start of their loves. Each has her own reasons for volunteering. Not one expects to see actual combat. Not one expects to be on the front lines.
Rio, Frangie, and Rainy will play their parts in the war to defeat evil and save the human race. They will fear and they will rage; they will suffer and they will inflict suffering; they will hate and they will love. They will fight the greatest war the world has ever known.
New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant has created a masterful alternate history of World War II in Front Lines, the first volume in a groundbreaking series.
The green, untested American army is going up against the greatest fighting force ever assembled—the armed forces of Nazi Germany.
But something has changed. A court decision makes females subject to the draft and eligible for service. So in this World War II, women and girls fight, too.
As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, three girls sign up to fight. Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman are average girls, girls with dreams and aspirations, at the start of their lives, at the start of their loves. Each has her own reasons for volunteering. Not one expects to see actual combat. Not one expects to be on the front lines.
Rio, Frangie, and Rainy will play their parts in the war to defeat evil and save the human race. They will fear and they will rage; they will suffer and they will inflict suffering; they will hate and they will love. They will fight the greatest war the world has ever known.
New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant has created a masterful alternate history of World War II in Front Lines, the first volume in a groundbreaking series.
548 pages, Hardcover
First published January 26, 2016
232 people are currently reading
13k people want to read
About the author
Michael Grant
77Ìýbooks11.2kÌýfollowersCo-author with Katherine Applegate of Ocean City, Making Out, Summer, Animorphs, Everworld, Remnants, Eve and Adam.
Pseudonymous coauthor with KA of Christy (the TV spin-off books), Sweet Valley Twins, Girl Talk and various Disney spin-offs.
Pseudonymous author of Barf-O-Rama.
Author of Gone, BZRK, The Magnificent 12, Messenger of Fear, Front Lines, Monster and A Sudden Death in Cyprus.
AKA Michael Robinson (restaurant reviews and newspaper features).
AKA Michael Reynolds (legal name) political media producer. (Team Blue).
Pseudonymous coauthor with KA of Christy (the TV spin-off books), Sweet Valley Twins, Girl Talk and various Disney spin-offs.
Pseudonymous author of Barf-O-Rama.
Author of Gone, BZRK, The Magnificent 12, Messenger of Fear, Front Lines, Monster and A Sudden Death in Cyprus.
AKA Michael Robinson (restaurant reviews and newspaper features).
AKA Michael Reynolds (legal name) political media producer. (Team Blue).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,049 reviews
January 28, 2016
“You’re a girl.�
“No, sir, I’m a sergeant.�
Anyone looking for a grisly re-imagining of one of the darkest times in human history? Because is most definitely that. It's a war story that packs a lot of punch, combining historical fact with an alternate version of history in which a court decision makes American women subject to the draft and eligible to fight on the front lines.
I do want to say one thing, though. It's a concern I have that I think needs to be said, though it's not exactly a criticism. I'm a little worried that books like this could further hide women from history - the fact being that over 400,000 U.S. women really did serve with the armed forces during World War II, and this fact is already often forgotten.
I'm confident that Grant's intentions were good, but I just wanted it to be said.
Anyway, contains a lot of elements we would find in traditional war stories - brutal training of soldiers, incredibly young men and women having no idea what they're getting into, tanks, bombs and poorly-trained medics... but this particular tale is also about social injustice; a reminder that social injustice is at the heart of the Second World War.
Not only has Grant imagined army life and conditions from the POV of three different female soldiers, but he also factors in race and the effect this would have had in the early 1940s. Rio Richlin is a white female from small town California, Frangie Marr is an African-American from Oklahoma, and Rainy Schulterman is a Jewish girl from New York City. It's actually rare that someone remembers that the story of gender injustice and sexism is not the same across all women.
I didn't love Grant's last two sci-fi/fantasy series, but I have been waiting to return to his intricate characterization since the early days of the series. He has this way of paying attention to small details of life that, rather than being tedious, contribute to the realism of his story. I once called him a YA Stephen King and I stand by that comparison. He just blends fiction with fact in such a way that it's entirely believable.
“PFC Schulterman, your scores are . . . acceptable. This does not alter my opinion that your proper role is at home working in a defense industry and raising children.�
Of course, being true to history, some of the language used in this book will be abhorrent to today's readers. Grant does not shy away from portraying sexism, racism and antisemitism. Some of the racial or sexual slurs might be discomfiting, but I was thankful for the realism.
And the characters themselves are sympathetic, realistic and flawed. Each has a distinct personality, her own ambition, and her own reason for being there. As with male soldiers, some of these female soldiers were eager to fight and prove themselves, others were desperate for an army paycheck. Grant also pays attention to his secondary characters, creating people who bring humour, distaste and flirtations to the mix (but don't worry, this book has very little romancing).
I do think that nearly 600 pages might be a little too long for this YA novel. Like Mr King, sometimes the attention to detail - while excellent - drags the book down a little. But it's a minor complaint. I enjoyed it a lot. Very gritty, dark and sad.
We understood nothing, you see. We thought we were soldiers, but we were still civilians dressed in khaki and OD. None of us had yet felt the fear so overpowering that you shake all the way down to your bones and your bladder empties into your pants and you can’t speak for the chattering of your teeth. None of us had yet seen the red pulsating insides of another human being.
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January 31, 2018
We understood nothing, you see. We thought we were soldiers, but we were still civilians dressed in khaki and OD. None of us had yet felt the fear so overpowering that you shake all the way down to your bones and your bladder empties into your pants and you can’t speak for the chattering of your teeth. None of us had yet seen the red pulsating insides of another human being.
"But open defiance will get her cut from the program. Complaining up the chain of command will get her cut from the program. Trying to recruit support from male soldiers will make her look weak and cause her to be cut from the program.
Rainy Schulterman is ready for that challenge. "
"Rio has ceased to see this as any sort of game. She never wanted to really go to war but now it seems she is,and a part of her, a small but growing part of her, is almost looking forward to it. "
"In the east the faint gray dawn is a signal of more terrible sights to come. "
Alternate History can be hit or miss, easy for many things to go wrong and for what's being written not to feel authentic at all.
Fortunately not the case here... Dark, gritty, compelling... a homerun :)
The attitudes of the period are handled well here, it feels authentic and cringe-inducing at times. I wanted to smack and kick some of the people in here (mentally I did many many times)... it never once felt over-the-top.
We watch through the eyes of a few female soldiers, all very different in terms of personalities and goals and backgrounds. Each has their own reasons for signing up and wanting to do their part.
Credit goes to Mr. Grant for making each one stand out and shine, the POVs never blending together.
We're with them through enlisting, basic training, and their first launch into the war... lead into the story by a mysterious Narrator. I had different guesses throughout the story as to who she might be. She never forces herself on us, guiding us through everything and letting events speak for themselves.
It's rewarding (right word?) to watch everyone grow and the squad becoming closer together, a family.
This is definitely not a sunshine and rainbows story, but not completely dark either. There's some light moments between the soldiers but you can feel the tension and danger simmering in the background.
Things go wrong, (FUBAR) and they can only make the best of it and move foward... there's some wonderful moments of courage as well. One in particular you can sort of the see the shape of the road this one will be on, a hint from our "Narrator/Guide" as well gives us some clues.
I would recommend, "Front Lines" has earned an honored place on my "Favorites" shelf... which also means it doesn't leave the house without me ;-).
"But open defiance will get her cut from the program. Complaining up the chain of command will get her cut from the program. Trying to recruit support from male soldiers will make her look weak and cause her to be cut from the program.
Rainy Schulterman is ready for that challenge. "
"Rio has ceased to see this as any sort of game. She never wanted to really go to war but now it seems she is,and a part of her, a small but growing part of her, is almost looking forward to it. "
"In the east the faint gray dawn is a signal of more terrible sights to come. "
Alternate History can be hit or miss, easy for many things to go wrong and for what's being written not to feel authentic at all.
Fortunately not the case here... Dark, gritty, compelling... a homerun :)
The attitudes of the period are handled well here, it feels authentic and cringe-inducing at times. I wanted to smack and kick some of the people in here (mentally I did many many times)... it never once felt over-the-top.
We watch through the eyes of a few female soldiers, all very different in terms of personalities and goals and backgrounds. Each has their own reasons for signing up and wanting to do their part.
Credit goes to Mr. Grant for making each one stand out and shine, the POVs never blending together.
We're with them through enlisting, basic training, and their first launch into the war... lead into the story by a mysterious Narrator. I had different guesses throughout the story as to who she might be. She never forces herself on us, guiding us through everything and letting events speak for themselves.
It's rewarding (right word?) to watch everyone grow and the squad becoming closer together, a family.
This is definitely not a sunshine and rainbows story, but not completely dark either. There's some light moments between the soldiers but you can feel the tension and danger simmering in the background.
Things go wrong, (FUBAR) and they can only make the best of it and move foward... there's some wonderful moments of courage as well. One in particular you can sort of the see the shape of the road this one will be on, a hint from our "Narrator/Guide" as well gives us some clues.
I would recommend, "Front Lines" has earned an honored place on my "Favorites" shelf... which also means it doesn't leave the house without me ;-).
December 17, 2015
There are no words for how incredible this novel was. But I'll do my best to try and describe it.
In one word, FRONT LINES was captivating. I started this book 2 days ago, and even as I put it down each night (around 1 am, with my husband already long asleep beside me), I couldn't shut off my mind, simply because the story was still playing out in my head. Michael Grant is a fantastic writer, as he's previously shown us with his GONE series. But with FRONT LINES, he takes it to another level. He throws the reader right into the action, into the desperation and fear and small glimpses of hope that all come along with war, and I could NOT stop reading.
The alternate history is fascinating enough, but it's the characters that truly suck the reader in. They are so real. They are so perfectly written, so true to the past, while also feeling relevant.
I will be counting down the days to book two, and I'm sure thousands of others will join me.
Bravo. Amazing. Truly inspired.
In one word, FRONT LINES was captivating. I started this book 2 days ago, and even as I put it down each night (around 1 am, with my husband already long asleep beside me), I couldn't shut off my mind, simply because the story was still playing out in my head. Michael Grant is a fantastic writer, as he's previously shown us with his GONE series. But with FRONT LINES, he takes it to another level. He throws the reader right into the action, into the desperation and fear and small glimpses of hope that all come along with war, and I could NOT stop reading.
The alternate history is fascinating enough, but it's the characters that truly suck the reader in. They are so real. They are so perfectly written, so true to the past, while also feeling relevant.
I will be counting down the days to book two, and I'm sure thousands of others will join me.
Bravo. Amazing. Truly inspired.
June 17, 2017
With such a captivating premise, Front Lines already stands out in the YA genre. After reading the novel, I can firmly say this is one of my favorite reads as of recent.
In an alternate history, women are allowed to fight and be drafted in World War II. Front Lines follows three women in the army, and through these points of view Grant tackles three very real issues in our world present in WWII and now.
Rio is an all American girl from a small town in California. She faces unimaginable challenges after joining the army through her fellow soldiers, training, combat, and people in general. Sexism is such a cringe-worthy yet important part of this novel. I felt like screaming feminism cheers throughout this book. Woohoo girl power!! I loved seeing Rio beat everyone's expectations and stay strong amid all the doubt, distain, and derogatory comments sent her way. She's got some romantic feelings to sort out in the next book, but the romance in this story was so cute!!
