Front Lines audiobook

“You’re a girl.”“No, sir, I’m a sergeant.” Anyone looking for a grisly re-imagining of one of the darkest times in human history? Because Front Lines is most definitely that. It's a war story that packs a lot of punch, combining historical fact with an alternate version of history in which a court decision makes American women subject to the draft and eligible to fight on the front lines.I do want to say one thing, though. It's a concern I have that I think needs to be said, though it's not exactly a criticism. I'm a little worried that books like this could further hide women from history - the fact being that over 400,000 U.S. women really did serve with the armed forces during World War II, and this fact is already often forgotten.I'm confident that Grant's intentions were good, but I just wanted it to be said.Anyway, Front Lines contains a lot of elements we would find in traditional war stories - brutal training of soldiers, incredibly young men and women having no idea what they're getting into, tanks, bombs and poorly-trained medics... but this particular tale is also about social injustice; a reminder that social injustice is at the heart of the Second World War.Not only has Grant imagined army life and conditions from the POV of three different female soldiers, but he also factors in race and the effect this would have had in the early 1940s. Rio Richlin is a white female from small town California, Frangie Marr is an African-American from Oklahoma, and Rainy Schulterman is a Jewish girl from New York City. It's actually rare that someone remembers that the story of gender injustice and sexism is not the same across all women.I didn't love Grant's last two sci-fi/fantasy series, but I have been waiting to return to his intricate characterization since the early days of the Gone series. He has this way of paying attention to small details of life that, rather than being tedious, contribute to the realism of his story. I once called him a YA Stephen King and I stand by that comparison. He just blends fiction with fact in such a way that it's entirely believable. “PFC Schulterman, your scores are . . . acceptable. This does not alter my opinion that your proper role is at home working in a defense industry and raising children.” Of course, being true to history, some of the language used in this book will be abhorrent to today's readers. Grant does not shy away from portraying sexism, racism and antisemitism. Some of the racial or sexual slurs might be discomfiting, but I was thankful for the realism.And the characters themselves are sympathetic, realistic and flawed. Each has a distinct personality, her own ambition, and her own reason for being there. As with male soldiers, some of these female soldiers were eager to fight and prove themselves, others were desperate for an army paycheck. Grant also pays attention to his secondary characters, creating people who bring humour, distaste and flirtations to the mix (but don't worry, this book has very little romancing).I do think that nearly 600 pages might be a little too long for this YA novel. Like Mr King, sometimes the attention to detail - while excellent - drags the book down a little. But it's a minor complaint. I enjoyed it a lot. Very gritty, dark and sad. We understood nothing, you see. We thought we were soldiers, but we were still civilians dressed in khaki and OD. None of us had yet felt the fear so overpowering that you shake all the way down to your bones and your bladder empties into your pants and you can’t speak for the chattering of your teeth. None of us had yet seen the red pulsating insides of another human being. Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Pinterest

There are no words for how incredible this novel was. But I'll do my best to try and describe it.In one word, FRONT LINES was captivating. I started this book 2 days ago, and even as I put it down each night (around 1 am, with my husband already long asleep beside me), I couldn't shut off my mind, simply because the story was still playing out in my head. Michael Grant is a fantastic writer, as he's previously shown us with his GONE series. But with FRONT LINES, he takes it to another level. He throws the reader right into the action, into the desperation and fear and small glimpses of hope that all come along with war, and I could NOT stop reading.The alternate history is fascinating enough, but it's the characters that truly suck the reader in. They are so real. They are so perfectly written, so true to the past, while also feeling relevant.I will be counting down the days to book two, and I'm sure thousands of others will join me.Bravo. Amazing. Truly inspired.

