Tamar

"The thing about Nazis," Ruud said, "is that they're paranoid, but they never see what's right under their noses. If they did, Hitler wouldn't wear that bloody silly little moustache."

Tamar is a novel featuring two different Tamars in two different times: A girl living in London and her namesake grandfather, a SOE agent who operated in Nazi-occupied Holland. Young Tamar always thought she knew the man she grew up with but after his death she goes on a journey of discovery. Who is Tamar really and what was the tension between him and his radio operator, Dart? What happened to them during the war and why would it affect her now?

I have a particular fondness for WWII YA books. This one is very good and I can see why it was awarded the show more Carnegie medal. The war-time sections don't seem particularly YA at all and I was pleased with that. Peet has done a wonderful job of capturing the flavor of living under the Nazis, that feeling of paranoia and claustrophobia and contrasts that nicely with the freedom the younger Tamar has. I'll likely go back to this one at some point just to enjoy those things that always pop out during a second reading. show less

Tamar by Mal Peet is a vividly told story that jumps back and forth from WW II to the present. In 1944 two soldiers are dropped into Holland to help organize the Resistance while in 1995 a young woman launches her search to reveal family secrets from the strange clues in a shoebox left for her by her grandfather.

This is a story of love, jealousy and betrayal. I found the love triangle a bit of a stretch, but the details about Holland during this last year of World War II was fascinating. I am not usually a fan of books that follow two timelines but I thought this plot device worked well here and I found myself totally drawn into both stories. The “twist” at the end of the book was certainly no surprise but overall I found this book show more highly readable.

Tamar is classified as a YA book but I would say it’s definitely for 14+ as the author does not steer away from the brutality of the war. Tamar is a well constructed, multi-layered story that I enjoyed. show less

I believe this book is meant for the young adult market, though it proved a perfectly good old adult read in my case. The early sections are complex and it was a while before I understood what was going on, as the main characters - two Dutch special agents - are parachuted into their homeland during the final stages of the Nazi occupation in order to co-ordinate the local resistance. Anything to do with espionage or covert operations tends to confuse me and this was no exception.

The 1940s sections are interspersed with a modern-day storyline involving one of the characters' descendants, and as we met the modern characters for the first time it appeared that the ending of the wartime story had been given away. I suspected there would be show more more to it, and immediately decided there would be a twist and predicted what it would be. It turned out I was totally correct (modest cough), but I enjoyed the story all the same. It's well written and illuminating. The only minor criticism I'd have would be the diva-like behaviour of the modern day Tamar's father which didn't quite ring true. show less

A Dutch resistance fighter trained by a branch of the British Secret Services, after surviving the starving winter of 1944-45 in Holland, moves to England and marries. They raise their son, and watch their granddaughter, Tamar, grow. At 15, Tamar uses her grandfather’s maps for a road trip.

Both this story and the author’s way of writing it were haunting. Perfectly paced, characterizations well nuanced, setting written with a strong sense of place, showing the awfulness of war, yet without too much graphic horror, this is a very well written YA book that mature audiences can sink their teeth into, as well.

Highly recommended.

This mystery features the Dutch resistance. Just why did Tamar’s grandfather, William Hyde commit suicide? Tamar has a great sense of place. Readers are transported to the Tamar River and back in time. Peet skillfully weaves his way back and forth between grandfather and granddaughter, who is named after the river. Peet’s depiction of secondary characters is what sets this novel apart from most others. The way that Dart, for example, drifts into his addiction is subtle and brilliant. Great pacing, great historical fiction, a truly surprising mystery, and much more! This book provides students with in depth emotional detail about the Dutch resistance--a little covered aspect of WWII. More importantly, it models story telling at its show more absolute best, with language that sings and surprises at the same time. Highly recommended for all high school libraries and all history and literature classrooms! Don’t be surprised when this one wins Printz recognition. show less

Susan says This is a wonderful book about the Dutch Resistance in WWII, and the lies and truths that are created through that history. However, the two main twists were apparent to me almost from the beginning, and they aren't mentioned until the end of the book, so it took 400 pages for me to know what I already knew. But still it is compassionately drawn, with an epilogue that tells what's happening currently, which I always like. Tamar is the granddaughter of someone who was a spy for the Dutch Resistance. The way her history evolves includes two first-person narratives, and it goes back and forth in time. Very interesting, but with the twists being telegraphed so far in advance I'm not sure it should win.

This book grabbed me from the start and turned out to be an intense read. "Tamar" started strongly, slowed in the middle and gathered pace near the end, although the ending was rather clumsy. It is listed as a YA novel, but I can't imagine it appealing to many young people. The plot is too dark and heavy, and two of the main characters are adult men, English soldiers helping the Dutch resistance. The only teenage character is Tamar, and her narrative is the weakest part of the book.

Throughout the book, Peet gives a bleak insight into life in Holland during the Nazi occupation. It is full of historical detail showing the daily struggles to survive, the risks many individuals took and the physical, mental and emotional turmoil that it had show more on ordinary people - bringing out the best and worst of human nature, and it is left to the reader to decide who deserves forgiveness. I can see this book being made into a movie one day. show less