Another point of view follows poor African American Frangie as she aspires to be a medic. We get a firsthand account of all the cruelties and racism towards African Americans, and it's literally the worst. Frangie joins the war to help pay her family's bills, and I love her devotion and dedication to her work. She perseveres in light of all the adversity.
The third main character is Rainy, a Jewish girl with a sharp mind and tongue. I really like her fiery personality, and I love how she takes charge of situations. Rainy is proud to be Jewish and doesn't take crap from anyone.
I commend Grant for his fierce attention to sexism, racism, and anti-Semitism because they do need to be addressed. These issues were infused and helped the plot along but didn't overtake it, which I greatly appreciated. The pacing of the book was wonderful, and I was hooked from the very beginning. There's lots of action with a side of romance and plenty of character growth. I also really liked the authenticity of the history and the nostalgic feel of the time period. Learning the military lingo was quite fun too!
Grant tells the story in three alternating points of view, and they really contribute and round out the story. The story is ultimately told from one person writing out the events and ruminating and guessing in areas; it lends a bit of mystery to the story. I really want to know who's actually telling the story, they're supposedly in the story...
This book does eventually focus on war and the front lines, and I think this has to be my favorite part of the novel. In this second half of the novel we really see the main characters change their perspectives on life and humanity. It's utterly fascinating and so well written. It's a bit sad but completely absorbing at the same time.
In an alternate history, women are allowed to fight and be drafted in World War II. Front Lines follows three women in the army, and through these points of view Grant tackles three very real issues in our world present in WWII and now.
Rio is an all American girl from a small town in California. She faces unimaginable challenges after joining the army through her fellow soldiers, training, combat, and people in general. Sexism is such a cringe-worthy yet important part of this novel. I felt like screaming feminism cheers throughout this book. Woohoo girl power!! I loved seeing Rio beat everyone's expectations and stay strong amid all the doubt, distain, and derogatory comments sent her way. She's got some romantic feelings to sort out in the next book, but the romance in this story was so cute!!
Another point of view follows poor African American Frangie as she aspires to be a medic. We get a firsthand account of all the cruelties and racism towards African Americans, and it's literally the worst. Frangie joins the war to help pay her family's bills, and I love her devotion and dedication to her work. She perseveres in light of all the adversity.
The third main character is Rainy, a Jewish girl with a sharp mind and tongue. I really like her fiery personality, and I love how she takes charge of situations. Rainy is proud to be Jewish and doesn't take crap from anyone.
I commend Grant for his fierce attention to sexism, racism, and anti-Semitism because they do need to be addressed. These issues were infused and helped the plot along but didn't overtake it, which I greatly appreciated. The pacing of the book was wonderful, and I was hooked from the very beginning. There's lots of action with a side of romance and plenty of character growth. I also really liked the authenticity of the history and the nostalgic feel of the time period. Learning the military lingo was quite fun too!
Grant tells the story in three alternating points of view, and they really contribute and round out the story. The story is ultimately told from one person writing out the events and ruminating and guessing in areas; it lends a bit of mystery to the story. I really want to know who's actually telling the story, they're supposedly in the story...
This book does eventually focus on war and the front lines, and I think this has to be my favorite part of the novel. In this second half of the novel we really see the main characters change their perspectives on life and humanity. It's utterly fascinating and so well written. It's a bit sad but completely absorbing at the same time.
October 25, 2016
Sim, eu AMEI esse livro. Depois de terminar eu cheguei à conclusão que eu adoro estórias de guerra. Se você também gosta, definitivamente precisará ler esse livro.
O começo do livro é mais lento e pode cansar os mais fanáticos por ação intensa, mas foi absolutamente necessário para construir as três persongens principais e os coadjuvantes na mente do leitor. Mais que isso, para fazermos ama-los e sentirmos tudo o que sentiam quando efetivamente fossem para a guerra. Quando a segunda parte do livro começa e a primeira batalha acontece, eu não conseguia mais parar de ler. Pode parecer bizarro, mas quase 250 páginas do livro são sobre apenas uma das batalhas que nossas meninas irão enfrentar, mas já foi o suficiente para que elas crescessem e entendessem o que realmente é participar de uma guerra.
Gostei que o autor não tentou esconder em nenhum momento o quão rejeitadas as mulheres eram apenas por serem mulheres. O machismo corre à solta em quase todas as páginas do livro e pode parecer que o autor está sendo insensÃvel, mas na época era tão abertamente discutida a "fraqueza" das mulheres que você compreende como parte do cenário dos anos quarenta. O importante mesmo é a reação das meninas à todo esse machismo. Elas por vezes aceitam como "verdade", pois é o único mundo que conhecem e na maior parte das vezes elas rejeitam de forma inteligente e que deixa os homens desse naipe com a boca aberta.
Assim como o machismo, também é bem proeminente o racismo com os soldados negros. É agonizante ler o quão maltratados eles eram pelo brancos. Como falavam com eles como se fossem "superiores". Eu acho muito importante que estes aspectos sociais da época sejam mantidos para que nós nunca esqueçamos como eram para essas pessoas apenas ter cor diferente da branca. Gostei como a maior parte de situações difÃceis para eles eram contornadas com inteligência e determinação.
Adorei as três protagonistas. Todas são ótimos exemplos de meninas (mulheres quase) fortes e que tem o que é necessário para lutar. A personagem mais bem desenvolvida é a Rio. Passamos pelo menos 65-70% do tempo com ela. Ela começa como uma garota ingênua do interior e ao final da estória ela já é um soldado endurecido pelas tragédias de uma batalha sangrenta. A conversa que ela tem com o seu Sargento nas últimas páginas do livro me fizeram chorar, porque imagino que seja mais ou menos isso que acontece quando soldados inexperientes enfrentam sua primeira batalha.
A Frangie é simplesmente maravilhosa. Além de ter que enfrentar preconceito por ser mulher, precisa deixar de lado o racismo para executar seus deveres como soldado. Ela tem um coração de ouro e leva muito a sério os ensinamentos da sua igreja e pastor. Amar até quem você odeia. Não é a toa que ela deseja se tornar uma socorrista na guerra e posteriormente uma médica.
A Rainy que foi a personagem com o desenvolvimento mais superficial. Não sei se isso se deve por causa da natureza de sua posição no exército (ela trabalha para a inteligência, ou seja, sempre circundada de segredos) ou por falta de "tempo" no livro. Talvez nos próximos nós conheçamos mais dela. O que vi eu gostei, mas quero ver MUITO mais, pois é esperta e tem uma lÃngua afiadÃssima.
Os personagens coadjuvantes são muitos, mas todos desenvolvidos o suficiente para você sentir o mÃnimo de apego a eles. Tenho certeza que nos próximos livros eles serão ainda mais importantes para nós. Meus favoritos até o momento foram o Sargent Green e o Sargent Cole. Aparecem pouco, mas já deixaram uma boa impressão em mim.
Só tenho duas reclamações. Uma seria a adição de romances por todas as partes. Não são de forma alguma uma parte grande do enredo, bem pelo contrário, apareciam esporadicamente, mas ainda assim não sentia que eram todos absolutamente necessários. Inclusive, de certa forma, eles enfraqueciam um pouco os temas feministas do livro. Como se fosse necessário que livros com protagonistas mulheres tivessem romance para prender o leitor emocionalmente em alguma coisa. Pelo menos, para contrabalançar, elas não dão tanta bola para isso (exceto a Rio, mas pq faz parte do desenvolvimento emocional dela eu não conto) e por isso não foi o suficiente para diminuir meu aproveitamento da estória.
Também gostaria de ter visto um pequeno indÃcio de qualquer representação LGBTQ. Sei que nessa época era ainda muito reprimido e completo tabu, inclusive era crime em alguns paÃses, mas queria ter visto mesmo que fosse no interior de algum personagem. A Rainy era uma ótima candidata, mas o autor decidiu ir pela rota heteronormativa com ela também. Vamos ver se no próximo ele ajusta isso.
Enfim, definitivamente foi umas das minha leituras favoritas de 2016 e mal posso esperar pelo próximo livro da série. Temos mais dois anos de guerra pela frente!
O começo do livro é mais lento e pode cansar os mais fanáticos por ação intensa, mas foi absolutamente necessário para construir as três persongens principais e os coadjuvantes na mente do leitor. Mais que isso, para fazermos ama-los e sentirmos tudo o que sentiam quando efetivamente fossem para a guerra. Quando a segunda parte do livro começa e a primeira batalha acontece, eu não conseguia mais parar de ler. Pode parecer bizarro, mas quase 250 páginas do livro são sobre apenas uma das batalhas que nossas meninas irão enfrentar, mas já foi o suficiente para que elas crescessem e entendessem o que realmente é participar de uma guerra.
Gostei que o autor não tentou esconder em nenhum momento o quão rejeitadas as mulheres eram apenas por serem mulheres. O machismo corre à solta em quase todas as páginas do livro e pode parecer que o autor está sendo insensÃvel, mas na época era tão abertamente discutida a "fraqueza" das mulheres que você compreende como parte do cenário dos anos quarenta. O importante mesmo é a reação das meninas à todo esse machismo. Elas por vezes aceitam como "verdade", pois é o único mundo que conhecem e na maior parte das vezes elas rejeitam de forma inteligente e que deixa os homens desse naipe com a boca aberta.
Assim como o machismo, também é bem proeminente o racismo com os soldados negros. É agonizante ler o quão maltratados eles eram pelo brancos. Como falavam com eles como se fossem "superiores". Eu acho muito importante que estes aspectos sociais da época sejam mantidos para que nós nunca esqueçamos como eram para essas pessoas apenas ter cor diferente da branca. Gostei como a maior parte de situações difÃceis para eles eram contornadas com inteligência e determinação.
Adorei as três protagonistas. Todas são ótimos exemplos de meninas (mulheres quase) fortes e que tem o que é necessário para lutar. A personagem mais bem desenvolvida é a Rio. Passamos pelo menos 65-70% do tempo com ela. Ela começa como uma garota ingênua do interior e ao final da estória ela já é um soldado endurecido pelas tragédias de uma batalha sangrenta. A conversa que ela tem com o seu Sargento nas últimas páginas do livro me fizeram chorar, porque imagino que seja mais ou menos isso que acontece quando soldados inexperientes enfrentam sua primeira batalha.
A Frangie é simplesmente maravilhosa. Além de ter que enfrentar preconceito por ser mulher, precisa deixar de lado o racismo para executar seus deveres como soldado. Ela tem um coração de ouro e leva muito a sério os ensinamentos da sua igreja e pastor. Amar até quem você odeia. Não é a toa que ela deseja se tornar uma socorrista na guerra e posteriormente uma médica.
A Rainy que foi a personagem com o desenvolvimento mais superficial. Não sei se isso se deve por causa da natureza de sua posição no exército (ela trabalha para a inteligência, ou seja, sempre circundada de segredos) ou por falta de "tempo" no livro. Talvez nos próximos nós conheçamos mais dela. O que vi eu gostei, mas quero ver MUITO mais, pois é esperta e tem uma lÃngua afiadÃssima.
Os personagens coadjuvantes são muitos, mas todos desenvolvidos o suficiente para você sentir o mÃnimo de apego a eles. Tenho certeza que nos próximos livros eles serão ainda mais importantes para nós. Meus favoritos até o momento foram o Sargent Green e o Sargent Cole. Aparecem pouco, mas já deixaram uma boa impressão em mim.
