Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Candlewick (2008), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 424 pages
Description
In England in 1995, fifteen-year-old Tamar, grief-stricken by the puzzling death of her beloved grandfather, slowly begins to uncover the secrets of his life in the Dutch resistance during the last year of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, and the climactic events that forever cast a shadow on his life and that of his family.
Media reviews
Mal Peet's second novel is utterly unlike his first, Keeper, save in one respect: the quality of the writing. This sombre and distinguished book is as fine a piece of storytelling as you are likely to read this year.
User reviews
LibraryThing member HeatherLINC
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
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 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.
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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 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.
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LibraryThing member MrsBee
I have mixed feelings about this book but rate it highly because of the emotions I'm still feeling after having finished reading it. I guessed the ending about midway through and hoped and hoped that it wouldn't come to pass. It did, and my heart ached. In fact, my heart was being tugged at
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throughout the book, and this is why I will recommend it to others. A mediocre book with no lasting impression goes nowhere, but this book is definitely going places. It's already won a Carnegie Medal to prove it. Though filled with adult language and situations, Tamar is geared toward young adults and justifiably so, for older young adults at least. I wouldn't give it to just anyone. Show Less
LibraryThing member jayne_charles
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
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 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.
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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 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.
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LibraryThing member hazel1123
I agree with other reviewers that this is a very good book - thought provoking and emotionally satisfying. For me the ending was a surprise. No more should be said about that. I read this book on my Kindle. It is very reasonably priced. Now that I know how much I enjoyed it I would have been
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willing to pay much more. Show Less
LibraryThing member Liz_S
I cant even begin to describe how much I loved this book! I couldnt put it down! Fast paced and thought provoking, I had to know what happened next! Although I figured out the ending in the middle of the book I still had to read on! Very well put together! You can tell Mal Peet did his research on
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this subject! Fascinating to the very end! Show Less
LibraryThing member countrylife
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
Highly recommended.
Both
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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.
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LibraryThing member yoshio
Starts off a little slow, but then builds into a genuinely suspenseful story with a very clever plot twist. An interesting look into the Dutch resistance during WWII. Peet creates a palpable climate of impending doom and threat throughout.
LibraryThing member kelley_townley
Good - as a adult book, but why is it teen? They should have just cut the poor teen 'add-on' bits in my opinion.
LibraryThing member edspicer
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
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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 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
LibraryThing member JohnD4
Shows how hard it is to be in the secret service in anothere country. This book is about two Americans who are going to holland to send back information about the Germans.
I would recommend this book to people who like adventure.
I would recommend this book to people who like adventure.
LibraryThing member jerm
Congratulations to Tamar by Mal Peet, Winner of the 2007 Jerm Best Book of the Year.
The Jerm Best Book of the Year is chosen by me and is selected from all books published for children or young adults in the U.S. during the calendar year. The award was established in 2006 in protest to the fact
When Tamar’s grandfather dies, he leaves her a box filled with clues to unlock his mysterious past. Now Tamar must uncover the secrets that have haunted him since his days in the Dutch resistance during World War II.
The Jerm Best Book of the Year is chosen by me and is selected from all books published for children or young adults in the U.S. during the calendar year. The award was established in 2006 in protest to the fact
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that the Book Thief didn’t win the Printz award for outstanding YA literature. So I decided to give out my own award.When Tamar’s grandfather dies, he leaves her a box filled with clues to unlock his mysterious past. Now Tamar must uncover the secrets that have haunted him since his days in the Dutch resistance during World War II.
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LibraryThing member mschwander
An intriguing account of the WWII Nazi occupation in Holland is unfolded through the spellbinding story of two Special Operations Executive (SOE) agents who are given the code names of Tamar and Dart. As they risk their lives to aide the underground resistance against the Germans, Dart must also
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come to battle with his hateful feelings of jealousy: it is with great remorse that Dart learns of the secret, passionate relationship that Tamar has with Marijke, the attractive and genial farm-owner who supplies them with shelter and food. In intermittent chapters, we are fast-forwarded to 1995 England as Tamar’s namesake granddaughter follows a trail of obscure clues left by her deceased grandfather. These clues lead to a shocker ending revealing the truth behind the events that took place back in 1945. Though the chapters about the teenage granddaughter’s quest read much like a YA novel, the predominant chapters which take place during the war are intense and riveting, reading much more like an adult novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member meteowrite
A good story, overall. I had a sense of what was going to happen on about page 75. The "betrayal" on the cover gave it away. I was ready for it to end several days before I finished it, but I think that says more about the amount of time I was able to spend with it than it does about the story
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itself. Show Less
LibraryThing member emitnick
A teenage girl in 1995 England tries to unravel a mystery about her beloved grandfather - but most of the action takes place in the Netherlands during WWII, when that same grandfather was working on behalf of Britain for the Dutch resistance movement against the Nazi occupation. This is a romance
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and a tale of friendship and betrayal. The characters are all complex, with competing motivations and impulses, making this an absorbing and heartrending read. Show Less
LibraryThing member AAlibrarian
Highly recommended. Set in England and the Netherlands, the present and the past this story invokes the horrors of German occupation and resistance during the second world war.Well drawn characterisation
LibraryThing member LCSDLibrary
A well-written book spanning 3 generations. Tamar is a 15-year old looking for clues about her grandad upon his death, realizing she didn't really know him. Tamar is also the codename her grandfather uses in 1944-45 as he works to bring the many factions of the Dutch resistance to cooperate under
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one command against the Nazis. The tale weaves in and out of both stories, unraveling the mystery of who Tamar really is. Show Less
LibraryThing member megmcg624
This novel switches between the Netherlands in the 1940s, where two Dutch resistance fighters fall in love with the same women, and England in the 1990s, where a teenage girl named after one of those fighters puzzles out the meaning of a box of memorabilia left to her by her grandfather.