With such a captivating premise, Front Lines already stands out in the YA genre. After reading the novel, I can firmly say this is one of my favorite reads as of recent.In an alternate history, women are allowed to fight and be drafted in World War II. Front Lines follows three women in the army, and through these points of view Grant tackles three very real issues in our world present in WWII and now. Rio is an all American girl from a small town in California. She faces unimaginable challenges after joining the army through her fellow soldiers, training, combat, and people in general. Sexism is such a cringe-worthy yet important part of this novel. I felt like screaming feminism cheers throughout this book. Woohoo girl power!! I loved seeing Rio beat everyone's expectations and stay strong amid all the doubt, distain, and derogatory comments sent her way. She's got some romantic feelings to sort out in the next book, but the romance in this story was so cute!! Another point of view follows poor African American Frangie as she aspires to be a medic. We get a firsthand account of all the cruelties and racism towards African Americans, and it's literally the worst. Frangie joins the war to help pay her family's bills, and I love her devotion and dedication to her work. She perseveres in light of all the adversity. The third main character is Rainy, a Jewish girl with a sharp mind and tongue. I really like her fiery personality, and I love how she takes charge of situations. Rainy is proud to be Jewish and doesn't take crap from anyone.I commend Grant for his fierce attention to sexism, racism, and anti-Semitism because they do need to be addressed. These issues were infused and helped the plot along but didn't overtake it, which I greatly appreciated. The pacing of the book was wonderful, and I was hooked from the very beginning. There's lots of action with a side of romance and plenty of character growth. I also really liked the authenticity of the history and the nostalgic feel of the time period. Learning the military lingo was quite fun too!Grant tells the story in three alternating points of view, and they really contribute and round out the story. The story is ultimately told from one person writing out the events and ruminating and guessing in areas; it lends a bit of mystery to the story. I really want to know who's actually telling the story, they're supposedly in the story... This book does eventually focus on war and the front lines, and I think this has to be my favorite part of the novel. In this second half of the novel we really see the main characters change their perspectives on life and humanity. It's utterly fascinating and so well written. It's a bit sad but completely absorbing at the same time.