Só tenho duas reclamações. Uma seria a adição de romances por todas as partes. Não são de forma alguma uma parte grande do enredo, bem pelo contrário, apareciam esporadicamente, mas ainda assim não sentia que eram todos absolutamente necessários. Inclusive, de certa forma, eles enfraqueciam um pouco os temas feministas do livro. Como se fosse necessário que livros com protagonistas mulheres tivessem romance para prender o leitor emocionalmente em alguma coisa. Pelo menos, para contrabalançar, elas não dão tanta bola para isso (exceto a Rio, mas pq faz parte do desenvolvimento emocional dela eu não conto) e por isso não foi o suficiente para diminuir meu aproveitamento da estória.
Também gostaria de ter visto um pequeno indÃcio de qualquer representação LGBTQ. Sei que nessa época era ainda muito reprimido e completo tabu, inclusive era crime em alguns paÃses, mas queria ter visto mesmo que fosse no interior de algum personagem. A Rainy era uma ótima candidata, mas o autor decidiu ir pela rota heteronormativa com ela também. Vamos ver se no próximo ele ajusta isso.
Enfim, definitivamente foi umas das minha leituras favoritas de 2016 e mal posso esperar pelo próximo livro da série. Temos mais dois anos de guerra pela frente!
September 12, 2020
"Now I know why they never let women fight wars," Sergeant Garaman says. "Too mean."
Front Lines is a historical fiction with a little twist: here, the United States took women to fight in World War II. Our protagonists have different motivations to be Army volunteers and each one of them deals differently with the challenging training and battle.
The first third of the book was fantastic, the author took his time to introduce the characters (and there are plenty) and it added a lot of depth to all of them. The second third was when the military training happened, it dragged a little bit but it was still solid and kept my attention. The final part, however, was a struggle. I was so bored and I just couldn't get to the end of the book fast enough. Besides, this is the first in a trilogy, so the story doesn't really have an ending (and it deserved one), and stops right in the middle of the war.
I probably won't continue on with the series, the war descriptions were just very uninteresting to me.
Front Lines is a historical fiction with a little twist: here, the United States took women to fight in World War II. Our protagonists have different motivations to be Army volunteers and each one of them deals differently with the challenging training and battle.
The first third of the book was fantastic, the author took his time to introduce the characters (and there are plenty) and it added a lot of depth to all of them. The second third was when the military training happened, it dragged a little bit but it was still solid and kept my attention. The final part, however, was a struggle. I was so bored and I just couldn't get to the end of the book fast enough. Besides, this is the first in a trilogy, so the story doesn't really have an ending (and it deserved one), and stops right in the middle of the war.
I probably won't continue on with the series, the war descriptions were just very uninteresting to me.
April 27, 2016
I considered adding this to my action shelf also, but the action part of the read doesn't kick in until the last third or so of the book. That said I was also a little torn between 4 and 5 stars but finally settled on 5 stars.
So far as this being "alternate history" the only real "alternate" part is the inclusion of females in the armed forces. If you're a history buff, scholar or whatever you'll note that the historical incidents are just that, the historical incidents. The part of the war we are dealing with here is Northern Africa, the Battle of Kasserine Pass. We open the book with our narrator in a field hospital beginning the story but we're told that "the war is almost over now". As the book closes we return to her and are left with the "more to come" ending.
The first part of this book is very much about young people and the beginning of the war from the point of view of the "young girls" who will be our view points. The book also has a very strong vein of social commentary. The sexism, racism and even antisemitism are at times so thick you can cut it with the "proverbial" knife. Be aware that our black character is called racial names as are others in the book. However the growth of the brothers and sisters" in arms is done very well.
I won't move into spoiler territory but I'll say that Mr. Grant does a good job of drawing us in and frankly of capturing at least some of the camaraderie of combat.
I looked him up and saw he was raised in a military family...which begs the question, how come he doesn't know that THERE IS NO BOOT CAMP IN THE ARMY!!!!! THAT'S THE MARINES!
Other than that...good read, recommended.
So far as this being "alternate history" the only real "alternate" part is the inclusion of females in the armed forces. If you're a history buff, scholar or whatever you'll note that the historical incidents are just that, the historical incidents. The part of the war we are dealing with here is Northern Africa, the Battle of Kasserine Pass. We open the book with our narrator in a field hospital beginning the story but we're told that "the war is almost over now". As the book closes we return to her and are left with the "more to come" ending.
The first part of this book is very much about young people and the beginning of the war from the point of view of the "young girls" who will be our view points. The book also has a very strong vein of social commentary. The sexism, racism and even antisemitism are at times so thick you can cut it with the "proverbial" knife. Be aware that our black character is called racial names as are others in the book. However the growth of the brothers and sisters" in arms is done very well.
I won't move into spoiler territory but I'll say that Mr. Grant does a good job of drawing us in and frankly of capturing at least some of the camaraderie of combat.
I looked him up and saw he was raised in a military family...which begs the question, how come he doesn't know that THERE IS NO BOOT CAMP IN THE ARMY!!!!! THAT'S THE MARINES!
Other than that...good read, recommended.
April 28, 2016
This was a fascinating book. It takes a look at WWII with a twist: what if women had been allowed to serve in combat roles (and were also part of the draft) during WWII? I had a fair bit of hesitation when I started reading because women DID play a pivotal role in WWII, though one that is often glossed over or forgotten in most war stories, but Front Lines isn't about rewriting history so much as showing us the future. As the barriers break down and women become more integrated into the male-dominated armed forces in fighting roles, this book shows us that women are and have always been as strong (and frequently stronger) than men.
That said, this is a dark, dark book full of just about every horrible thing you can imagine. Racism, sexism, anti-semitism, gore, death. It's not an easy book to get through, but I was sucked into this world, and it felt so real.
I can't wait for the second book.
That said, this is a dark, dark book full of just about every horrible thing you can imagine. Racism, sexism, anti-semitism, gore, death. It's not an easy book to get through, but I was sucked into this world, and it felt so real.
I can't wait for the second book.
July 7, 2016
Besides this book being a little slow, Front Lines was a pretty damn amazing book. A historical fiction that follows three different, kick ass females in the middle of a war. It's hearty, brutal and some times shocking. This book deals with racism, sexism, death, PTSD and so much more. It doesn't shy away from the terrifying war that's happening and man, reading this, I swear I could feel the fear that Rio had as she jumped off that boat into the beach or the terror as Frangie tried to stitch up half dead soldiers. It was realistic and wow for me. 4.5 stars out of 5!!!
October 8, 2016
~*Full review posted on *~
is an alternate history of WWII. The big switch-up Grant has made is adding females to the draft and using them in ALL roles across the United States military (other countries have not made such an enlightened choice). Other than that change, the book is pretty much true to history � including attitudes towards women, people of color, and people of Asian features. It is at times harsh and heartbreaking, but the main characters of Rio, Frangie, and Rainy are sympathetic and compelling as they grow and adapt to the war and their changing roles in the world. They are not only dealing with the hard reality of being females in a still very patriarchal world, but with their own coming of age, of loss and love on a personal level, and all while being swept along in the grand scheme of the war.
God knows the MODERN United States Army is having a hard enough time getting a grip on itself with females in the ranks, but add to that the expectations of the generation that would become the idealogical 50s housewife � the book ends in about 1943, so with a couple more years left in the war, I’m very interested to see how this shapes Grant’s version of the United States in the sequel coming next year, .
We spend the most time with Rio, a gutsy farm girl who finds herself in the awkward and unwanted position of being good at her army job while in her heart, just wanting to be a normal girl. Her growth is the most marked of the three main characters and I love her so much.
The other two girls � because really, they are all still girls when the books starts � are lovable as well, but I felt the most connection with Rio. There is also an unnamed first-person narrator that shows up in the beginning, middle, and end, and has some succinct insights on the war and the women in it.
has, I think, either been in military service or he has done his research very, very well. His descriptions of Basic Training are spot on. His knowledge of the WWII era is commendable (I went and looked a few things up to see just how accurate he was, if it all, since sometimes historical fiction writers are VERY free with the facts) and he has altered as little as possible in his writing. He’s baldly honest with the racism and sexism of the time, enough to make me squirm in my chair. His descriptions of events are extremely accurate as we follow our heroines through their army journey from civilian to soldier.
The one thing that bothered me was the substitute of fug or fugging for fuck or fucking…it would be one thing if the entire book was censored that way, but the words dick (the male appendage, not the name) and goddamn are used without euphemisms sooooo…that was kind of annoying and pointless. And GOD KNOWS it’s every soldier’s right to swear. And grumble.
I loved how honest the portrayal of human nature was, and how emotions come so close to the surface during times of stress. Rio especially is torn between what she knows is waiting for her at home and what is happening in the right here right now.
As a medic myself, I loved Frangie and her fighting spirit, even in the face of soldiers being SO VERY HORRIBLE to her because of her race and her gender. She just never quits. But she never stops feeling, either, she just learns to put it aside at the time. I can’t wait to see her further development.
Rainy, our little intelligence soldier, felt the least realistic to me. Some of her dialogue exchanges are stilted and left me with raised eyebrows. I mean, I know it was WWII and there were a lot of green soldiers thrown into positions that ordinarily they wouldn’t have been…her storyline just seemed far-fetched at times. Almost like, well, we need this group to be here and we need them to meet up with her so let’s throw in this over-the-top mission that makes no sense to anybody. But maybe I’m just overly skeptical.
Don’t go into this expecting a happily-ever-after, or an exceptionally fast paced story. The first half of the book is fairly slow as we are introduced to all the characters and how they came to be in the army. As for the ever-afters, one � the war isn’t over, so we’re going to have to wait and see how things turn out. For another � it’s war, and people die, even the characters we’ve become attached to. Overall, 4/5 stars.
is an alternate history of WWII. The big switch-up Grant has made is adding females to the draft and using them in ALL roles across the United States military (other countries have not made such an enlightened choice). Other than that change, the book is pretty much true to history � including attitudes towards women, people of color, and people of Asian features. It is at times harsh and heartbreaking, but the main characters of Rio, Frangie, and Rainy are sympathetic and compelling as they grow and adapt to the war and their changing roles in the world. They are not only dealing with the hard reality of being females in a still very patriarchal world, but with their own coming of age, of loss and love on a personal level, and all while being swept along in the grand scheme of the war.
The rituals are different now. It has always been that the men went off and the women wept and waved. There is no blueprint for what is happening now. There is no easy reference point. People don’t know quite how to behave, and it’s worse for the men in the station who are staying behind and feel conspicuous and ashamed.
God knows the MODERN United States Army is having a hard enough time getting a grip on itself with females in the ranks, but add to that the expectations of the generation that would become the idealogical 50s housewife � the book ends in about 1943, so with a couple more years left in the war, I’m very interested to see how this shapes Grant’s version of the United States in the sequel coming next year, .
We spend the most time with Rio, a gutsy farm girl who finds herself in the awkward and unwanted position of being good at her army job while in her heart, just wanting to be a normal girl. Her growth is the most marked of the three main characters and I love her so much.
She [Rio] has just upended her entire life based on a diner conversation with her best friend and an awkward exchange with a boy she barely knows.
The other two girls � because really, they are all still girls when the books starts � are lovable as well, but I felt the most connection with Rio. There is also an unnamed first-person narrator that shows up in the beginning, middle, and end, and has some succinct insights on the war and the women in it.
