What do you think?
Rate this book
Spy
A young woman is caught up in a dangerous double life on behalf of her country during World War II in Danielle Steel's thrilling new novel.At eighteen, Alexandra Wickham is presented to King George V and Queen Mary in an exquisite white lace and satin dress her mother has ordered from Paris. With her delicate blond looks, she is a stunning beauty who seems destined for a privileged life. But fate, a world war, and her own quietly rebellious personality lead her down a different path.By 1939, Europe is on fire and England is at war. From her home in idyllic Hampshire, Alex makes her way to London as a volunteer in the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. But she has skills that draw the attention of another branch of the service. Fluent in French and German, she would make the perfect secret agent.Within a year, Alex is shocking her family in trousers and bright red lipstick. They must never know about the work she does--no one can know, not even the pilot she falls in love with. While her country and those dearest to her pay the terrible price of war, Alex learns the art of espionage, leading to life-and-death missions behind enemy lines and a long career as a spy in exotic places and historic times.Spy follows Alex's extraordinary adventures in World War II and afterward in India, Pakistan, Morocco, Hong Kong, Moscow, and Washington, D.C., when her husband, Richard, enters the foreign service and both become witnesses to a rapidly changing world from post-war to Cold War. She lives life on the edge, with a secret she must always keep hidden.
288 pages, Paperback
First published November 26, 2019
4297 people are currently reading
5104 people want to read
About the author
Danielle Steel
918 books16.9k followersDanielle Steel has been hailed as one of the world's bestselling authors, with almost a billion copies of her novels sold. Her many international bestsellers include All That Glitters, Royal, Daddy's Girls, The Wedding Dress, The Numbers Game, Moral Compass, Spy, and other highly acclaimed novels. She is also the author of His Bright Light, the story of her son Nick Traina's life and death; A Gift of Hope, a memoir of her work with the homeless; Expect a Miracle, a book of her favorite quotations for inspiration and comfort; Pure Joy, about the dogs she and her family have loved; and the children's books Pretty Minnie in Paris and Pretty Minnie in Hollywood.
Facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial
Instagram: @officialdaniellesteel
Facebook.com/DanielleSteelOfficial
Instagram: @officialdaniellesteel
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 936 reviews
November 17, 2019
Spy by Danielle Steel is a World War II historical fiction novel that covers the thrilling life of one young British aristocrat that completely changed her future when the war hit England. The book spans across decades following it’s main character, Alexandra Wickham, through her adventurous lifetime.
Alexandra came from a loving family with her two older brothers and parents who only wanted the best for her which of course in her time meant a good marriage. However, in 1939 when Alexandra should be thinking marriage and family the war hits the country and she finds herself leaving her home outside of the city to head directly into London to volunteer in the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry as her brothers both head to war themselves.
As Alexandra got to London she was quickly noticed by a man who enlisted her to come train as a spy for her country when it was found she had an ear for languages and could speak several fluently. It quickly became apparent that Alexandra was extremely good at the missions and she became a huge asset as the war raged on.
Again I was given the opportunity to read the latest Danielle Steel novel and again I came away impressed with the story and how quickly I was caught up in history and the life of a WWII spy. One thing that always stands out to me as someone who prefers to switch things up and read different types of books is just how vastly different Danielle Steel’s novels can be but then again there is always an brewing relationship mixed into the story to keep them grounded somewhat the same way. This one was a fast paced historical with all the ups and downs of emotion and action one could want that I flew right through.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
Alexandra came from a loving family with her two older brothers and parents who only wanted the best for her which of course in her time meant a good marriage. However, in 1939 when Alexandra should be thinking marriage and family the war hits the country and she finds herself leaving her home outside of the city to head directly into London to volunteer in the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry as her brothers both head to war themselves.
As Alexandra got to London she was quickly noticed by a man who enlisted her to come train as a spy for her country when it was found she had an ear for languages and could speak several fluently. It quickly became apparent that Alexandra was extremely good at the missions and she became a huge asset as the war raged on.
Again I was given the opportunity to read the latest Danielle Steel novel and again I came away impressed with the story and how quickly I was caught up in history and the life of a WWII spy. One thing that always stands out to me as someone who prefers to switch things up and read different types of books is just how vastly different Danielle Steel’s novels can be but then again there is always an brewing relationship mixed into the story to keep them grounded somewhat the same way. This one was a fast paced historical with all the ups and downs of emotion and action one could want that I flew right through.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
May 24, 2020
Compared to the other historical fiction I read (and I just finished Alan Furst’s Under Occupation), Spy is pretty elementary. Steele’s writing is very basic, and the story isn’t atmospheric at all. There’s so much “telling” and not “showing” that I cringed.