Sim, eu AMEI esse livro. Depois de terminar eu cheguei à conclusão que eu adoro estórias de guerra. Se você também gosta, definitivamente precisará ler esse livro.O começo do livro é mais lento e pode cansar os mais fanáticos por ação intensa, mas foi absolutamente necessário para construir as três persongens principais e os coadjuvantes na mente do leitor. Mais que isso, para fazermos ama-los e sentirmos tudo o que sentiam quando efetivamente fossem para a guerra. Quando a segunda parte do livro começa e a primeira batalha acontece, eu não conseguia mais parar de ler. Pode parecer bizarro, mas quase 250 páginas do livro são sobre apenas uma das batalhas que nossas meninas irão enfrentar, mas já foi o suficiente para que elas crescessem e entendessem o que realmente é participar de uma guerra.Gostei que o autor não tentou esconder em nenhum momento o quão rejeitadas as mulheres eram apenas por serem mulheres. O machismo corre à solta em quase todas as páginas do livro e pode parecer que o autor está sendo insensível, mas na época era tão abertamente discutida a "fraqueza" das mulheres que você compreende como parte do cenário dos anos quarenta. O importante mesmo é a reação das meninas à todo esse machismo. Elas por vezes aceitam como "verdade", pois é o único mundo que conhecem e na maior parte das vezes elas rejeitam de forma inteligente e que deixa os homens desse naipe com a boca aberta.Assim como o machismo, também é bem proeminente o racismo com os soldados negros. É agonizante ler o quão maltratados eles eram pelo brancos. Como falavam com eles como se fossem "superiores". Eu acho muito importante que estes aspectos sociais da época sejam mantidos para que nós nunca esqueçamos como eram para essas pessoas apenas ter cor diferente da branca. Gostei como a maior parte de situações difíceis para eles eram contornadas com inteligência e determinação.Adorei as três protagonistas. Todas são ótimos exemplos de meninas (mulheres quase) fortes e que tem o que é necessário para lutar. A personagem mais bem desenvolvida é a Rio. Passamos pelo menos 65-70% do tempo com ela. Ela começa como uma garota ingênua do interior e ao final da estória ela já é um soldado endurecido pelas tragédias de uma batalha sangrenta. A conversa que ela tem com o seu Sargento nas últimas páginas do livro me fizeram chorar, porque imagino que seja mais ou menos isso que acontece quando soldados inexperientes enfrentam sua primeira batalha.A Frangie é simplesmente maravilhosa. Além de ter que enfrentar preconceito por ser mulher, precisa deixar de lado o racismo para executar seus deveres como soldado. Ela tem um coração de ouro e leva muito a sério os ensinamentos da sua igreja e pastor. Amar até quem você odeia. Não é a toa que ela deseja se tornar uma socorrista na guerra e posteriormente uma médica.A Rainy que foi a personagem com o desenvolvimento mais superficial. Não sei se isso se deve por causa da natureza de sua posição no exército (ela trabalha para a inteligência, ou seja, sempre circundada de segredos) ou por falta de "tempo" no livro. Talvez nos próximos nós conheçamos mais dela. O que vi eu gostei, mas quero ver MUITO mais, pois é esperta e tem uma língua afiadíssima.Os personagens coadjuvantes são muitos, mas todos desenvolvidos o suficiente para você sentir o mínimo de apego a eles. Tenho certeza que nos próximos livros eles serão ainda mais importantes para nós. Meus favoritos até o momento foram o Sargent Green e o Sargent Cole. Aparecem pouco, mas já deixaram uma boa impressão em mim.Só tenho duas reclamações. Uma seria a adição de romances por todas as partes. Não são de forma alguma uma parte grande do enredo, bem pelo contrário, apareciam esporadicamente, mas ainda assim não sentia que eram todos absolutamente necessários. Inclusive, de certa forma, eles enfraqueciam um pouco os temas feministas do livro. Como se fosse necessário que livros com protagonistas mulheres tivessem romance para prender o leitor emocionalmente em alguma coisa. Pelo menos, para contrabalançar, elas não dão tanta bola para isso (exceto a Rio, mas pq faz parte do desenvolvimento emocional dela eu não conto) e por isso não foi o suficiente para diminuir meu aproveitamento da estória.Também gostaria de ter visto um pequeno indício de qualquer representação LGBTQ. Sei que nessa época era ainda muito reprimido e completo tabu, inclusive era crime em alguns países, mas queria ter visto mesmo que fosse no interior de algum personagem. A Rainy era uma ótima candidata, mas o autor decidiu ir pela rota heteronormativa com ela também. Vamos ver se no próximo ele ajusta isso.Enfim, definitivamente foi umas das minha leituras favoritas de 2016 e mal posso esperar pelo próximo livro da série. Temos mais dois anos de guerra pela frente!

This was a fascinating book. It takes a look at WWII with a twist: what if women had been allowed to serve in combat roles (and were also part of the draft) during WWII? I had a fair bit of hesitation when I started reading because women DID play a pivotal role in WWII, though one that is often glossed over or forgotten in most war stories, but Front Lines isn't about rewriting history so much as showing us the future. As the barriers break down and women become more integrated into the male-dominated armed forces in fighting roles, this book shows us that women are and have always been as strong (and frequently stronger) than men. That said, this is a dark, dark book full of just about every horrible thing you can imagine. Racism, sexism, anti-semitism, gore, death. It's not an easy book to get through, but I was sucked into this world, and it felt so real. I can't wait for the second book.

I considered adding this to my action shelf also, but the action part of the read doesn't kick in until the last third or so of the book. That said I was also a little torn between 4 and 5 stars but finally settled on 5 stars.So far as this being "alternate history" the only real "alternate" part is the inclusion of females in the armed forces. If you're a history buff, scholar or whatever you'll note that the historical incidents are just that, the historical incidents. The part of the war we are dealing with here is Northern Africa, the Battle of Kasserine Pass. We open the book with our narrator in a field hospital beginning the story but we're told that "the war is almost over now". As the book closes we return to her and are left with the "more to come" ending.The first part of this book is very much about young people and the beginning of the war from the point of view of the "young girls" who will be our view points. The book also has a very strong vein of social commentary. The sexism, racism and even antisemitism are at times so thick you can cut it with the "proverbial" knife. Be aware that our black character is called racial names as are others in the book. However the growth of the brothers and sisters" in arms is done very well.I won't move into spoiler territory but I'll say that Mr. Grant does a good job of drawing us in and frankly of capturing at least some of the camaraderie of combat.I looked him up and saw he was raised in a military family...which begs the question, how come he doesn't know that THERE IS NO BOOT CAMP IN THE ARMY!!!!! THAT'S THE MARINES!Other than that...good read, recommended.

