Restless
by William Boyd
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"I am Eva Delectorskaya," Sally Gilmartin announces, and so on a warm summer afternoon in 1976 her daughter, Ruth, learns that everything she ever knew about her mother was a carefully constructed lie. Sally Gilmartin is a respectable English widow living in picturesque Cotswold village; Eva Delectorskaya was a rigorously trained World War II spy, a woman who carried fake passports and retreated to secret safe houses, a woman taught to lie and deceive, and above all, to never trust anyone. show more Three decades later, the secrets of Sally's past still haunt her. Someone is trying to kill her and at last she has decided to trust Ruth with her story. Ruth, meanwhile, is struggling to make sense of her own life as a young single mother with an unfinished graduate degree and escalating dependence on alcohol. She is drawn deeper and deeper into the astonishing events of her mother's past-the mysterious death of Eva's beloved brother, her work in New York City manipulating the press in order to shift public sentiment toward American involvement in the war, her dangerous romantic entanglement. Now Sally wants to find the man who recruited her for the secret service, and she needs Ruth's help. Restless is a brilliant espionage audiobook and a vivid portrait of the life of a female spy. Full of tension and drama, and based on a remarkable chapter of Anglo-American history, this is listening at its finest. show lessTags
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One of those novels that I didn't want to put down so I read it in nearly one sitting.
Set mainly in the period 1939 to 1941, before America is drawn into World War II, and then nearly 30 years later. Two narrative voices - Sally Gilmartin formerly Eva Delectorskaya has written her story for her daughter Ruth to read, and then we also have Ruth's input as she tries to decide whether what she is reading is true or whether her mother is developing dementia. Sally has been carrying the burden of betrayal for nearly 30 years, and has lived what seems to Ruth to be a fairly normal life during that time in Oxford. Now Sally seems to be developing paranoia, looking over her shoulder, and she tells Ruth the time has come to confront her show more betrayer.
A fascinating read - did that sort of thing really happen? I'd worked out the final thread well before the end but that didn't matter. show less
Set mainly in the period 1939 to 1941, before America is drawn into World War II, and then nearly 30 years later. Two narrative voices - Sally Gilmartin formerly Eva Delectorskaya has written her story for her daughter Ruth to read, and then we also have Ruth's input as she tries to decide whether what she is reading is true or whether her mother is developing dementia. Sally has been carrying the burden of betrayal for nearly 30 years, and has lived what seems to Ruth to be a fairly normal life during that time in Oxford. Now Sally seems to be developing paranoia, looking over her shoulder, and she tells Ruth the time has come to confront her show more betrayer.
A fascinating read - did that sort of thing really happen? I'd worked out the final thread well before the end but that didn't matter. show less
A well written and well paced frame story. Eva is plucked from her family in Paris in 1939 to be trained by British spymaster Romer and is involved in several operations between 1939 and 1941. Things go wrong (of course) and almost 40 years later Eva's daughter, Ruth, finally learns about her mother's past. This book is not really about spy missions per se, it's more about what being a spy does to you and the way you think. It is a little similar to LeCarre's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, in that way (not as good, but still, that would be hard to beat).
Eva's narrative (told in third person) is more compelling than Ruth's, though I believe the Ruth section is a little more subtle than it seemed at first. At first I felt disappointed that show more not much really happened in the "present," but then I realized that is because the author is teasing us. He makes references to political events in Germany and Iran that may be connected with certain characters in Ruth's life, and you think they are going to come to some kind of dramatic head. But they don't (unless you count Ruth's five-year-old son throwing an egg at the bodyguard of the sister of the Shah of Iran, which was pretty funny). So Boyd causes us to become paranoid about these characters, little by little, in the same way that we see Eva changed herself to inhabit the spy's mindset. Neatly done.
This is my second book by Boyd. He's a really strong writer and someone whose works I'll probably slowly work my way through. I don't see much of a through-line or recognizable authorial style so far in the two books I've read, other than really, really good characterization and extremely readable prose. Which is enough! show less
Eva's narrative (told in third person) is more compelling than Ruth's, though I believe the Ruth section is a little more subtle than it seemed at first. At first I felt disappointed that show more not much really happened in the "present," but then I realized that is because the author is teasing us. He makes references to political events in Germany and Iran that may be connected with certain characters in Ruth's life, and you think they are going to come to some kind of dramatic head. But they don't (unless you count Ruth's five-year-old son throwing an egg at the bodyguard of the sister of the Shah of Iran, which was pretty funny). So Boyd causes us to become paranoid about these characters, little by little, in the same way that we see Eva changed herself to inhabit the spy's mindset. Neatly done.