Will you understand if I tell you that there are times when it is better to feel the pain yourself than to see it and hear it in another?
has, I think, either been in military service or he has done his research very, very well. His descriptions of Basic Training are spot on. His knowledge of the WWII era is commendable (I went and looked a few things up to see just how accurate he was, if it all, since sometimes historical fiction writers are VERY free with the facts) and he has altered as little as possible in his writing. He’s baldly honest with the racism and sexism of the time, enough to make me squirm in my chair. His descriptions of events are extremely accurate as we follow our heroines through their army journey from civilian to soldier.
The one thing that bothered me was the substitute of fug or fugging for fuck or fucking…it would be one thing if the entire book was censored that way, but the words dick (the male appendage, not the name) and goddamn are used without euphemisms sooooo…that was kind of annoying and pointless. And GOD KNOWS it’s every soldier’s right to swear. And grumble.
I loved how honest the portrayal of human nature was, and how emotions come so close to the surface during times of stress. Rio especially is torn between what she knows is waiting for her at home and what is happening in the right here right now.
Strand is there, close to her heart.
Jack is there, close.
As a medic myself, I loved Frangie and her fighting spirit, even in the face of soldiers being SO VERY HORRIBLE to her because of her race and her gender. She just never quits. But she never stops feeling, either, she just learns to put it aside at the time. I can’t wait to see her further development.
Rainy, our little intelligence soldier, felt the least realistic to me. Some of her dialogue exchanges are stilted and left me with raised eyebrows. I mean, I know it was WWII and there were a lot of green soldiers thrown into positions that ordinarily they wouldn’t have been…her storyline just seemed far-fetched at times. Almost like, well, we need this group to be here and we need them to meet up with her so let’s throw in this over-the-top mission that makes no sense to anybody. But maybe I’m just overly skeptical.
Don’t go into this expecting a happily-ever-after, or an exceptionally fast paced story. The first half of the book is fairly slow as we are introduced to all the characters and how they came to be in the army. As for the ever-afters, one � the war isn’t over, so we’re going to have to wait and see how things turn out. For another � it’s war, and people die, even the characters we’ve become attached to. Overall, 4/5 stars.
At night we cry sometimes, and if you think that just applies to the females then you have never been in combat, because everyone cries sooner or later. Everyone cries.
August 2, 2016
There will come a time when you’ll have a choice between staying in your trench and crawling out of it to save a buddy.
4 1/2 stars. This was such an inspiring tale following three brave women who went to war to fight for their country in 1942. While it was definitely empowering to females, I don't think the main point was to send some feminist message. Instead, it focused on soldiers relying on one another to live to see the morning.
The three women this book centered on - Rainy, Rio, and Frangie - were incredibly strong. They were from different races and religions and it was such a relief to see some diversity in YA. Grant added so much depth to their characters, bringing each of their voices to life.
There's Rio, the classic "good girl" who's slowly coming out of her shell, Rainy, the tough-loving Jew, and Frangie, the African-American girl who wants to be a medic. What these young women had to deal with was unbelievable and so darn heroic, yet the author never failed to show that they were girls, too, and liked to watch movies and go out with boys and paint their fingernails.
The details about training to become a soldier and what the main characters had to go through weren't skimped over. I think the grittiness and gory bits were added in the perfect spots and strengthened the realism of the story.
This book was honestly so much better than I expected. I really liked the first novel I read by the author, , but I couldn't stand one of his newer releases, . Thankfully, Front Lines lived up to my high expectations set by the intense survival story of .
It was a bit lengthier than I think it could have been. This book was huge - over 500 pages - and I felt like some scenes were repetitive and could have been cut down. But aside from that, I really appreciated its harsh and gritty tone.
If you're interested in WWII historical fiction or are curious as to how the US military works, I highly recommend this book. It's both informative and touching.
March 5, 2017
I don't want to say anything more about this book, other than that I loved it and the four girls are so close to my heart right now.
October 28, 2016
At night we cry sometimes, and if you think that just applies to the females then you have never been in combat, because everyone cries sooner or later. Everyone cries.
I feel like anyone who knows anything about my reading habits will know I love Michael Grant. I suppose we all have our authors that we read - no matter what they bring out, and Michael Grant is mine. I devoured his science fiction/horror-esque series, enjoyed perhaps even more his futuristic science tale in , was reasonably charmed by and now I read Front Lines, Grant's first real delve into historical fiction and realistic fiction.
Front Lines is an altered history World War Two story. In Grant's story, an American court case has granted women the right to participate in all areas of the army - meaning women hit the front lines when America enters World War Two in 1941.
The book is split into two section: before the war, and during the war. It follows three core characters: The first, Rio Richlin, a farm girl from California who joins the army with her best friend Jenou, thinking it will be an adventure. The second, Rainy Schulterman, a Jewish girl from New York who joins army intelligence hoping she may come across some information on her missing cousin living in Poland. And third, Frangie Marr, an African American girl who wants to be an army medic.
Each character is different from the other and has their own motives and backstories, but in common they had their bravery, their courage in the face of trial and sympathetic voices which carried the story. Although I'd say Rio was my favourite (probably because she has the most chapters) I found each character interesting.
And,,, I gotta mention this because it's wild .. there is a lowkey love triangle and I don't hate it .. I really don't. And I usually HATE LOVE TRIANGLES WITH THE BURNING PASSION OF ONE THOUSAND SUNS and yet, here is the first love triangle I am okay with since Tessa/Will/Jem.
As always, Grant doesn't shy away from portraying the gory and the controversial and the frankly awful And the way in which the attitudes of the soldiers and the enemy is awfully realistic. I appreciate that Grant doesn't attempt to whitewash history, I like that the terrible things American's did in the war, and the rampant sexism, racism and homophobia was not skated over. I like that this story did not give me all white characters but offered a variety of backgrounds and histories, and that the characters have specific experiences because of their race, religion and gender.
I don't think people should go into this expecting heaps of action, crazy battle monologues and heroic battles. That's not what Front Lines is. Front Lines is the other side of war: Front Lines is not everyone making it, Front Lines is lying on the floorfor hours, thirsty and tired and hungry fearing for your life. Front Lines is the emergence of new literature that doesn't glorify war but instead portrays it realistically, a trend we have to thank for.
This is about people. It's about girls supporting eachother, but it's about soldiers supporting eachother too. And it's about shitty things happening to people who probably didn't deserve it.
I think Michael Grant's forage into historical fiction worked, and I liked this as a standalone but I struggle to see where he could take this series. There are supposedly two more, to come out in 2017 and another some time in the future. I will read Silver Stars to check it out, since I have a faith in Michael Grant but I'm a little unsure
However, as a book itself I think this deserves more attention. Crazy strong female characters we've all been screaming for, interesting diverse characters we've all been screaming for, just ! Really enjoyed this.
November 9, 2018
3.5 Stars
A great alternate history book about WWII where females can enlist. Front Lines follows three of these women as they fight for respect, equally, and their country. I loved Rio, Frangie, and Rainy. Their voices were powerful and real. I’m excited to see what the next installment brings.
A great alternate history book about WWII where females can enlist. Front Lines follows three of these women as they fight for respect, equally, and their country. I loved Rio, Frangie, and Rainy. Their voices were powerful and real. I’m excited to see what the next installment brings.
September 15, 2021
Well, this book was definitely interesting and I did enjoy it more than some of Grant's other books. The whole idea of women being able to fight in WWII was super interesting and I did enjoy being able to see that side of war.
I liked all the background stuff and the training before the war parts of the book, I definitely enjoyed that, but the book majorly picked up when they went to war.
The characters were a joy to read about and I loved each of the girls for different reasons, they were all so unique and it made me so happy.
I will most definitely be reading the next book when it releases soon!
I liked all the background stuff and the training before the war parts of the book, I definitely enjoyed that, but the book majorly picked up when they went to war.
The characters were a joy to read about and I loved each of the girls for different reasons, they were all so unique and it made me so happy.
I will most definitely be reading the next book when it releases soon!
August 27, 2017
4.5 of 5 stars
“Only Jack has remarked on the irony that America is going to war against a white supremacist enemy with a segregated American army.�
� Michael Grant, Front Lines
Although this novel poses an alternate history of WWII in that, that females can now join or be drafted into the Army, it portraits these tender beginnings of immersion very realistically. Michael Grant introduces the reader to three main female characters in the beginning, who are all at a tender age of 18 or under in 1942.
Rio, the hardy and pretty farm girl from a small boring town in California who has just fallen for a young man in town. Their paths into the service separate them right from the start as they leave for their basic training. Frangie, an African American girl, driven with aspirations to be in the medical field joins the military to help her family pay their bills. And Rainy, a very smart, witty Jewish girl who takes no slack from anyone and enlists into the Special Forces.
The narration in the book alternates between the characters as each of the girls face and triumph over different challenges during their training. None of the girls are officers and the difference between the ranks of the enlisted are made very clear to all of them and that narrative stays throughout the entire book. White males and females are in one camp, and soldiers of other races and color are segregated into another training camp. Curtains are drawn between the females and males in the barracks.
After basic training, the soldiers have 3 days to go on R&R and the girls check in with their families. Upon return, they are shipped off to fight the Germans on the northern coast of Africa, and this is where you will be transported into the on goings of the war with each of the characters.
The scenes of some of the battles, the fear and loss, the endurance and strength, the way the girls went through it all, is what stirred my heart to get involved into the story and what drove my rating up. This is a YA novel, and I thought it was told accordingly, but nothing short of making you understand and feel the brutality and comradery of soldiers in the war.
As others have pointed out in previous reviews, there was prejudice and gender inequality around every corner; on duty and off duty, on the field and off the field. However, there were a few instances where smarts outwitted rank or outdid perpetrators in very ingenious simple ways. I enjoyed those gum-shoe moments for the characters.
The character development and events rose steadily and came together beautifully in this story. It wasn’t too slow or too fast, just an enjoyable read at a good pace. There will be a book two that will continue with where this one left off, which I don’t want to spoil for anyone an I am looking forward to reading the next one.
“Only Jack has remarked on the irony that America is going to war against a white supremacist enemy with a segregated American army.�
� Michael Grant, Front Lines
Although this novel poses an alternate history of WWII in that, that females can now join or be drafted into the Army, it portraits these tender beginnings of immersion very realistically. Michael Grant introduces the reader to three main female characters in the beginning, who are all at a tender age of 18 or under in 1942.
Rio, the hardy and pretty farm girl from a small boring town in California who has just fallen for a young man in town. Their paths into the service separate them right from the start as they leave for their basic training. Frangie, an African American girl, driven with aspirations to be in the medical field joins the military to help her family pay their bills. And Rainy, a very smart, witty Jewish girl who takes no slack from anyone and enlists into the Special Forces.
The narration in the book alternates between the characters as each of the girls face and triumph over different challenges during their training. None of the girls are officers and the difference between the ranks of the enlisted are made very clear to all of them and that narrative stays throughout the entire book. White males and females are in one camp, and soldiers of other races and color are segregated into another training camp. Curtains are drawn between the females and males in the barracks.
After basic training, the soldiers have 3 days to go on R&R and the girls check in with their families. Upon return, they are shipped off to fight the Germans on the northern coast of Africa, and this is where you will be transported into the on goings of the war with each of the characters.
The scenes of some of the battles, the fear and loss, the endurance and strength, the way the girls went through it all, is what stirred my heart to get involved into the story and what drove my rating up. This is a YA novel, and I thought it was told accordingly, but nothing short of making you understand and feel the brutality and comradery of soldiers in the war.
