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    The Big Lie
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    The Big Lie
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    The Big Lie
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Big Lie

    Written by Julie Mayhew

    Narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In a gripping novel set in present-day England under a Nazi regime, a sheltered teen questions what it means to be "good"—and how far she's willing to go to break the rules.

    Nazi England, 2014. Jessika Keller is a good girl—a champion ice skater, model student of the Bund Deutscher Mädel, and dutiful daughter of the Greater German Reich. Her best friend, Clementine, is not so submissive. Passionately different, Clem is outspoken, dangerous, and radical. And the regime has noticed. Jess cannot keep both her perfect life and her dearest friend, her first love. But which can she live without? Haunting, intricate, and unforgettable, The Big Lie unflinchingly interrogates perceptions of revolution, feminism, sexuality, and protest. Back matter includes historical notes from the author discussing her reasons for writing an "alt-history" story and the power of speculative fiction.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateNov 14, 2017
    ISBN9781536685275
    Unavailable
    The Big Lie

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    Reviews for The Big Lie

    3.5/5

    24 ratings6 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      I think this novel had a lot of potential. The story is really interesting and I was happy that the novel was told from the perspective of a teenage girl. The author touches on a lot of different topics like loyalty, sexuality, and freedom, and these topics were presented very well. Jessika is undoubtedly the main character, and the whole story is about how she is changed through her interactions with Clementine. The story is split into 3 parts that chronicle 3 different time points in Jessika's life. I think that the strongest part of the book was Part One; this is where the story really developed. We only hear from Jessika's perspective, but it is a very good perspective to read from as we see her ignorance being chipped away by the events she is seeing and the emotions she is experiencing. We see her try to reconcile between the truth and what she has always believed, and we see how hard she fights to maintain her innocence. This part made me feel the most connection to Jessika and it had me invested in the story. However, the second and third part of this story was a big let down. In the second part, the author went back and forth in time (again from Jessika's perspective) but after the constant forward motion of the first part, this just made it confusing to read. I also thought that there were big jumps being made in the story that weren't really addressed by the author. More detail and a more consistent flow would have made this section better. The last section of the novel was even more inconsistent; it felt like it wasn't even part of the same book! Now, Jessika is at a different time point and age and there was no real transition to this new point. The abruptness really didn't work for me and it left me disappointed in the ending, which didn't have the depth of emotion that the first part had. Overall, this novel had a very interesting start but the choppiness of the second and third part of this book led to disappointment. I'm giving this a 2.5/5 stars, rounded to 3.

      I received this novel as an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      Liked the narrator's voice and self reflection. Chilling look at alternative history. Felt a little confused by events at end- a few plot holles I needed plugged.
    • 2/5
      Jessika is a good daughter of the Greater German Reich living in Nazi controlled England in 2013. She doesn't question the state of things and prides herself on being the best she can be. Then her friend Clementine causes her to start questioning. She steps outside of the expected behavior for herself and deals with the consequences of that choice. I really wanted to like this book. Alternate history is usually very exciting for me because I always love to ask the question, "what would have happened if...?" The world that Mayhew has created feels authentic and like it would be how England functioned under Nazi control today. The characters also felt like they were living the best they could in such circumstances. My issue with the book came with the last half of the book. The first half features dates to keep the reader informed about how time is passing. Then the dates disappear and it feels like we are jumping times, but there is no way to know for sure. I also felt like Jessika gave up at the end and simply accepted the status quo, which feels disingenuous for the character. For everything that you go through to get to the end, it was a big letdown, so I would not recommend the book. I received a copy of this book from Early Reviewers in exchange for this review.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to like this more than I did. It seemed like tooo much of the story was kept in the dark like Jessika. We were seeing it from her point of view but she was so brainwashed her telling the story mean we missed some of the bigger picture details I would have liked. worth the read but not what I was expecting.
    • 5/5
      In this sobering and chilling speculative fiction story, Jessika Keller, just a teenager, is a good girl. But, what does that really mean as Great Britain is ruled as if Hitler had won WWII and taken over England. So many things are taboo here: homosexuality is forbidden, "idiots" are disposed of, woman are baby-making machines only. Youth are obviously brainwashed to some degree. Jessika is enamored with her new neighbor, Clementine. Clementine is a rebel and outspoken. Yet, Jessika's love for her (although not returned by Clementine), causes Jessika to support her friend, even though her father is a high-ranking officer. What lengths will the power go to, to eliminate her rebellious acts? It is terrifying, yet plausible. The Big Lie, no doubt, will have the reader thinking about what could have been. Would we stop it now if we revisit history? Would we rebel and protest if we knew something were wrong? What-ifs, What-could-be, What dangers are we susceptible to? So much introspective thought, so much food-for-thought accompanies this alternative history. Definitely for older YAs and adults. I give it 4 1/2 stars. Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewer, Julie Mayhew, and Candlewick Press for this ARC.
    • 4/5
      I am a fan of alternative reality novels that deal with a different aftermath to World War II. There are a lot of books around that imagine what would have happened if the Allies had not won, leaving the Nazis in power. This is a YA novel that takes that alternative reality as its starting point, and it takes place in a present-day England occupied by the Nazis. This is a interesting and gripping read, and I think it's great to introduce these sorts of disturbing possibilities to teens, so they can understand and empathize with people who have and continue to suffer under repressive regimes.