Boyd has written an exceptional spy mystery. He uses a woman's voice that resonates with authenticity. ( )

gewöhnlich ... : ... und damit eine außergewöhnliche enttäuschung!

denn der klappentext ließ mir das wasser im munde zusammen laufen: von perfekter englischer klassik war da die rede; von einem james bond mit dem ästhetischen sesorium eines marcel proust... das klingt doch super!

auch die ersten seiten waren schön und irgendwie flauschig.
zitat: "...diese fahrt machte ich mindestens zweimal die woche, und jedes mal war es so, als würde ich in eine versunkene welt eintauchen, ins herz des alten englands - ein grünes, vergessenes shangri-la, wo alles älter, modriger und baufälliger war als anderswo." auch das klingt doch toll!
doch mit jeder weiteren seite kam die ernüchterung und ging die poesie.

um fair zu bleiben: dieser roman ist bisweilen ganz unterhaltsam - aber er ist eben nichts dessen, was der klappentext verheißt. keine klassik. nicht perfekt. ja, kaum englisch (in der anmutung)! und er ist weder in sprachlicher, noch in intelektueller, noch in emotionaler hinsicht irgend beeindruckend - geschweige denn in sachen spannung. alles ist zu vorhersehbar, zu beliebig.

das ganze buch über hatte ich die leise hoffnung, dass noch ein großer knaller käme, ein "turning point" (und der allein hätte die vielen in keiner hinsicht beeindruckenden passagen dieses buches gerechtfertigt) aber er kam nicht.

schade.

This is a well-written espionage mystery - our current protagonist, single mother Ruth Gilmartin, slowly learns the truth about her mother. Her mother Sally, seemingly a mild-mannered widow tending to her cottage garden, was actually a British spy of Russian descent, during World War II. Her mother involves her in one last mission . . .

I really enjoyed this - well-paced, tautly writtten - it seemed to cover so much territory in a relatively short novel, yet not skimping on atmosphere or characterization. The parts relating to Eva's (a.k.a. Sally Gilmartin's) recruitment, training and finally deployment were at times riveting; especially La Cruces. The events of the daughter's life, while still quite readable, were not nearly as good, and at times, I was really wanting it to switch back to the "spy" story.

Overall, quite good and recommended if you are in the mood for a quickly read, yet fairly literary thriller. So much in the mystery/thriller genre is so blandly and crappily written - this was refreshing. I thought it was loads better than the supposed classic of the espionage genre 'The Spy who came in from the Cold', which I had just read. ( )

Inevitably, nothing has changed since I read the hardcover edition but I do get great pleasure from the red highlighting of the coat and shoes on the cover even if this does seem grotesquely inappropriate for a novel about secrecy and of hiding. ( )

Restless: unable to relax; worried and uneasy; agitated and edgy.
What a perfectly applicable definition for the underlying theme of this book - in the characters and with the storyline; the reader rewarded with a beautifully-crafted, undeniably entertaining, page-turner of a latter-day spy thriller.

In this story of intrigue and disclosure, Ruth Gilmartin, single mother, academic and English tutor, has the very foundations of her tad bohemian lifestyle in Oxfordshire severely shaken in the long, hot summer of 1976. On a regular weekend visit to her widowed mother, Sally, she is presented with a change-in-personality and a folder containing the first chapter of the story of Eva Delectorskaya – apparently her mother’s real name! And as Ruth muddles through the finer points of her own reality, she is slowly brought to awareness of the (previously-unknown) circumstances of mother’s past – in her participation and involvement in wartime espionage. Artfully fluctuating between the two women and their lives, but grounded in the here and now by the considerable detail of Ruth’s daily existence, Eva’s complete story, fed to her daughter in purposeful instalments, unfolds unnervingly - from her life in Paris, her recruitment and training in the pre-war years, to her direct contribution to the war effort across many continents; and their distressing consequences. Plus the reason her mother is, at long last, revealing these dark, long-held secrets to her daughter.

This is obviously a well-researched story; the veracity complemented perfectly by the well-constructed prose. To me, it was such an easy read! And the rotation between the two contrasting stories of present-day daughter and wartime mother – perhaps somewhat irritating to some - permitted the trepidation, and, dare I say, restlessness, to ratchet up in intensity. The apprehension and the pressure of Eva’s existence are augmented by the ease in which similar paranoia and anxiety become evident in her daughter’s everyday life – thus emphasising the extremes her mother must have suffered! How clever is that? I found the lives of both equally fascinating, though Eva’s wartime experiences enthralled in their authenticity – I learnt so much! And despite a moderately transparent solution to Eva’s plot-line, it is uncertain what resultant actions may eventuate, allowing a slow build-up of tension to penetrate the current play.

What is certain is that this book embraces the long-lasting and lingering repercussions of war, accentuated within a tight and enthralling thriller. And regardless of how lives may be resurrected, and how valiantly attempts are made to resume a peacetime life, the residual effects remain forever. In some cases, they permanently shape an uneasy continuation; no matter if long-awaited closure is eventually achieved. It is not easy to change the habits of a lifetime…and sometimes, it seems, it is essential not to.
A compelling tale indeed…

(Aug 22, 2009) ( )