As others have pointed out in previous reviews, there was prejudice and gender inequality around every corner; on duty and off duty, on the field and off the field. However, there were a few instances where smarts outwitted rank or outdid perpetrators in very ingenious simple ways. I enjoyed those gum-shoe moments for the characters.
The character development and events rose steadily and came together beautifully in this story. It wasn’t too slow or too fast, just an enjoyable read at a good pace. There will be a book two that will continue with where this one left off, which I don’t want to spoil for anyone an I am looking forward to reading the next one.
August 29, 2016
Hate. The word alone made Rio queasy. How do you hate someone you've never met? Weren't the Germans just soldiers doing what they were supposed to do? How could she kill someone like that?Front Lines takes a unique and eye-opening perspective on World War Two - the likes of which I haven't ever before in a YA book before.
Front Lines is an alternate history where the Supreme Court has created a law that allows women to serve in World War Two. The story follows three girls - Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman - as they enlist in the most brutal war history has ever known.
Each of these three girls are written wonderfully. They each display remarkable courage, intelligence, and perseverance in the face of impossible odds, and it's hard not to root for them.
What's truly wonderful about this book is how it discusses sexism, racism, and religious prejudice - topics that are still rampant in our society today. Grant discusses these topics honestly and thoughtfully, in a way that makes everything linger in your mind for long after you've finished the story.
While I didn't connect to the story emotionally as much as I wish I could have, mostly due to the fact that the majority of the story was spent exploring some taboo issues and not developing the characters or furthering the action, I still found it to be an eye-opening and well-written read. Fans of or are going to love this.
You heal a soldier in a war, and he goes off next thing to take another man's life. How then do you avoid responsibility for that death?
December 31, 2023
Re-read 2023
Still amazing and unputdownable!
Original review
I wasn't a big fan of the , but this series has caused me to re-evaluate my opinion about . I LOVED this book! I'm a bit surprised that this book doesn't have more Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ reviews. Because I couldn't put this book down!
The premise-four strong and diverse female protagonists that all enlist in the American army during WWII. While Michael Grant pays true attention to historical events, in this book,Grant throws in the idea that women are enlisting and drafted into combat roles. This book took me somewhat by surprise for two reasons. One, when an author tells a story using multiple viewpoints, I often feel that I only prefer one character. But Grant makes each of these young women- Rio, Frangie, Jenou, and Rainy equally interesting by giving the reader time to get to know who these women were before they end up in the North Africa campaign. Second, as much as I have a good list of YA books that I greatly enjoyed reading that happen to be WW-II centric, they tend to be "historical-lite." Grant includes issues surrounding racism, antisemitism, and sexism that ring true and beg for readers to truly immerse themselves in the specific time period.
Highly recommend! I am looking forward to the sequel!
Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ review published. 17/09/16
Still amazing and unputdownable!
Original review
I wasn't a big fan of the , but this series has caused me to re-evaluate my opinion about . I LOVED this book! I'm a bit surprised that this book doesn't have more Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ reviews. Because I couldn't put this book down!
The premise-four strong and diverse female protagonists that all enlist in the American army during WWII. While Michael Grant pays true attention to historical events, in this book,Grant throws in the idea that women are enlisting and drafted into combat roles. This book took me somewhat by surprise for two reasons. One, when an author tells a story using multiple viewpoints, I often feel that I only prefer one character. But Grant makes each of these young women- Rio, Frangie, Jenou, and Rainy equally interesting by giving the reader time to get to know who these women were before they end up in the North Africa campaign. Second, as much as I have a good list of YA books that I greatly enjoyed reading that happen to be WW-II centric, they tend to be "historical-lite." Grant includes issues surrounding racism, antisemitism, and sexism that ring true and beg for readers to truly immerse themselves in the specific time period.
Highly recommend! I am looking forward to the sequel!
Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ review published. 17/09/16
January 28, 2016
Disclaimer: I received a free copy via Edelweiss for review purposes.
First Impression: Front Lines is quite a long, but incredibly compelling read set in an alternative world-war II era, where the United States allowed women to fight on the front lines. The story is narrated by a mystery writer, someone who is supposedly a part of the 119th Division, and that aspect created a bit of a mystery element to the story. I loved the characters - a diverse cast, and Grant does an incredible job of discussing the issues of racism, sexism and anti-Semitism. I'm glad it's a series because I cannot wait to finish the stories of these heroic girls.
Review: In the United States, a supreme court ruling allows girls to be eligible for service on the front lines alongside men. Three girls - Frangie, Rio and Rainy - join the army for their own reasons. Frangie joins for money for her family, Rainy joins to beat the Germans, and Rio joins to honour the death of her sister. The narration revolves around the story of these three girls - their motivations for enlisting in the army, their training, and eventually their posting overseas.
The synopsis of Front Lines really appealed to me, and I have heard fantastic things about Michael Grant as a writer, so Front Lines was a book I was highly anticipating.
While women did contribute massively to the war effort (in both the UK and the USA amongst other countries), Front Lines is alternative history because women were not allowed in combat roles (save for Russian female snipers and combat pilots) and they are in combat roles in this book, and they train alongside men, they share the same bunks as men. In reality, women in the war were trained separately than men, had their own quarters and in auxiliary support roles (e.g the WAAFs and the ATS).
A lot of people might be put off by the slow pacing, but I ask that you persevere because the journey that these girls go through is central to the novel. The characterization is spot-on; Grant does an excellent job in creating a connection between the reader and the characters. An aspect I really enjoyed was the f/f friendships that are sure to be developed even further in the sequels.
Grant deals with sexism, racism and anti-Semitism in Front Lines and he spares no details. Rio Richlin frequently encounters sexism; men doubting her ability, men being very vocal about how women can't fight, and shouldn't fight. Rio overcomes everyone's judgements of her and proves them wrong; women can fight, and they can be pretty damn good at it, too. Rainy Schulterman is Jewish, and frequently experiences anti-Semitism, and yet she overcomes these obstacles and proves her worth - she wants to contribute, so she makes damn sure she does. African American Frangie - a personal favourite of mine - is an aspiring medic, and we see how cruelly African Americans were treated - they were segregated, alienated, and subject to disgusting and derogatory comments. Grant did an excellent job bringing these issues to the forefront.
As mentioned, the story itself is narrated and 'written' by some mysterious comrade that are seemingly fighting alongside our girls. They don't give up their name, and this is something I am looking forward to in the sequels.
A series I will certainly be continuing with, and a book for you to get on your TBR lists.
Perfect for fans of historical fiction.
First Impression: Front Lines is quite a long, but incredibly compelling read set in an alternative world-war II era, where the United States allowed women to fight on the front lines. The story is narrated by a mystery writer, someone who is supposedly a part of the 119th Division, and that aspect created a bit of a mystery element to the story. I loved the characters - a diverse cast, and Grant does an incredible job of discussing the issues of racism, sexism and anti-Semitism. I'm glad it's a series because I cannot wait to finish the stories of these heroic girls.
Review: In the United States, a supreme court ruling allows girls to be eligible for service on the front lines alongside men. Three girls - Frangie, Rio and Rainy - join the army for their own reasons. Frangie joins for money for her family, Rainy joins to beat the Germans, and Rio joins to honour the death of her sister. The narration revolves around the story of these three girls - their motivations for enlisting in the army, their training, and eventually their posting overseas.
The synopsis of Front Lines really appealed to me, and I have heard fantastic things about Michael Grant as a writer, so Front Lines was a book I was highly anticipating.
While women did contribute massively to the war effort (in both the UK and the USA amongst other countries), Front Lines is alternative history because women were not allowed in combat roles (save for Russian female snipers and combat pilots) and they are in combat roles in this book, and they train alongside men, they share the same bunks as men. In reality, women in the war were trained separately than men, had their own quarters and in auxiliary support roles (e.g the WAAFs and the ATS).
A lot of people might be put off by the slow pacing, but I ask that you persevere because the journey that these girls go through is central to the novel. The characterization is spot-on; Grant does an excellent job in creating a connection between the reader and the characters. An aspect I really enjoyed was the f/f friendships that are sure to be developed even further in the sequels.
Grant deals with sexism, racism and anti-Semitism in Front Lines and he spares no details. Rio Richlin frequently encounters sexism; men doubting her ability, men being very vocal about how women can't fight, and shouldn't fight. Rio overcomes everyone's judgements of her and proves them wrong; women can fight, and they can be pretty damn good at it, too. Rainy Schulterman is Jewish, and frequently experiences anti-Semitism, and yet she overcomes these obstacles and proves her worth - she wants to contribute, so she makes damn sure she does. African American Frangie - a personal favourite of mine - is an aspiring medic, and we see how cruelly African Americans were treated - they were segregated, alienated, and subject to disgusting and derogatory comments. Grant did an excellent job bringing these issues to the forefront.
As mentioned, the story itself is narrated and 'written' by some mysterious comrade that are seemingly fighting alongside our girls. They don't give up their name, and this is something I am looking forward to in the sequels.
A series I will certainly be continuing with, and a book for you to get on your TBR lists.
Perfect for fans of historical fiction.
March 1, 2016
Front Lines was nothing short of breathtaking.
I was initially attracted by the promise of young women fighting alongside their male counterparts and thriving within the intense and deadly landscape. But what I found was so, so much more than a sense of feminism and righteousness. Front Lines is like nothing you've ever seen before.
Imagine being a young woman with a sense of duty to your country, your family and make something of your life despite the prejudice against your background or the colour of your skin. Volunteering for what has always been viewed as a male dominated battle of physicality and brute force. Being female, your superiors and fellow soldiers despise your bravery and determination, you'll never be treated as anything close to being an equal. This is exactly what Rio, Rainy and Frangie face. Labelled as incompetent based only on their gender, with Rainy being spat upon for her Jewish heritage and downed soldiers refusing treatment from Frangie due to the colour of her skin. It was empowering to see each girl rise above the blatant sexism and prejudice, showing their strength of character when their male counterparts could not.
She cannot, will not, spend the war in a swivel chair.
As the storyline progresses it's told in two parts, enlistment and then being sent to war. The storyline is told as a third person perspective as a memoir, the girls telling their stories through an unknown storyteller who often speaks directly to the reader. I usually find storylines where the narrator is aware of a reader often as strange and confronting, but it was truly incredible.
Once the girls complete their training, they are set to task to take advantage of their abilities, Rio sent to the front lines of combat, Rainy working a mundane desk position and Frangie training as a medic in the field. I haven't read many fiction young adult novels based on what are every real events, but from the witness account and the girls telling their story through a third party, the emotion of war was devastating. Taking the life of a person under any circumstances is nothing to be taken lightly and Michael Grant constructed the storyline with such care and an incredible amount of honesty and confidence.
Rio's character by far has the greatest impact and growth. She begins as an angry young woman, wanting to take a life to avenge her late sister, but throughout her journey from the recruitment office to the battlefield, her character gains the respect of not only her peers but superiors as well. Her internal struggle between following orders and taking an opposing soldiers life even in self defense brought a humility to her character.
It is a lengthy read and feels much longer than It's 460 pages, especially given the subject matter and the brutality of war. It was breathtaking, incredibly vivid and places the reader alongside Rio, Rainy and Frangie as they embark on becoming the first female soldiers of the United States army. Book two cannot come soon enough. It's phenomenal.
