My rating:
add to my books
Loading...
The Company of Strangers
The stifling summer streets of Lisbon are teeming with spies and informers when Andrea Aspinall, an English mathematician turned spy, disappears under a new identity. Military attaché Karl Voss, experienced in the illusions of intrigue, arrives in Lisbon under the German Legation, though he is secretly working against the Nazis so that atomic and rocket technology do not f...more
Paperback, 496 pages
Published
November 1st 2002
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
407)
This book is the life of Karl Voss and Andrea Aspinall from the time of WW11
In 1943, Captain Karl Voss a young officer in the Abwehr (the German military intelligence organization) is recruited by disillusioned Army officers to become a double agent- posing as an enemy of the Nazi state, but remain loyal to Germany. His job is to go to Lisbon as the German Legations military attaché and security officer; once there, trade Intelligence with the British and the Russians.
Tw...more
In 1943, Captain Karl Voss a young officer in the Abwehr (the German military intelligence organization) is recruited by disillusioned Army officers to become a double agent- posing as an enemy of the Nazi state, but remain loyal to Germany. His job is to go to Lisbon as the German Legations military attaché and security officer; once there, trade Intelligence with the British and the Russians.
Tw...more
Reading this thriller was like reading two separate books inexpertly stitched together. In the first half, a young English student is recruited by her country's secret service and sent to Portugal in 1944 for the purpose of espionage, although her exact assignment is not exactly explained. There, she falls in love at first sight, or rather at first grip, with a German diplomat who turns out to be a double-agent involved in an assassination attempt against Hitler. This part of the book is masterl...more
More a historical novel than a mystery, because of the way it switches midcourse from spy action to love story, which was odd but interesting. Overall, my favorite of Wilson's novels. Some very nice small touches in the writing.
The "take home" message conveyed by the plot resolution was a disappointment, didn't seem to fit all that well with the novel as a whole, and was very conventional in the context of other Anglo-American spy writers.
The "take home" message conveyed by the plot resolution was a disappointment, didn't seem to fit all that well with the novel as a whole, and was very conventional in the context of other Anglo-American spy writers.
The story was interesting, but the confused and rather convoluted style made comprehension difficult.
I don't *think* I'm unintelligent, but I found myself re-reading passages because they just didn't make sense to me.
In the end, when the book was finished, I kept forgetting whether I'd finished it or not for a few days. I don't think that's a great sign.
I don't *think* I'm unintelligent, but I found myself re-reading passages because they just didn't make sense to me.
In the end, when the book was finished, I kept forgetting whether I'd finished it or not for a few days. I don't think that's a great sign.
Excellent. Kind of a sleeper, as at the half way point I thought "where is this thing going?" and "should I bother going with it?", as it leapt ahead 20+ years in time. Where it was going was right into the heart of cold-war London and Berlin. Going from a fairly tepid pace (appropriate for Lisbon) into the fun-house mirror tension and confusion that was the Cold War, replete with double-agents and treachery. Good stuff. Maybe not a 4-star worthy book, but a strong 3.5.
story of espionage, family secrets, deception, romance, history. Told well, and several of the characters were very well drawn... some of the politics and history i ended up glossing over, but generally kept me attentive to the story
I've been trying to get through this book for quite a while now. I hate not finishing a book, but I'm quitting this one. Too much espionage, not enough romance. I can't keep track of who's working with the nazi's and who isn't. BLAH!
A good read. It was quite suspenseful and I liked the characters, as well as the historical information and the setting. I was however somewhat let down by the ending. Still, pretty chilling. And nicely written.
One of my favourite crime authors, and another complex, detailed, beautifully written book. Not quite on parr with 'A Small Death in Libson' but a terrific read.
A young British woman is enlisted into covert operations in WWII
Lisbon, a center of espionage both Allied and Nazi. Convoluted,
tedious, slow. Did not finish.
Lisbon, a center of espionage both Allied and Nazi. Convoluted,
tedious, slow. Did not finish.
I liked most of it but I did not Love most of it. Hmmm... I really do need to spend more time on these horrid reviews or say nothing at all :)
Sommerkrim fra krigen, helt knall. Denne handler om Lisboa og der er jeg nå, to fluer i en sommersmekk altså.
Norsk utgave: I selskap med fremmede
Orket ikke lese hele, syns den var kjedelig..
Orket ikke lese hele, syns den var kjedelig..
Very detailed! Covered 50 years and numerous characters. Good book but it takes determination to read.
The first half of this book is twice as good as the second half.
Interesting reading about Lisbon and WW2
It was long and the ending was not what I thought it would be...the middle of the book is rather boring, and if you put it down for too long, the names become confusing...
Slow, slow, slow. I skipped the middle third of the book it was so boring, but I wanted to know the end of the story for the main character. :)
A good story premise but it had many weak spots, and uninteresting, sections throughout the book.
Disappointing, too long and rambling at times, not as good as earlier works
Some good writing and imagination, but ultimately I was bored by this.
another great spy novel from Wilson
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