This is my second book by Boyd. He's a really strong writer and someone whose works I'll probably slowly work my way through. I don't see much of a through-line or recognizable authorial style so far in the two books I've read, other than really, really good characterization and extremely readable prose. Which is enough! show less
This is one of the best books I've ever read. As I read, I felt like I was in a film, observing the characters, following them through their lives. The only reason it doesn't get five stars is that the ending felt a little rushed, a little pat, a little disappointing. I wanted a dénouement to fit the pace and intrigue of the story. I suppose you could argue that it was an ending true to life. The main story takes place in extraordinary times, the surrounding story in less extraordinary times. And maybe because I enjoyed the book so much, I was reluctant for it to end. I would have preferred something more satisfying at the end, though, when all's said and done.
In 1976 Sally Gilmartin discloses secrets about her origins to her daughter Ruth. Sally, once a Russian émigré named Eva Declectorskaya, became involved in the world of espionage during the war. She's been hiding in a quiet life since she escaped the group, and now over thirty years later fears that someone is watching her. Ruth had no idea of her mother's Russian background or the espionage, and wonders if her mother is losing her mind. The story alternates between Sally's intrepid, perilous story and Ruth's, a single mother, English tutor, and academic, living a lifestyle so ordinary that the difference is clearly startling. Boyd's plot sounds implausible, but as the story progresses it becomes credible. He maintains the pace right show more to the end. He also conveys both eras so skillfully that the reader can slip from one to the other with ease.
Verbose authors should take note: Boyd covers an elaborate story and the well-drawn characters concisely, without waffling or padding, and leaves the reader feeling like they have just had more. Well written and very enjoyable. show less
Verbose authors should take note: Boyd covers an elaborate story and the well-drawn characters concisely, without waffling or padding, and leaves the reader feeling like they have just had more. Well written and very enjoyable. show less
From Richard & Judy's Book Club, I also picked it up because I had read a set of short stories by the author.
The narrative is split into two timelines. The first covers the second world war experiences of Anglo-Russian Eva Delectorskaya who is recruited as a British Spy whilst living in Paris. The second is that of her daughter, Ruth, in the '70s teaching in English and avoiding writing her PHD thesis in Oxford, who believes her mother to be Sally Fairchild.
Eva Delectorskaya is recruited by the mysterious Romer after the death of her beloved Kolia, who had also been working for him. She leaves Paris where she was living with her invalid father and is sent to Blighty for espionage training. At the end of the war she reinvents herself as show more Sally Fairchild. Believing that someone is out to get her, she decides to write down her story for her story to read and also to pique her interest in tracking down an old contact.
Ruth, her daughter, is a single mother living off English classes, and is understandably shocked as she reads more of her mother's story. Her students are rather mixed, but all are subjected to the same British family, stars of the book that she uses for teaching.
As expected, the book starts off slowly, but soon picks up the pace as Eva reveals more. Eva's work for Romer's mysterious side group takes her all over Europe and even to the States. She starts to fall for her handler, blurring the lines between her work and private lives. Her work was something you don't hear much of, that of planting false stories in the press, trying to influence both the countries at war as well as forcing the States to join in.
Boyd skillfully shows us that espionage is still around, while Ruth thinks Eva lived a fantastic life, in the sense of being hard to believe, in her own life she is herself approached by the authorities in the wake of the Baader Meinhof gang and demonstrations against the Shah of Iran.
There is also a very human aspect to the book, the gulf between mother and daughter. The more Eva writes, the more Ruth realises that she never knew her mother. This distance is mirrored in her own relationship with her young son. As an English teacher, I must admit I enjoyed the descriptions of Ruth's English classes, having also had to teach from ridiculous texts about absurd situations.
All in all, this is a fast-paced thriller, well-written and I do recommend it. show less
The narrative is split into two timelines. The first covers the second world war experiences of Anglo-Russian Eva Delectorskaya who is recruited as a British Spy whilst living in Paris. The second is that of her daughter, Ruth, in the '70s teaching in English and avoiding writing her PHD thesis in Oxford, who believes her mother to be Sally Fairchild.
Eva Delectorskaya is recruited by the mysterious Romer after the death of her beloved Kolia, who had also been working for him. She leaves Paris where she was living with her invalid father and is sent to Blighty for espionage training. At the end of the war she reinvents herself as show more Sally Fairchild. Believing that someone is out to get her, she decides to write down her story for her story to read and also to pique her interest in tracking down an old contact.
Ruth, her daughter, is a single mother living off English classes, and is understandably shocked as she reads more of her mother's story. Her students are rather mixed, but all are subjected to the same British family, stars of the book that she uses for teaching.
