Sept. 1939. Luxurious aircraft New York bound with passengers desperate to escape something more menacing than war-their hidden haunted pasts

Disappointing. Ken Follett can do better and has done better.

Interesting premise. Strong historical ideas, with the plot around both the plane, the particular moment in time, and the fictional (but possible!) voyage. So much potential! Set up an intriguing cast of characters, with some rather exciting/suspenseful moments. But in the end falls short, with a predictable twist, and is particularly troublesome in some ways.

Biggest issues:
* How female characters are drawn. All similar in their feebleness, insecurities, and indecisiveness (generally). Follett seems to start and/or build some up as strong, only to then disappoint. Females are both over sexualized and overstereotyped. Even taking into account the period setting, it felt sexist. Related: references to sexual assault were too often uncomfortable and cringy. Recovery from trauma feels glossed over and not given appropriate attention.
* Sexual orientation: speculation about the orientation of secondary characters feels simultanesouly irrelevant and relevant. Irrelevant because it's not related to the plot or actions of the characters, and they are otherwise given little or no characterization much other than appearance. Feels relevant because some of the characterization presented is surface stereotype, and does not feel due to period setting or from the voice of a character, but rather the voice of the omniscient narrator, the authors' voice. Feels out-of-step and out-of-place, strange and inappropriate, awkward and homophobic.
* Romances. So many! And forming so quickly! I like a good romance, but characters developing deep feelings so rapidly felt unrealistic and unearned. Done at times for the sake of creating story and plot, one in which practically every major character (females, at least) must have someone by the end, and in a relationship (usually wrapped up with a happily-ever-after bow).
* Some characters acted out of character for the sake of the plot.
* Perhaps too many characters, or rather, too many protagonists, to the point it lost some focus. Would rather have fewer with stronger arcs and whose actions impact the course of events.
* Ending felt rushed, and fell into some unoriginal story ideas.

Barely 2 stars. Ask me on another day and I'd give it one. ( )

I don't know what it is about these Follett books, they just don't seem to do it for me. The plot/storyline/etc is good, but the characters are killer. They all just seem so...dopey. And again, the setting taking place in the past, or at least the way Follett writes it, still really bugs me. I don't think I'll be reading anymore of his stuff. ( )

Horrible. ( )

13-8