Besides this book being a little slow, Front Lines was a pretty damn amazing book. A historical fiction that follows three different, kick ass females in the middle of a war. It's hearty, brutal and some times shocking. This book deals with racism, sexism, death, PTSD and so much more. It doesn't shy away from the terrifying war that's happening and man, reading this, I swear I could feel the fear that Rio had as she jumped off that boat into the beach or the terror as Frangie tried to stitch up half dead soldiers. It was realistic and wow for me. 4.5 stars out of 5!!!

~*Full review posted on The Bent Bookworm*~Front Lines is an alternate history of WWII. The big switch-up Grant has made is adding females to the draft and using them in ALL roles across the United States military (other countries have not made such an enlightened choice). Other than that change, the book is pretty much true to history – including attitudes towards women, people of color, and people of Asian features. It is at times harsh and heartbreaking, but the main characters of Rio, Frangie, and Rainy are sympathetic and compelling as they grow and adapt to the war and their changing roles in the world. They are not only dealing with the hard reality of being females in a still very patriarchal world, but with their own coming of age, of loss and love on a personal level, and all while being swept along in the grand scheme of the war.The rituals are different now. It has always been that the men went off and the women wept and waved. There is no blueprint for what is happening now. There is no easy reference point. People don’t know quite how to behave, and it’s worse for the men in the station who are staying behind and feel conspicuous and ashamed.God knows the MODERN United States Army is having a hard enough time getting a grip on itself with females in the ranks, but add to that the expectations of the generation that would become the idealogical 50s housewife – the book ends in about 1943, so with a couple more years left in the war, I’m very interested to see how this shapes Grant’s version of the United States in the sequel coming next year, Silver Stars.We spend the most time with Rio, a gutsy farm girl who finds herself in the awkward and unwanted position of being good at her army job while in her heart, just wanting to be a normal girl. Her growth is the most marked of the three main characters and I love her so much.She [Rio] has just upended her entire life based on a diner conversation with her best friend and an awkward exchange with a boy she barely knows.The other two girls – because really, they are all still girls when the books starts – are lovable as well, but I felt the most connection with Rio. There is also an unnamed first-person narrator that shows up in the beginning, middle, and end, and has some succinct insights on the war and the women in it.Will you understand if I tell you that there are times when it is better to feel the pain yourself than to see it and hear it in another?Michael Grant has, I think, either been in military service or he has done his research very, very well. His descriptions of Basic Training are spot on. His knowledge of the WWII era is commendable (I went and looked a few things up to see just how accurate he was, if it all, since sometimes historical fiction writers are VERY free with the facts) and he has altered as little as possible in his writing. He’s baldly honest with the racism and sexism of the time, enough to make me squirm in my chair. His descriptions of events are extremely accurate as we follow our heroines through their army journey from civilian to soldier.The one thing that bothered me was the substitute of fug or fugging for fuck or fucking…it would be one thing if the entire book was censored that way, but the words dick (the male appendage, not the name) and goddamn are used without euphemisms sooooo…that was kind of annoying and pointless. And GOD KNOWS it’s every soldier’s right to swear. And grumble.I loved how honest the portrayal of human nature was, and how emotions come so close to the surface during times of stress. Rio especially is torn between what she knows is waiting for her at home and what is happening in the right here right now.Strand is there, close to her heart.Jack is there, close.As a medic myself, I loved Frangie and her fighting spirit, even in the face of soldiers being SO VERY HORRIBLE to her because of her race and her gender. She just never quits. But she never stops feeling, either, she just learns to put it aside at the time. I can’t wait to see her further development.Rainy, our little intelligence soldier, felt the least realistic to me. Some of her dialogue exchanges are stilted and left me with raised eyebrows. I mean, I know it was WWII and there were a lot of green soldiers thrown into positions that ordinarily they wouldn’t have been…her storyline just seemed far-fetched at times. Almost like, well, we need this group to be here and we need them to meet up with her so let’s throw in this over-the-top mission that makes no sense to anybody. But maybe I’m just overly skeptical.Don’t go into this expecting a happily-ever-after, or an exceptionally fast paced story. The first half of the book is fairly slow as we are introduced to all the characters and how they came to be in the army. As for the ever-afters, one – the war isn’t over, so we’re going to have to wait and see how things turn out. For another – it’s war, and people die, even the characters we’ve become attached to. Overall, 4/5 stars.At night we cry sometimes, and if you think that just applies to the females then you have never been in combat, because everyone cries sooner or later. Everyone cries.