As expected, the book starts off slowly, but soon picks up the pace as Eva reveals more. Eva's work for Romer's mysterious side group takes her all over Europe and even to the States. She starts to fall for her handler, blurring the lines between her work and private lives. Her work was something you don't hear much of, that of planting false stories in the press, trying to influence both the countries at war as well as forcing the States to join in.
Boyd skillfully shows us that espionage is still around, while Ruth thinks Eva lived a fantastic life, in the sense of being hard to believe, in her own life she is herself approached by the authorities in the wake of the Baader Meinhof gang and demonstrations against the Shah of Iran.
There is also a very human aspect to the book, the gulf between mother and daughter. The more Eva writes, the more Ruth realises that she never knew her mother. This distance is mirrored in her own relationship with her young son. As an English teacher, I must admit I enjoyed the descriptions of Ruth's English classes, having also had to teach from ridiculous texts about absurd situations.
All in all, this is a fast-paced thriller, well-written and I do recommend it. show less
William Boyd's 2006 novel "Restless" is no ordinary espionage thriller. We can start with the title. That doesn't sound like a spy story. Certainly Robert Ludlum would never have chosen it for one of his books. Even John LeCarre, whose titles don't generally sound like espionage novels either, would have opted for something a little wordier.
Then there's the fact that the story's two major characters are both women, a mother and a daughter. And, although it may be a story about World War II espionage, about half the action takes place in the 1970s, more than 30 years after the war is over.
Finally, the most significant spying that takes place during the novel involves British agents operating in, of all places, the United States. In 1941, show more England is desperate for the U.S. to enter the war because they question whether they can defeat Germany, especially if Russia falls. The British spies try to find a way to persuade a reluctant Congress to declare war.
Boyd's novel opens in 1976 when Sally Gilmartin, an Oxfordshire grandmother, reveals to her daughter, Ruth, that her real name is Eva Delectorskaya. Born in Russia, she was recruited by the British Secret Service and trained to be a spy. Ruth, a single mother, has never suspected a thing. Now, all these years later, Sally/Eva believes her life may be in grave danger, and she decides to go on the offensive, with her daughter's help.
Back in 1941, when Eva was operating in the United States, she is nearly killed while on a mission in New Mexico. She believes she was betrayed by a member of her own team, who survives in 1976 and lives as a prominent member of British society. Eva, as Sally Gilmartin, has been in hiding for all these years. Now, remembering all those skills she learned decades before, she decides it's time to go back to work.
The author maintains the same level of inventiveness throughout. If he never reaches the edge-of-your-seat excitement you may find in other thrillers, Boyd never gives his readers reason for thinking they have read something like this before or that they know what is going to happen next. show less
Then there's the fact that the story's two major characters are both women, a mother and a daughter. And, although it may be a story about World War II espionage, about half the action takes place in the 1970s, more than 30 years after the war is over.
Finally, the most significant spying that takes place during the novel involves British agents operating in, of all places, the United States. In 1941, show more England is desperate for the U.S. to enter the war because they question whether they can defeat Germany, especially if Russia falls. The British spies try to find a way to persuade a reluctant Congress to declare war.
Boyd's novel opens in 1976 when Sally Gilmartin, an Oxfordshire grandmother, reveals to her daughter, Ruth, that her real name is Eva Delectorskaya. Born in Russia, she was recruited by the British Secret Service and trained to be a spy. Ruth, a single mother, has never suspected a thing. Now, all these years later, Sally/Eva believes her life may be in grave danger, and she decides to go on the offensive, with her daughter's help.
Back in 1941, when Eva was operating in the United States, she is nearly killed while on a mission in New Mexico. She believes she was betrayed by a member of her own team, who survives in 1976 and lives as a prominent member of British society. Eva, as Sally Gilmartin, has been in hiding for all these years. Now, remembering all those skills she learned decades before, she decides it's time to go back to work.
The author maintains the same level of inventiveness throughout. If he never reaches the edge-of-your-seat excitement you may find in other thrillers, Boyd never gives his readers reason for thinking they have read something like this before or that they know what is going to happen next. show less
My third go around with Boyd and they've all been good to very good. This one is set in two time periods. Present time is the latter part of the 1970's in Oxfordshire England. The two main protagonists are Sally Gilmartin and her single parent daughter Ruth. Sally actually is a Russian emigrant (Eva Delectorskaya) living in Paris just prior to World War II when her brother Kolia is murdered after attending a fascist rally--one that as it happens he'd been recruited to spy on. Afterwards Eva is also recruited and will go through a variety of personages during the World War II years until finally becoming the person of Sally a retired pensioner. In the course of her activities as a spy she had been betrayed by the man (now an English show more Lord) who had recruited her and in fear of her life had been forced to go into hiding. Getting on in years now--she believes she has been found out and so writes a memoir of her experiences working as an operative (mostly in the United States) for a loose band of operatives in the British spy service with the aim of bringing the United States into the war. She writes these in snatches giving them to her daughter (who is somewhat stunned by these revelations) and eventually goads her into meeting her former betrayer. The man puts her off in a somewhat nasty manner. Eventually a second confrontation takes place between mother, daughter and adversary in which Sally threatens him with making the entire episode public and later on that evening the man kills himself staging it as a heart attack.
