by Anura Guruge
on September 4, 2023
So, I got this book, i.e., ‘The Atomic City Girls‘, after ‘Janet Beard‘ had totally captivated me with her ‘The Ballad of Laurel Springs‘. Yes, I knew that there was always the danger that another by her might not live up to the first. That was the case, BUT they are BOTH very good books — just that, in my opinion, one is considerably more compelling than the other.
I listened to ‘The Atomic City Girls‘, on ‘Audible‘, whereas I had read the other one. In this case I really don’t think it made a difference, BUT it might have. I fully appreciate that the dynamics & experience of listening to a book is markedly different to that of reading one. In this instance I don’t think that this played a factor.
I am NO stranger to the ‘Manhattan Project‘. So, this wasn’t ALL new ground to I, though most of what I had read & knew was related to New Mexico.
85% of this story, alas, was patently predictable. A couple of instances when things didn’t make sense … “like one girl demanding another to leave the room they share” — per the official pairing/allocation. Not showstoppers BUT they did stop me in my tracks.
It wasn’t bad. I enjoyed it. I was just hoping for more. But, I have NOT given up on Janet Beard. I think she is quite the storyteller — & I am GLAD.
