Women Characters as Spies

[cvetelina_yovcheva87]

The female characters seem to be very well-prepared and creative spies. They are cunning and courageous.

[ArriettyClock]

I found that these characters seemed to be used to show off the male characters more than being developed characters in their own right. This meant that I couldn't really tell which of the two they were, just that they were present in the novel.

[aolayide]

I am glad you brought this up. I didn't like how women were generally portrayed in the book. In my opinion, most of the female spies were easily disposable. Out of all of them, Yasmina was the most well-developed. I couldn't tell the rest apart from one another. It felt like they were simply included to benefit and help Jamie, Jacko, and the other lead male characters.

While they came across as smart, it was clear their looks and bodies did most of the work for them. They were effective in their roles but I wish more work could have been done to make their personalities shine through.

I completely agree with you. Often times, women are seen as a disposable object. Something that comes in handy when you need it and easily disposed or abused when you don't. "A woman" is a powerful weapon on its own, capable of being whatever she wants to be. Capable of being smart! I wish we all could see ourselves that way.

Well, if you ask me, I think in this book, the characters of the mentioned women are deceitful but smart.

[Sarah Starling]

I haven't had the chance to read the book, but it sounds like I'll pass. Weak, disposable female characters is one of my biggest pet peeves.

[HRichards]

The female characters felt like a rough outline without much personality of their own. There should have been a bit more effort in making them more vibrant and individual.

[ZipIsHere]

I didn't like the way the women were portrayed in general.
They were made just to be there for the heck of it.
They all kinda smashed together. I had a hard time telling each one apart. And because of the men treating the women in this book with little respect.
I had a hard time reading it as it made me sick to my stomach.

[fictaddict]

I've always enjoyed women as socially manipulating spies! (Without spoilers, The Scarlet Pimpernel leaps to mind as an example of a woman cleverly using femininity and social expectations to achieve her goals.) But I don't like overly sexualized characters, even if they have a motive.

[OlaIbrahim02]

The female characters in this book, although portrayed as smart and useful assets in important issues, are not developed. This is because under the shallow and barely present personalities appointed to each, only their bodies and manipulation they are acquainted with due to profession did the work. For instance, they were belly dancer and prostitutes. Besides, one can argue they were manipulated into being manipulative since they worked towards a cause appointed to them by a man.

[Misael Carlos]

I found it cool when women get away with spying especially when the men were supposed to be cunning and deadly. It makes the adventure more thrilling and adds flavor to the plot.

[Quinto]

The women were stereotyped which was quite uninventive to the storyline. While I wouldn't say it is deceitful, the author could have been more creative to surprise the readers.

[briellejee]

I haven't had the chance to read the book, but it sounds like I'll pass. Weak, disposable female characters is one of my biggest pet peeves.

They are not the main characters though. Any supporting or passing character could be disposable. It just happens that the women in the story are not the focus of the author. I don't like women being portrayed as weak in a book too, but these women in the story are smarter than most of the male characters - the reason why they were assigned as spies. Hope this clears it up and you'll give it a chance

[briellejee]

The female characters in this book, although portrayed as smart and useful assets in important issues, are not developed. This is because under the shallow and barely present personalities appointed to each, only their bodies and manipulation they are acquainted with due to profession did the work. For instance, they were belly dancer and prostitutes. Besides, one can argue they were manipulated into being manipulative since they worked towards a cause appointed to them by a man.

But then again this is because most of these women are just part of the story and are not the main characters. We cannot control the author's decision to not develop them as he did with his men characters since it's not about the women but between Jacko and Jamie and the war. As much as I want the women to have better roles other than belly dancers and prostitutes, we could not also take away the fact that it is the time of war, and years ago patriarchal views were practiced. Also, seeing the location and the setting, there are limited roles for women in the book. One woman could actually be a doctor and a spy, or a soldier too, but then again, we all ahve to consider the timeline of the story.

[briellejee]

I didn't like the way the women were portrayed in general.
They were made just to be there for the heck of it.
They all kinda smashed together. I had a hard time telling each one apart. And because of the men treating the women in this book with little respect.
I had a hard time reading it as it made me sick to my stomach.

I guess this is because, during those times, that was how men treat women, especially in war zones. It is sickening, to be honest, but seeing that this is historical fiction, the portrayal of how men treat women with little respect is closer to reality.

[Charlyt]

I didn't like the way the women were portrayed in general.
They were made just to be there for the heck of it.
They all kinda smashed together. I had a hard time telling each one apart. And because of the men treating the women in this book with little respect.
I had a hard time reading it as it made me sick to my stomach.

I guess this is because, during those times, that was how men treat women, especially in war zones. It is sickening, to be honest, but seeing that this is historical fiction, the portrayal of how men treat women with little respect is closer to reality.

I actually wondered whether the women were portrayed in the book that way because that was how they were looked at during the time of the 2nd world war. If the book was set in modern times, also in a war setting, I wonder if they would still be prostitutes and belly dancers or something else.

[briellejee]

I didn't like the way the women were portrayed in general.
They were made just to be there for the heck of it.
They all kinda smashed together. I had a hard time telling each one apart. And because of the men treating the women in this book with little respect.
I had a hard time reading it as it made me sick to my stomach.

I guess this is because, during those times, that was how men treat women, especially in war zones. It is sickening, to be honest, but seeing that this is historical fiction, the portrayal of how men treat women with little respect is closer to reality.

I actually wondered whether the women were portrayed in the book that way because that was how they were looked at during the time of the 2nd world war. If the book was set in modern times, also in a war setting, I wonder if they would still be prostitutes and belly dancers or something else.

I liked to believe that is the case. If set in modern times, I doubt the author would objectify women like that. The backlash would be unbelievable and it just feels so wrong, though patriarchy is still very much alive.