The bulk
The bulk
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of the narration is devoted to the horrors of life under Nazi occupancy, with a fairly predictable plot twist. The themes are very adult matters of jealousy and betrayal, and the novel features mass executions, starvation, drug addiction, and mental illness. Tamar is a grim novel, and should be recommended only to very mature high school readers. Show Less
LibraryThing member saucyhp
I loved this book! I was really drawn into the two stories of Tamar (a teenage girl living in our time) and her grandfather (whose code name was Tamar in the Second World War). Its one of those books that you don't want to finish just because you don't want it to end!
LibraryThing member TammyPhillips
I very much enjoyed reading Tamar. It was a sophisticated read for a young adult novel. This story reveals how the evils of Hitler's Nazi regime infected not only Germany, but many countries and even members of the Resistance. I appreciated the authenticity of the wartime situations and I was moved
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by how the author was able to relate the generational effects of the tragedy of the holocaust. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmoncton
This was Michael's book report selection for a novel about World War II. The book switches back and forth between the present and 1945. The main character, a teenage girl, Tamar, is shaken by the apparent suicide of her grandfather. He was a member of the Dutch resistance during the war and had the
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code name, Tamar. The story is a bit of a mystery as Tamar tries to learn about why her grandfather killed himself. The WWII part of the story is loosely based on the Dutch resistance at the end of the war. Tamar is one of the organizers of the Dutch resistance and he and his partner Dart send regular coded messages to England to coordinate drop shipments of food and supplies, as well as alert the English about the German actions in the Netherlands. The book is based on a true story of how one cell in the Dutch resistance decided to create a road block to steal a truckload of pork. Instead, they end up stopping the staff car of General Hans Rauter, the highest ranking Nazi in the Netherlands. All of the Germans, except for Rauter are killed and Rauter is seriously injured. In retribution, Rauter orders the public execution of hundreds of Dutch men and boys. This story was very well written and a perfect selection of WWII fiction. It included espionage, a bit of a love story, a mystery, and very realistic descriptions of a country occupied by the enemy. I definitely would recommend this for late middle school or high school students (it was a little bit old for my 6th grader). Show Less
LibraryThing member paakre
The war story links with the contemporary one through the character of the granddaughter who has the same name as the grandfather. This book has so many satisfying threads: there are two love stories, there is a war story of thwarting the Nazis in occupied Netherlands, and at the heart of it all is
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a question of identity. Show Less
LibraryThing member jamaicanmecrazy
How do you criticize a book awarded a Carnegie medal? There were parts of this book which enthralled me, and parts that seemed just a bit contrived. I guessed the plot twist early on which didn't make it less interesting, but stories where the endings are wrapped up neatly (to me) makes the
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difference between a good book and a great book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Aly_Locatelli
I read this book back in '07/08, because I (luckily) lived next door to Mal Peet and he gave me a copy a couple of days after publishing and I absolutely loved it.
It is a beautiful story of love, betrayal and life of two soldiers during WWII.
I'd give it a shot if I were you.
It is a beautiful story of love, betrayal and life of two soldiers during WWII.
I'd give it a shot if I were you.
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
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
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 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.
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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 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.
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LibraryThing member lrhasper
Excellent! War story, Dutch resistance.
Subjects
Awards
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2007)
USBBY Outstanding International Book (Grades 9-12 — 2008)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Recommended — 2010)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2005)
Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — High School — 2010)
Manchester Book Award (Longlist — 2007)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2008)
CCBC Choices (2008)
Language
Original publication date
2005
Physical description
424 p.; 5.31 x 1.18 inches
ISBN
0763640638 / 9780763640637