This more or less the bare bones of the plot. There are quite a number of twists and turns and a lot of quite interesting stuff on Britain's clandestine intelligence operations of the period--as far as training, media manipulation etc. To go back to the plot I could make it quite a lot lengthier. In any case Boyd is a very fluid writer. He knows how to keep the plot moving along always seemingly perking the readers interest. Both an entertaining and thought provoking book. show less
This more or less the bare bones of the plot. There are quite a number of twists and turns and a lot of quite interesting stuff on Britain's clandestine intelligence operations of the period--as far as training, media manipulation etc. To go back to the plot I could make it quite a lot lengthier. In any case Boyd is a very fluid writer. He knows how to keep the plot moving along always seemingly perking the readers interest. Both an entertaining and thought provoking book. show less
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Author Information
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William Boyd is a writer who was born in Ghana on March 7, 1952. He was educated at Gordonstoun school; and then the University of Nice, France, the University of Glasgow, and finally Jesus College, Oxford. Between 1980 and 1983 he was a lecturer in English at St Hilda's College, Oxford, and it was while he was there that his first novel, A Good show more Man in Africa (1981), was published. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005. Boyd was selected in 1983 as one of the 20 "Best of Young British Novelists" in a promotion run by Granta magazine and the Book Marketing Council. His novels include: A Good Man in Africa, for which he won the Whitbread Book award and Somerset Maugham Award in 1981; An Ice-Cream War, which won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and was nominated for the Booker Prize for Fiction in 1982; Brazzaville Beach, published in 1991, and Any Human Heart, which was long-listed for the Booker Prize in 2002. Restless, the tale of a young woman who discovers that her mother had been recruited as a spy during World War II, was published in 2006 and won the Novel Award in the 2006 Costa Book Awards. Boyd published Waiting for Sunrise: A Novel in early 2012. In 2015 his title, Sweet Caress: The Many Lives of Clay, Amory made the new Zealand Best Seller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Restless
- Original title
- Restless
- Original publication date
- 2006
- People/Characters
- Eva Delectorskaya; Sally Gilmartin; Ruth Gilmartin; Lucas Romer; Jochen Gilmartin
- Important places*
- Ghana
- Important events
- World War II
- Related movies
- Restless (2012 | IMDb)
- Epigraph
- We may, indeed, say that the hour of death is uncertain, but when we say this we think of that hour as situated in a vague and remote expanse of time; it does not occur to us that it can have any connection with the day that ... (show all)has already dawned and can mean that death may occur this very afternoon, so far from uncertain, this afternoon whose timetable, hour by hour, has been settled in advance. One insists on one's daily outing, so that in a month's time one will have had the the necessary ration of fresh air; one has hesitated over which coat to take, which cabman to call; one is in the cab, the whole day lies before one, short because one must be back home early, as a friend is coming to see one; one hopes it will be fine again tomorrow; and one has no suspicion that death, which has been advancing within one on another plane, has chosen precisely this particular day to make its appearance in a few minutes' time . . .
~ Marcel Proust, The Guermantes Way - Dedication
- for Susan
- First words
- When I was a child and was being fractious and contrary and generally behaving badly, my mother used to rebuke me by saying:' One day someone will come and kill me and then you'll be sorry'; or, 'They'll appear out of the blu... (show all)e and whisk me away - how would you like that?'; or, 'You'll wake up one morning and I'll be gone. Disappeared. You wait and see.'
- Quotations
- He waved to her, and she went to her office, thinking that there seemed to be every kind of community in the United States--Irish, Hispanic, German, Polish, Czech, Lithuanian, and so on--but no British community. Where were ... (show all)the British-Americans? Who was going to put their case to counter the arguments of the Irish-Americans, the German-Americans, the Swedish -Americans and all the others? (p.149)
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I saw the blond uncut grass bend and flow almost like a living thing, like the pelt or fleece of some great animal: wind-combed, wind stirred, ever-moving - and my mother watching, waiting.
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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