I was initially attracted by the promise of young women fighting alongside their male counterparts and thriving within the intense and deadly landscape. But what I found was so, so much more than a sense of feminism and righteousness. Front Lines is like nothing you've ever seen before.
Imagine being a young woman with a sense of duty to your country, your family and make something of your life despite the prejudice against your background or the colour of your skin. Volunteering for what has always been viewed as a male dominated battle of physicality and brute force. Being female, your superiors and fellow soldiers despise your bravery and determination, you'll never be treated as anything close to being an equal. This is exactly what Rio, Rainy and Frangie face. Labelled as incompetent based only on their gender, with Rainy being spat upon for her Jewish heritage and downed soldiers refusing treatment from Frangie due to the colour of her skin. It was empowering to see each girl rise above the blatant sexism and prejudice, showing their strength of character when their male counterparts could not.
She cannot, will not, spend the war in a swivel chair.
As the storyline progresses it's told in two parts, enlistment and then being sent to war. The storyline is told as a third person perspective as a memoir, the girls telling their stories through an unknown storyteller who often speaks directly to the reader. I usually find storylines where the narrator is aware of a reader often as strange and confronting, but it was truly incredible.
Once the girls complete their training, they are set to task to take advantage of their abilities, Rio sent to the front lines of combat, Rainy working a mundane desk position and Frangie training as a medic in the field. I haven't read many fiction young adult novels based on what are every real events, but from the witness account and the girls telling their story through a third party, the emotion of war was devastating. Taking the life of a person under any circumstances is nothing to be taken lightly and Michael Grant constructed the storyline with such care and an incredible amount of honesty and confidence.
Rio's character by far has the greatest impact and growth. She begins as an angry young woman, wanting to take a life to avenge her late sister, but throughout her journey from the recruitment office to the battlefield, her character gains the respect of not only her peers but superiors as well. Her internal struggle between following orders and taking an opposing soldiers life even in self defense brought a humility to her character.
It is a lengthy read and feels much longer than It's 460 pages, especially given the subject matter and the brutality of war. It was breathtaking, incredibly vivid and places the reader alongside Rio, Rainy and Frangie as they embark on becoming the first female soldiers of the United States army. Book two cannot come soon enough. It's phenomenal.
February 20, 2016
Have I mentioned my love of WWII yet? Yes? No? Well it is no surprise that Front Lines was a fantastic read. If I were to categorize it within the realm of WWII fiction, Front Lines would be more about the war itself, like building trenches, training, intestines flying everywhere, etc. Yet even though this was not exactly my cup of tea, I still loved it.
Front Lines starts with the perspectives of three girls, Rio, Frangie, and Rainy. Each are in incredibly different situations, but all have in common the ability to enlist and be drafted in the war. This is where alternative history comes in, because if you remember, this was not a thing in our WWII. And of course, after reading this, I'm thinking "Well why not?". These girls showed tremendous strength and resolve, not at all falling behind their male counterparts. Obviously this is a fictional work, but I have no doubt that the real women during this time would show this same courage.
Issues regarding sexism and racism came up a lot in the story. Girls were constantly being told that the war wasn't for them, and that they wouldn't be able to stomach it all. Yet both Rainy and Rio were badasses. Even though Rio suffers a lack of self-confidence and self-doubt, she becomes an incredible gunwoman, taking out more of the enemy than anyone else in her infantry. And Rainy is part of Intelligence, and she jumped out of an airplane to deliver a message, because she volunteered to. Did I mention that I am super scared of skydiving? Because I would never jump out of a plane.
And lastly, Frangie had to suffer through not only because of the color of her skin, but also because she's a girl enlisting in the war. And even though she's knowledgeable as a medic, no white soldier wants her to operate on them. And it is such a shame because she is so good at what she does. And she risks her life often helping others out on the field. And I am just so proud of her, of everyone.
So yes, Front Lines deals with racism, sexism, war, and although I adored the characters, I did feel like at points, it was a little boring. Not to lie, but the book itself is 576 pages. I had to trudge through some parts where I just wasn't feeling anything. And at times, I just wanted the book to be over because it was incredibly long. Along with that, I am unsure whether someone who is not obsessed with WWII like I am will enjoy this. There is a lot of WWII terminology, in regards to guns, ammo, war terms, etc., that probably will fly over heads (mine included).
Nevertheless, would I recommend this? Yes. Even without the context of WWII, Front Lines deals a lot with the issues of sexism and racism, and you should read this because of that.Ìý
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.
Front Lines starts with the perspectives of three girls, Rio, Frangie, and Rainy. Each are in incredibly different situations, but all have in common the ability to enlist and be drafted in the war. This is where alternative history comes in, because if you remember, this was not a thing in our WWII. And of course, after reading this, I'm thinking "Well why not?". These girls showed tremendous strength and resolve, not at all falling behind their male counterparts. Obviously this is a fictional work, but I have no doubt that the real women during this time would show this same courage.
Issues regarding sexism and racism came up a lot in the story. Girls were constantly being told that the war wasn't for them, and that they wouldn't be able to stomach it all. Yet both Rainy and Rio were badasses. Even though Rio suffers a lack of self-confidence and self-doubt, she becomes an incredible gunwoman, taking out more of the enemy than anyone else in her infantry. And Rainy is part of Intelligence, and she jumped out of an airplane to deliver a message, because she volunteered to. Did I mention that I am super scared of skydiving? Because I would never jump out of a plane.
And lastly, Frangie had to suffer through not only because of the color of her skin, but also because she's a girl enlisting in the war. And even though she's knowledgeable as a medic, no white soldier wants her to operate on them. And it is such a shame because she is so good at what she does. And she risks her life often helping others out on the field. And I am just so proud of her, of everyone.
So yes, Front Lines deals with racism, sexism, war, and although I adored the characters, I did feel like at points, it was a little boring. Not to lie, but the book itself is 576 pages. I had to trudge through some parts where I just wasn't feeling anything. And at times, I just wanted the book to be over because it was incredibly long. Along with that, I am unsure whether someone who is not obsessed with WWII like I am will enjoy this. There is a lot of WWII terminology, in regards to guns, ammo, war terms, etc., that probably will fly over heads (mine included).
Nevertheless, would I recommend this? Yes. Even without the context of WWII, Front Lines deals a lot with the issues of sexism and racism, and you should read this because of that.Ìý
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.
Read
November 7, 2022Historical reimagining of what it would've been like if women had been allowed to fight in World War II? Where do I sign up? Not for the war (that would be my worst nightmare and this book pretty much solidified that!) but for this sweet piece of fiction. I picked up Front Lines from my local library, and, my goodness, am I glad I did. I had zero expectations because I've never read anything by this author but the concept made me think of one of my fave movies 'A League of Their Own', a true story about women's baseball during the war.
So, the plot is pretty much the concept. 3 girls from different backgrounds sign up for the war and get placed in different roles depending on their skills. The first half is dedicated to the 'what life was like in the small town' and eventually...training! And the third half is their trip across seas to North Africa where the fighting actually begins.
Front Lines has a pretty interesting narrative style, with an omniscient narrator, writing down their life story. This narrator states that she doesn't want to give away her identity so she could be any of the girls we see, and that mystery alone is enough for me to want to keep reading! Then there are a bunch of quotes from different contemporary sources to give you either context for what you're about to read, or to set the tone. As someone who has always grown up in the UK, my knowledge of America's involvement in WW2 was just that they were late to the party and lent money. Shocking, I know. But I guess wherever you live, your curriculum will mostly focus on what your own country did. So, this being from three American girls' perspectives was already interesting and new!
Characters? I loved them all. You've got your main three:
RIO: She's 17 (so too young, but she signs up anyway because her BFF Jenou wants to get the heck out of their small town). I think Rio would very much be the poster child for the women's contribution to the war effort. You can imagine graphics of her hunched down in the mud with her rifle ready to scare off the enemy. More than anything Rio is sweet and she is innocent, but she is DETERMINED. She's not about to let her small size stop her from being successful. As it turns out Rio is pretty skilled with a rifle, so when she ends up in the thick of it, it's a real emotional battle. (Side note to point out how much I loved that she didn't obsess over being a monster. So often in YA - especially where the protagonist has a supernatural power - they're always like 'I'm a monster. No one will ever love me. I don't even love myself', which is all well and good, but Rio knows she is doing her duty. It's tough but someone had to do it and she signed up. I'm sure this is something that will have a lasting effect on her though, so I look forward to this development.) In Rio's chapters Grant explores themes of sexism, friendship, and romance. Rio's the only girl that has some prominent love interests: Strand, a boy from back home who is also joining the war, and Jack, a Scot who came to America and has also joined the fight.
FRANGIE: Frangie is black, so she receives a lot of racial slurs and her chapters really emphasise racism. She's treated pretty unfairly by the white superiors, but she still has allies. Just like Rio, she's determined to do the best she can and follows the line of becoming a medic to vary it up. I really loved how her chapters explored how racism affects everyone, but how thing had to change because her job was so vital to survival.
RAINY: Her perspectives are probably the most infrequent, but I loved them all the same. Rainy comes from a Jewish family, so her chapters explore anti-Semitism, and she isn't about to let other people stop her from getting to the top. Rainy has a lot of ambition and intelligence, which gets her into high places and allows her to discover more secret information.
You can tell how much thought went into these characters, so they could be vehicles for great discussion and exploration of three key issues of the time. It's not even something I explicitly noticed until it came the time to write this review. Front Lines manages to cover SO MUCH in such a relative short space of time. It's impressive, and it's genius.
But among our main three, we have the other characters that make up the misfits team in Rio's sections. Most importantly Jenou, the coquette and Jack, the comic relief. The cast of characters is so large (and obviously not all of them make it to the end of the book (that's not a spoiler, this is a war, after all.)) it just enriches the whole thing. The girls pretty much stay separate until the very end when circumstances bring them together, so I can't wait to see their joint dynamic in the next book.
Extra warning: If you have a vivid imagination and a weak stomach, then first of all I'm sorry you've been cursed with this combination *pat pat* BUT more importantly you should maybe skim read Frangie's POVs when they're in the war zone. It gets gutsy, folks. The imagery is intense. I was completely transported to the front. It was so vivid I might as well have been there. However a weak stomach is no excuse to put off reading this book, because it's just all-around fabulous. *Throws all the stars at it*
So, the plot is pretty much the concept. 3 girls from different backgrounds sign up for the war and get placed in different roles depending on their skills. The first half is dedicated to the 'what life was like in the small town' and eventually...training! And the third half is their trip across seas to North Africa where the fighting actually begins.
Front Lines has a pretty interesting narrative style, with an omniscient narrator, writing down their life story. This narrator states that she doesn't want to give away her identity so she could be any of the girls we see, and that mystery alone is enough for me to want to keep reading! Then there are a bunch of quotes from different contemporary sources to give you either context for what you're about to read, or to set the tone. As someone who has always grown up in the UK, my knowledge of America's involvement in WW2 was just that they were late to the party and lent money. Shocking, I know. But I guess wherever you live, your curriculum will mostly focus on what your own country did. So, this being from three American girls' perspectives was already interesting and new!