There will come a time when you’ll have a choice between staying in your trench and crawling out of it to save a buddy. 4 1/2 stars. This was such an inspiring tale following three brave women who went to war to fight for their country in 1942. While it was definitely empowering to females, I don't think the main point was to send some feminist message. Instead, it focused on soldiers relying on one another to live to see the morning.The three women this book centered on - Rainy, Rio, and Frangie - were incredibly strong. They were from different races and religions and it was such a relief to see some diversity in YA. Grant added so much depth to their characters, bringing each of their voices to life.There's Rio, the classic "good girl" who's slowly coming out of her shell, Rainy, the tough-loving Jew, and Frangie, the African-American girl who wants to be a medic. What these young women had to deal with was unbelievable and so darn heroic, yet the author never failed to show that they were girls, too, and liked to watch movies and go out with boys and paint their fingernails.The details about training to become a soldier and what the main characters had to go through weren't skimped over. I think the grittiness and gory bits were added in the perfect spots and strengthened the realism of the story.This book was honestly so much better than I expected. I really liked the first novel I read by the author, Gone, but I couldn't stand one of his newer releases, BZRK. Thankfully, Front Lines lived up to my high expectations set by the intense survival story of Gone.It was a bit lengthier than I think it could have been. This book was huge - over 500 pages - and I felt like some scenes were repetitive and could have been cut down. But aside from that, I really appreciated its harsh and gritty tone.If you're interested in WWII historical fiction or are curious as to how the US military works, I highly recommend this book. It's both informative and touching.

