Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal
by Mal Peet
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About This Book
ISBN13: 9780763634889 |
Synopses & Reviews
Publisher Comments:
Now available - the Carnegie Medal winner comes to the U.S.
When her grandfather dies, Tamar inherits a box containing a series of clues and coded messages. Out of the past, another Tamar emerges, a man involved in the terrifying world of resistance fighters in Nazi-occupied Holland half a century before. His story is one of passionate love, jealousy, and tragedy set against the daily fear and casual horror of the Second World War — and unraveling it is about to transform Tamar's life forever.
From acclaimed British sensation Mal Peet comes a masterful story of adventure, love, secrets, and betrayal in time of war, both past and present.
Review:
"Peet's (Keeper) novel employs separate narrative threads to track the grief of a teen puzzling out her grandfather's suicide, and the same man's youth in Holland during WWII, where he and another Dutchman worked with the British to repel the Nazi occupation. Both men have code names and fake passports: Tamar's charge is to repair the fractured local resistance movement; Dart runs the wireless, sending and receiving encrypted messages. Fear of capture constantly stalks each, but Tamar is quartered on the site of a previous mission — a farm owned by Marijke, his beautiful lover. Dart is posing as a doctor at a nearby insane asylum, staying alert for late-night transmissions by popping Benzedrine. As winter sets in, so do hunger and desperation. It becomes less clear who the enemy is, as the locals resist Tamar's leadership, and Dart misunderstands Marijke's feelings for him and her relationship with Tamar. Only one man returns to England after the war — and it is his granddaughter, also named Tamar, who receives a box of effects following his death. She then undertakes a journey to understand the box's mysterious contents. Identity confusion is a topic near and dear to teenage hearts, but Peet doesn't introduce the younger Tamar until 100 pages in, and doesn't develop her story nearly as well as her grandfather's. Comparisons to Aidan Chambers's Postcards From No Man's Land are inevitable — readers who savored it may also take to this complex tale about how war casualties can keep accruing, generations after the battle ends. Ages 14-up." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
Synopsis:
From the author of the acclaimed "Keeper" comes a powerfully moving, Carnegie Medal-winning story about love, lies, and secrets set against the daily fear and horror of Nazi-occupied Holland.
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Linda Elliott, February 8, 2008 (view all comments by Linda Elliott)
Tamar by Mal Peet
Set in World War II Holland, Tamar is the code name for the Dutch spy, trained in England and returned to Holland to help unite all the resistance forces against the Nazis. This novel is full of suspense, romance, and the horrors of war. Tamar falls in love with a young woman who is in the resistance, and his best friend, whose code name is Dart also falls in love with her. A puzzle leads to a very satisfying surprise that brings the story to a close that will keep you enthralled until the end. While this book may be geared toward young adults, it spans many generations and adults should also read it.
Product Details
- ISBN:
- 9780763634889
- Subtitle:
- A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal
- Author:
- Publisher:
- Candlewick Press (MA)
- Subject:
- World war, 1939-1945
- Subject:
- History
- Subject:
- Historical - Exploration & Discoveries
- Edition Description:
- Us
- Publication Date:
- January 2007
- Binding:
- Hardcover
- Language:
- English
- Pages:
- 424
- Dimensions:
- 8.72x5.74x1.51 in. 1.48 lbs.