Characters? I loved them all. You've got your main three:
RIO: She's 17 (so too young, but she signs up anyway because her BFF Jenou wants to get the heck out of their small town). I think Rio would very much be the poster child for the women's contribution to the war effort. You can imagine graphics of her hunched down in the mud with her rifle ready to scare off the enemy. More than anything Rio is sweet and she is innocent, but she is DETERMINED. She's not about to let her small size stop her from being successful. As it turns out Rio is pretty skilled with a rifle, so when she ends up in the thick of it, it's a real emotional battle. (Side note to point out how much I loved that she didn't obsess over being a monster. So often in YA - especially where the protagonist has a supernatural power - they're always like 'I'm a monster. No one will ever love me. I don't even love myself', which is all well and good, but Rio knows she is doing her duty. It's tough but someone had to do it and she signed up. I'm sure this is something that will have a lasting effect on her though, so I look forward to this development.) In Rio's chapters Grant explores themes of sexism, friendship, and romance. Rio's the only girl that has some prominent love interests: Strand, a boy from back home who is also joining the war, and Jack, a Scot who came to America and has also joined the fight.
FRANGIE: Frangie is black, so she receives a lot of racial slurs and her chapters really emphasise racism. She's treated pretty unfairly by the white superiors, but she still has allies. Just like Rio, she's determined to do the best she can and follows the line of becoming a medic to vary it up. I really loved how her chapters explored how racism affects everyone, but how thing had to change because her job was so vital to survival.
RAINY: Her perspectives are probably the most infrequent, but I loved them all the same. Rainy comes from a Jewish family, so her chapters explore anti-Semitism, and she isn't about to let other people stop her from getting to the top. Rainy has a lot of ambition and intelligence, which gets her into high places and allows her to discover more secret information.
You can tell how much thought went into these characters, so they could be vehicles for great discussion and exploration of three key issues of the time. It's not even something I explicitly noticed until it came the time to write this review. Front Lines manages to cover SO MUCH in such a relative short space of time. It's impressive, and it's genius.
But among our main three, we have the other characters that make up the misfits team in Rio's sections. Most importantly Jenou, the coquette and Jack, the comic relief. The cast of characters is so large (and obviously not all of them make it to the end of the book (that's not a spoiler, this is a war, after all.)) it just enriches the whole thing. The girls pretty much stay separate until the very end when circumstances bring them together, so I can't wait to see their joint dynamic in the next book.
Extra warning: If you have a vivid imagination and a weak stomach, then first of all I'm sorry you've been cursed with this combination *pat pat* BUT more importantly you should maybe skim read Frangie's POVs when they're in the war zone. It gets gutsy, folks. The imagery is intense. I was completely transported to the front. It was so vivid I might as well have been there. However a weak stomach is no excuse to put off reading this book, because it's just all-around fabulous. *Throws all the stars at it*
January 26, 2016
*Source* Publisher via Edelweiss
*Genre* Historical Fiction, Young Adult
*Rating* 4.0
*My Thoughts*
Front Lines is the first novel in the Soldier Girl series by author Michael Grant. Set in an alternative world where women are given the opportunity to serve alongside men in a war for the first time after a Supreme Court decision opens the door to anyone, of any gender 18 years or older, Front Lines focuses on three main characters: Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman. There is a third narrative, but that person has remained a mystery. All we do know is that she is a member of the 119th Division, and saw her own combat action.
*Full Review Posting @ Gizmos Reviews 01/26/2016 - Link to Follow
Expected publication: January 26th 2016 by Katherine Tegen Books
*Genre* Historical Fiction, Young Adult
*Rating* 4.0
*My Thoughts*
Front Lines is the first novel in the Soldier Girl series by author Michael Grant. Set in an alternative world where women are given the opportunity to serve alongside men in a war for the first time after a Supreme Court decision opens the door to anyone, of any gender 18 years or older, Front Lines focuses on three main characters: Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman. There is a third narrative, but that person has remained a mystery. All we do know is that she is a member of the 119th Division, and saw her own combat action.
*Full Review Posting @ Gizmos Reviews 01/26/2016 - Link to Follow
Expected publication: January 26th 2016 by Katherine Tegen Books
February 29, 2016
So fascinating, and so freaking good. I can't wait to read the next one!
August 27, 2016
Women everywhere kicking butt in WWII--I'm so glad this premise didn't disappoint.
May 24, 2017
Before we get into the meat of the review, some background here.
I review books on my own time and on my own dime (save, in the latter case, for the handful of cases where I've gotten (e)ARCs or similar � my reviews of Huntsmen and Looking for Group were from ARCs), so I admit that there's a bias in terms of what I'm likely to review.
To wit:
Back about a month and a half ago, I had a tweet about the content warnings on . Michael Grant, author of Front Lines, .
I do not suffer fools on my timeline, and so I responded in what I would expect would be a sufficiently dismissive fashion that I thought it would make clear .
He kept going.
And, in response, he wound up He'd furnish me with the book, and in return for the reviews he would donate to a charity of my choice.
Before the day was out, he'd provided me with a receipt for his donation to Trans Lifeline, and indicated he'd also be donating to The National Center for Transgender Equality and to the Transgender Law Center. It took a bit longer to get the book, but on April 26th, , along with a copy of the second book, Silver Stars. (As of this writing, on May 23rd, I haven't started the second one yet.)
And so that's how I wound up reading a doorstopper of a World War II novel that, under ordinary circumstances, I would likely never have bothered with, since it's (a) World War II (not my preferred genre unless it's ), (b) written by a cis het white man, and (c) largely about cis het white people.
This is an alternate history novel, in which the point of divergence is a pair of SCOTUS rulings in 1940-1941, first ruling that it was unconstitutional to deny women the opportunity to serve in the armed forces, and particularly in combat roles, and then ruling that it was unconstitutional to constrain the draft to only men. The novel starts in 1942, after women have been in the military long enough for there to be some combat veterans, and for women to have earned officer's commissions, as we see later on, and centers on three perspective characters: a white farm girl from small-town Northern California named Rio Richlin, a Black girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma named Frangie Marr, and a Jewish girl from New York City named Rainy Schulterman.
(You may be wondering about what I said above about "largely � white people," when a Black character is one of the main three. This is for two reasons: (1) Rio gets more chapters dedicated to her than either of her putative co-stars, and (2) she has a much larger & more stable supporting cast around her than Frangie (or Rainy, for that matter). As far as queer representation goes? There's only one character who is so much as implied to be anything other than heterosexual, the butch poet Cat Preeling, and no hint of characters who might not be cis.)
The book has two major parts; the first half is the protagonists' respective entry into the military, starting with pictures of their respective home lives, and then moving into boot camp for Frangie and Rio and intelligence training camp for Rainy (who had enlisted prior to the book's start), and the second half chronicles their entry into the war among the American forces joining the Allies in the North Africa campaign.
Two words came to mind: (1) bloated and (2) tedious.
The book is in the 100,000-word ballpark, and would have been much better served if it had been closer to 60,000-70,000 words, and the majority of those cuts should have happened in the first half of the book. There are long stretches of the book where nothing much of consequence is happening, where character development and plot that takes chapters could have been done within a matter of pages.
Moreover, character and plot beats range from the predictable to the blindingly obvious. I'll forgo spoilers just in case anyone reading this still wants to give it a shot, but there was only one character death that I didn't see coming. Even then, it was something I was half-expecting anyway because it's still a World War II novel, and figured the only characters who were definitely not going to die were the three POV characters. (It's possible that all of the characters named in the opening framing narration will live through the end of the series, but it'd be a little out-of-genre for World War II.)
I give it two stars, rather than one, because: (1) I reserve one-star ratings for only the most searingly awful; (2) credit where credit's due, Grant's prose is highly polished, making for a quick and clean read and no stumbling over awkward sentences; and (3) although Grant has made statements on social media and elsewhere about how the use of slurs in dialogue is simply being honest about the period, he actually acquitted himself better than I expected in that respect.
What I mean by that last part is that, frequently, white authors will write something set prior to the Civil Rights Act, in particular, and have white characters casually drop the n-word without warning, often repeatedly and needlessly, and without it being addressed in the text. However, nobody dropped the n-word that I can recall (although a close variant of it was used a handful of times in dialogue), nobody dropped the k-word (slur for Jewish people) despite the setting, and while the World War II-vintage slur referring to Japanese people was sometimes used in dialogue, narration outside of that consistently used phrases "Japanese people" or "Japanese-Americans." While it's not as strong a rebuke of racism as I would consider necessary, given the long and ugly history of anti-Asian racism in the US � particularly that towards Japanese-Americans and Japanese people during World War II � it's still more than I was expecting, given Grant's behavior and statements in my own Twitter threads and elsewhere.
Ultimately, I can't recommend this book to anyone who'd be likely to be reading a review I penned, but if you really like reading about cis het white people during one of the twentieth and twenty-first century's most written-about conflicts, you could do worse.
I review books on my own time and on my own dime (save, in the latter case, for the handful of cases where I've gotten (e)ARCs or similar � my reviews of Huntsmen and Looking for Group were from ARCs), so I admit that there's a bias in terms of what I'm likely to review.
To wit:
Back about a month and a half ago, I had a tweet about the content warnings on . Michael Grant, author of Front Lines, .
I do not suffer fools on my timeline, and so I responded in what I would expect would be a sufficiently dismissive fashion that I thought it would make clear .
He kept going.
And, in response, he wound up He'd furnish me with the book, and in return for the reviews he would donate to a charity of my choice.
Before the day was out, he'd provided me with a receipt for his donation to Trans Lifeline, and indicated he'd also be donating to The National Center for Transgender Equality and to the Transgender Law Center. It took a bit longer to get the book, but on April 26th, , along with a copy of the second book, Silver Stars. (As of this writing, on May 23rd, I haven't started the second one yet.)
And so that's how I wound up reading a doorstopper of a World War II novel that, under ordinary circumstances, I would likely never have bothered with, since it's (a) World War II (not my preferred genre unless it's ), (b) written by a cis het white man, and (c) largely about cis het white people.
This is an alternate history novel, in which the point of divergence is a pair of SCOTUS rulings in 1940-1941, first ruling that it was unconstitutional to deny women the opportunity to serve in the armed forces, and particularly in combat roles, and then ruling that it was unconstitutional to constrain the draft to only men. The novel starts in 1942, after women have been in the military long enough for there to be some combat veterans, and for women to have earned officer's commissions, as we see later on, and centers on three perspective characters: a white farm girl from small-town Northern California named Rio Richlin, a Black girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma named Frangie Marr, and a Jewish girl from New York City named Rainy Schulterman.
(You may be wondering about what I said above about "largely � white people," when a Black character is one of the main three. This is for two reasons: (1) Rio gets more chapters dedicated to her than either of her putative co-stars, and (2) she has a much larger & more stable supporting cast around her than Frangie (or Rainy, for that matter). As far as queer representation goes? There's only one character who is so much as implied to be anything other than heterosexual, the butch poet Cat Preeling, and no hint of characters who might not be cis.)
The book has two major parts; the first half is the protagonists' respective entry into the military, starting with pictures of their respective home lives, and then moving into boot camp for Frangie and Rio and intelligence training camp for Rainy (who had enlisted prior to the book's start), and the second half chronicles their entry into the war among the American forces joining the Allies in the North Africa campaign.
Two words came to mind: (1) bloated and (2) tedious.
The book is in the 100,000-word ballpark, and would have been much better served if it had been closer to 60,000-70,000 words, and the majority of those cuts should have happened in the first half of the book. There are long stretches of the book where nothing much of consequence is happening, where character development and plot that takes chapters could have been done within a matter of pages.