Well, this book was definitely interesting and I did enjoy it more than some of Grant's other books. The whole idea of women being able to fight in WWII was super interesting and I did enjoy being able to see that side of war. I liked all the background stuff and the training before the war parts of the book, I definitely enjoyed that, but the book majorly picked up when they went to war. The characters were a joy to read about and I loved each of the girls for different reasons, they were all so unique and it made me so happy. I will most definitely be reading the next book when it releases soon!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy via Edelweiss for review purposes.First Impression: Front Lines is quite a long, but incredibly compelling read set in an alternative world-war II era, where the United States allowed women to fight on the front lines. The story is narrated by a mystery writer, someone who is supposedly a part of the 119th Division, and that aspect created a bit of a mystery element to the story. I loved the characters - a diverse cast, and Grant does an incredible job of discussing the issues of racism, sexism and anti-Semitism. I'm glad it's a series because I cannot wait to finish the stories of these heroic girls.Review: In the United States, a supreme court ruling allows girls to be eligible for service on the front lines alongside men. Three girls - Frangie, Rio and Rainy - join the army for their own reasons. Frangie joins for money for her family, Rainy joins to beat the Germans, and Rio joins to honour the death of her sister. The narration revolves around the story of these three girls - their motivations for enlisting in the army, their training, and eventually their posting overseas. The synopsis of Front Lines really appealed to me, and I have heard fantastic things about Michael Grant as a writer, so Front Lines was a book I was highly anticipating. While women did contribute massively to the war effort (in both the UK and the USA amongst other countries), Front Lines is alternative history because women were not allowed in combat roles (save for Russian female snipers and combat pilots) and they are in combat roles in this book, and they train alongside men, they share the same bunks as men. In reality, women in the war were trained separately than men, had their own quarters and in auxiliary support roles (e.g the WAAFs and the ATS). A lot of people might be put off by the slow pacing, but I ask that you persevere because the journey that these girls go through is central to the novel. The characterization is spot-on; Grant does an excellent job in creating a connection between the reader and the characters. An aspect I really enjoyed was the f/f friendships that are sure to be developed even further in the sequels. Grant deals with sexism, racism and anti-Semitism in Front Lines and he spares no details. Rio Richlin frequently encounters sexism; men doubting her ability, men being very vocal about how women can't fight, and shouldn't fight. Rio overcomes everyone's judgements of her and proves them wrong; women can fight, and they can be pretty damn good at it, too. Rainy Schulterman is Jewish, and frequently experiences anti-Semitism, and yet she overcomes these obstacles and proves her worth - she wants to contribute, so she makes damn sure she does. African American Frangie - a personal favourite of mine - is an aspiring medic, and we see how cruelly African Americans were treated - they were segregated, alienated, and subject to disgusting and derogatory comments. Grant did an excellent job bringing these issues to the forefront. As mentioned, the story itself is narrated and 'written' by some mysterious comrade that are seemingly fighting alongside our girls. They don't give up their name, and this is something I am looking forward to in the sequels. A series I will certainly be continuing with, and a book for you to get on your TBR lists. Perfect for fans of historical fiction.

Have I mentioned my love of WWII yet? Yes? No? Well it is no surprise that Front Lines was a fantastic read. If I were to categorize it within the realm of WWII fiction, Front Lines would be more about the war itself, like building trenches, training, intestines flying everywhere, etc. Yet even though this was not exactly my cup of tea, I still loved it.Front Lines starts with the perspectives of three girls, Rio, Frangie, and Rainy. Each are in incredibly different situations, but all have in common the ability to enlist and be drafted in the war. This is where alternative history comes in, because if you remember, this was not a thing in our WWII. And of course, after reading this, I'm thinking "Well why not?". These girls showed tremendous strength and resolve, not at all falling behind their male counterparts. Obviously this is a fictional work, but I have no doubt that the real women during this time would show this same courage.Issues regarding sexism and racism came up a lot in the story. Girls were constantly being told that the war wasn't for them, and that they wouldn't be able to stomach it all. Yet both Rainy and Rio were badasses. Even though Rio suffers a lack of self-confidence and self-doubt, she becomes an incredible gunwoman, taking out more of the enemy than anyone else in her infantry. And Rainy is part of Intelligence, and she jumped out of an airplane to deliver a message, because she volunteered to. Did I mention that I am super scared of skydiving? Because I would never jump out of a plane.And lastly, Frangie had to suffer through not only because of the color of her skin, but also because she's a girl enlisting in the war. And even though she's knowledgeable as a medic, no white soldier wants her to operate on them. And it is such a shame because she is so good at what she does. And she risks her life often helping others out on the field. And I am just so proud of her, of everyone.So yes, Front Lines deals with racism, sexism, war, and although I adored the characters, I did feel like at points, it was a little boring. Not to lie, but the book itself is 576 pages. I had to trudge through some parts where I just wasn't feeling anything. And at times, I just wanted the book to be over because it was incredibly long. Along with that, I am unsure whether someone who is not obsessed with WWII like I am will enjoy this. There is a lot of WWII terminology, in regards to guns, ammo, war terms, etc., that probably will fly over heads (mine included).Nevertheless, would I recommend this? Yes. Even without the context of WWII, Front Lines deals a lot with the issues of sexism and racism, and you should read this because of that. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.

So fascinating, and so freaking good. I can't wait to read the next one!