Moreover, character and plot beats range from the predictable to the blindingly obvious. I'll forgo spoilers just in case anyone reading this still wants to give it a shot, but there was only one character death that I didn't see coming. Even then, it was something I was half-expecting anyway because it's still a World War II novel, and figured the only characters who were definitely not going to die were the three POV characters. (It's possible that all of the characters named in the opening framing narration will live through the end of the series, but it'd be a little out-of-genre for World War II.)
I give it two stars, rather than one, because: (1) I reserve one-star ratings for only the most searingly awful; (2) credit where credit's due, Grant's prose is highly polished, making for a quick and clean read and no stumbling over awkward sentences; and (3) although Grant has made statements on social media and elsewhere about how the use of slurs in dialogue is simply being honest about the period, he actually acquitted himself better than I expected in that respect.
What I mean by that last part is that, frequently, white authors will write something set prior to the Civil Rights Act, in particular, and have white characters casually drop the n-word without warning, often repeatedly and needlessly, and without it being addressed in the text. However, nobody dropped the n-word that I can recall (although a close variant of it was used a handful of times in dialogue), nobody dropped the k-word (slur for Jewish people) despite the setting, and while the World War II-vintage slur referring to Japanese people was sometimes used in dialogue, narration outside of that consistently used phrases "Japanese people" or "Japanese-Americans." While it's not as strong a rebuke of racism as I would consider necessary, given the long and ugly history of anti-Asian racism in the US � particularly that towards Japanese-Americans and Japanese people during World War II � it's still more than I was expecting, given Grant's behavior and statements in my own Twitter threads and elsewhere.
Ultimately, I can't recommend this book to anyone who'd be likely to be reading a review I penned, but if you really like reading about cis het white people during one of the twentieth and twenty-first century's most written-about conflicts, you could do worse.
October 28, 2016
I have to admit that Front Lines isn't the type of book I usually pick up but I was intrigued by the premise when Egmont sent me a copy for review so I decided to give it a try. This is my first book by Michael Grant (although I've heard amazing things about his Gone series) but it definitely won't be my last because he's an incredibly skilled writer. I think it's a difficult thing to rewrite history in a way that's believable, you're walking a fine line between creating something amazing and incredibly thought provoking or coming across as insensitive, especially when you're writing about something like WWII and the millions of people who died during the conflict. Luckily Michael Grant has come down on the correct side of that line and Front Lines is just an incredible read on every level.
It's obvious that the author done a huge amount of research into WWII and a lot of the battles and scenarios included in this book are based on real events. He's just made one major change, one that meant women were not only allowed to voluntarily enlist in the army but were actually subject to the draft just like men were. It doesn't sound so shocking now but we're talking of a time when the army was segregated so that white and black soldiers didn't even serve in the same platoon so adding girls to the mix just makes things even more complicated. Michael Grant doesn't shy away from the racism and anti-semitism that was much more prevalent at that time and the female soldiers are also subjected to prejudice because of their gender. It's not always comfortable to read about the attitudes of some of the white male soldiers but it is completely believable and realistic to how things would have been in that era.
Front LinesÌýfollows the journey of three female American soldiers who all signed up for very different reasons and whose army careers take them in very different directions. First we have Rio Richlin who almost enlists by accident thanks to her friend Jenou, Rio has already lost her sister in the war and she wants the chance to make a difference herself but she's not quite prepared for the shock of becoming an infantry soldier. Frangie Marr has always dreamed of becoming a vet but money is tight and her family need the paycheck that she can get by enlisting so she puts her future on hold to sign up, her path sees her training as a medic but that doesn't mean she's safely away from danger, in fact she's right there on the front lines patching up the wounded soldiers as fast as possible. Rainy Schulterman knows something horrible is happening in Europe, the complete lack of contact the Jewish community is getting from family and friends abroad is enough to convince her that she needs to play a part in this war and of the three she's the most determined to get over there and start kicking some Nazi butt.
I don't want to talk much more about these three girls individual stories, instead I'd like to focus on the friendships they make along the way and the loves they find and lose while going through their training. We get the chance to meet some wonderful side characters from all walks of life, there are moments of sheer terror but there is also humour and companionship, it's the bond they all form with the other members of their squads is what will help them push through the fear they feel. None of the girls expected to be sent to the front lines but times are desperate and the army needs every able body it can get if they want to have any chance of winning. We're talking young girls and boys who are barely old enough to get married and yet they're now half a world away from home and fighting for their survival. I know girls weren't really on the front lines but the point is they could have been and hundreds of thousands of boys were in this exact situation. It's a sobering thought when you look at things through their eyes and see just how terrified they must have been.
This is the kind of book that I think should be included in school curriculums, it puts such a personal spin on the horror of WWII and the inclusion of female soldiers just makes it even more accessible for everyone to read. Front Lines is an outstanding novel and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the trilogy.
If you're still not sure whether you want to read this book check out the trailer , I'm pretty sure it'll convince you to give it a try
Source: Received from Egmont in exchange for an honest review
It's obvious that the author done a huge amount of research into WWII and a lot of the battles and scenarios included in this book are based on real events. He's just made one major change, one that meant women were not only allowed to voluntarily enlist in the army but were actually subject to the draft just like men were. It doesn't sound so shocking now but we're talking of a time when the army was segregated so that white and black soldiers didn't even serve in the same platoon so adding girls to the mix just makes things even more complicated. Michael Grant doesn't shy away from the racism and anti-semitism that was much more prevalent at that time and the female soldiers are also subjected to prejudice because of their gender. It's not always comfortable to read about the attitudes of some of the white male soldiers but it is completely believable and realistic to how things would have been in that era.
Front LinesÌýfollows the journey of three female American soldiers who all signed up for very different reasons and whose army careers take them in very different directions. First we have Rio Richlin who almost enlists by accident thanks to her friend Jenou, Rio has already lost her sister in the war and she wants the chance to make a difference herself but she's not quite prepared for the shock of becoming an infantry soldier. Frangie Marr has always dreamed of becoming a vet but money is tight and her family need the paycheck that she can get by enlisting so she puts her future on hold to sign up, her path sees her training as a medic but that doesn't mean she's safely away from danger, in fact she's right there on the front lines patching up the wounded soldiers as fast as possible. Rainy Schulterman knows something horrible is happening in Europe, the complete lack of contact the Jewish community is getting from family and friends abroad is enough to convince her that she needs to play a part in this war and of the three she's the most determined to get over there and start kicking some Nazi butt.
I don't want to talk much more about these three girls individual stories, instead I'd like to focus on the friendships they make along the way and the loves they find and lose while going through their training. We get the chance to meet some wonderful side characters from all walks of life, there are moments of sheer terror but there is also humour and companionship, it's the bond they all form with the other members of their squads is what will help them push through the fear they feel. None of the girls expected to be sent to the front lines but times are desperate and the army needs every able body it can get if they want to have any chance of winning. We're talking young girls and boys who are barely old enough to get married and yet they're now half a world away from home and fighting for their survival. I know girls weren't really on the front lines but the point is they could have been and hundreds of thousands of boys were in this exact situation. It's a sobering thought when you look at things through their eyes and see just how terrified they must have been.
This is the kind of book that I think should be included in school curriculums, it puts such a personal spin on the horror of WWII and the inclusion of female soldiers just makes it even more accessible for everyone to read. Front Lines is an outstanding novel and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the trilogy.
If you're still not sure whether you want to read this book check out the trailer , I'm pretty sure it'll convince you to give it a try
Source: Received from Egmont in exchange for an honest review
May 15, 2017
My mum actually bought a copy of Front Lines last year but it somehow ended up on my bookcase. I’m not complaining though.
I thought the idea of women volunteering and being drafted into the armed forces during WW2 was interesting and was written really well too. There are things that have been included in this book, like racism, sexism and prejudices that were really frustrating to read but because of the time this book is set I get why it had to be included. This is meant to be a different take on WW2, not a different world all together. It’s still America in the 1940’s.
Speaking of the racism, sexism and prejudices in the 1940’s, reading about them in Rio, Rainy and Frangie’s perspectives was so frustrating. I can’t believe the things women had to put up with, and some still do. There was so much sexual harassment from the male soldiers is was ridiculous. And on top of that, Frangie is an African-American medic, who isn’t supposed to treat white soldiers or even serve with them because the army was segregated. Or all the armed forces were. I’m not sure because the characters in this book, Rio, Rainy and Frangie are all in the army. But I thought it was so stupid. I would think people would want an army united against the enemy, not divided by race. But like I said, it needs to be included in this, even though I don’t like it, because this story is based on actual events in history. The author has just tweaked some things.
I actually liked Front Lines and loved Frangie, Rainy and Rio. They are all strong young women and I can’t wait to see what’s next for each of them. I don’t know how many books are in this series. But I’m looking forward to reading all of them.
I thought the idea of women volunteering and being drafted into the armed forces during WW2 was interesting and was written really well too. There are things that have been included in this book, like racism, sexism and prejudices that were really frustrating to read but because of the time this book is set I get why it had to be included. This is meant to be a different take on WW2, not a different world all together. It’s still America in the 1940’s.
Speaking of the racism, sexism and prejudices in the 1940’s, reading about them in Rio, Rainy and Frangie’s perspectives was so frustrating. I can’t believe the things women had to put up with, and some still do. There was so much sexual harassment from the male soldiers is was ridiculous. And on top of that, Frangie is an African-American medic, who isn’t supposed to treat white soldiers or even serve with them because the army was segregated. Or all the armed forces were. I’m not sure because the characters in this book, Rio, Rainy and Frangie are all in the army. But I thought it was so stupid. I would think people would want an army united against the enemy, not divided by race. But like I said, it needs to be included in this, even though I don’t like it, because this story is based on actual events in history. The author has just tweaked some things.
I actually liked Front Lines and loved Frangie, Rainy and Rio. They are all strong young women and I can’t wait to see what’s next for each of them. I don’t know how many books are in this series. But I’m looking forward to reading all of them.
October 12, 2016
This was a really good history retelling set in the WWII period. After reading the book thief(long time ago), I was really keen on reading more historical retellings/fiction but I didn't seem to pick up any. I am really glad that I picked this book up as it's beautifully written! I really did like this book as much as the book thief. The plot was unique. It centers around three women(the main characters) from America who become female soldiers in WWII. One of them is technically a medic but she's still a soldier in my eyes. These women are really strong characters and they are described in such a way that i found them admirable. The other side characters were greatly described too and thus added so much to the story. I love that these book deals with the various racial groups- especially Jews and blacks. I also liked the description of the places they went to. Despite the fact that I loved the plot and the characters, I felt like I was moving at a sluggish pace- this book felt slow for me. And often, I got confused between the characters. Maybe that's just me. Anyway, I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a new historical retelling of WWII. Plus, there is a second book coming out omg I can't wait.
February 7, 2017
A WWII story, but alternative history, where women were allowed to serve in the war. This book follows three such women: one farm-raised and no stranger to hard work (and her sexy best friend), a smart Jewish woman, facile in several languages, interested in military intelligence, and a small black woman, interested in being a medic. Each serving in a different capacity in different groups, they are eventually united in Northern Africa, battling the Germans. I liked the anti-officer, follow-your-sergeant theme, the crisp treatment of racism both against the black Frangie and the Jewish Rainy and the camaraderie of the various units, but was bored at times by the lead character, Rio, who was the central focus and hero of the book, and the protracted training routines, that will never be the equal of Private Benjamin.
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