When Steele and Taylor Bradford were up-and-coming novelists, I was too busy with family and business to read much fiction, so I didn’t read them then. I read my first Taylor Bradford this year and wasn’t impressed. The writing was much like Steele’s—simplistic—and it’s almost as if these novelists, whose success I applaud, haven’t kept up with today’s top-selling authors.
I’m sorry to write this review, but Spy didn’t impress me at all.
When Steele and Taylor Bradford were up-and-coming novelists, I was too busy with family and business to read much fiction, so I didn’t read them then. I read my first Taylor Bradford this year and wasn’t impressed. The writing was much like Steele’s—simplistic—and it’s almost as if these novelists, whose success I applaud, haven’t kept up with today’s top-selling authors.
I’m sorry to write this review, but Spy didn’t impress me at all.
September 16, 2019
I was excited to read this one at first because it was a historical fiction story. I was disappointed because there was no depth to the story. The story is about a young girl from a good English family that goes to work in London during WWII and ends up becoming a spy. While there are details about her adventures, they don't go into real depth and I felt like I was reading a summary, not an actual book.
November 7, 2019
I enjoyed Spy very much. The story of a young British aristocrat spending WWII as a spy for the SOE and then her life as an MI6 spy living around the globe during important times in each country’s history proved interesting. I found her life and missions during WWII the most intriguing as her time spent in India, Pakistan, Morocco, Hong Kong, Moscow and Washington, DC seemed to fly by. It covered a lot of ground for a book under 300 pages and therefore, each section after WWII did not dig very deep but that was fine with me. This was a strong effort for the incredibly versatile Ms. Steel. It has what her fans, myself included, want. A smart, strong female character, a love match worthy of the lead and lots of adventure. And it has a beautiful cover as well. Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House – Ballantine and Ms. Steel for an advance copy of this book.
December 28, 2019
Fascinating with one badass female protagonist. Alex’s story takes off at a great pace and does not slow throughout. This is a one sitting read that deals with so many themes: war, espionage, tragedy, love and family. Just a very good story by Danielle Steel!
November 13, 2019
The saga of Alex and her 30 years as a spy for Great Britain in the SOE and MI6 had so much potential. She undertook numerous missions behind enemy lines in WW II. As the wife of an ambassador, she was able to report back to MI6 from India (during Partition), Morocco, Hong Kong, and Russia (during the Cold War). Alex is a very likable character and her desire to serve her country comes through loud and clear. I just did not feel emotionally engaged in her story for much of the narrative. It just felt very shallow in emotion for much of the story. Readers who love quick read with exotic locales will find this book to be a treat. I was just expecting more.
Thank you to Delacorte Press and Edelweiss for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to Delacorte Press and Edelweiss for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 5, 2019
I’ve honestly never read anything by Danielle Steel, because I associate her with mass market paperback romances from the 1980s. And that’s definitely not in my reader wheelhouse. However, when I saw that her latest novel was historical fiction about a female intelligence agent in World War II, that was so soundly in my reader wheelhouse that it was irrational to ignore it. Not only did I want to read it, I jumped it to the top of my reading queue.
This novel was actually a sweeping family epic rather than a World War II spy novel. Only the first half of the novel (approximately 100 pages) dealt with the heroine’s service in the Special Operations Executive, but the characters and the plot were so well drawn that this section of the novel could have been expanded with more depth into a 250-page novel of its own. The uniqueness of this novel is that it answers the question “What happens to these women after their great wartime adventures?” Again, in the second half of the novel, the author opted for breadth over depth and traced the heroine’s life over two decades of peacetime intelligence service. Each one of the foreign postings could have been a satisfying 250-page novel in its own right, rather than a twenty-something page chapter.
I did love the research and realism that the author brought to bear in this novel. Each historical epoch was well-drawn: from India in the 1940s to the Soviet Union in the 1960s. And the characters were interesting humans; had this been a series of novels, I probably would have read each one to find out what life brings next for Alex and Richard. However, I tend to prefer novels that are intricate microcosms rather than sweeping epics, so the lack of detail and depth was something that I had to adapt to while reading.
This novel has genuinely changed my perception of Danielle Steel novels for the better. I’m pleased to see that there are at least three other Danielle Steel advance reader copies available at this time. None are as soundly in my reader wheelhouse as this current novel; however, I’m definitely interested in exploring more of what she can do.
I received this book as a digital advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This novel was actually a sweeping family epic rather than a World War II spy novel. Only the first half of the novel (approximately 100 pages) dealt with the heroine’s service in the Special Operations Executive, but the characters and the plot were so well drawn that this section of the novel could have been expanded with more depth into a 250-page novel of its own. The uniqueness of this novel is that it answers the question “What happens to these women after their great wartime adventures?” Again, in the second half of the novel, the author opted for breadth over depth and traced the heroine’s life over two decades of peacetime intelligence service. Each one of the foreign postings could have been a satisfying 250-page novel in its own right, rather than a twenty-something page chapter.
I did love the research and realism that the author brought to bear in this novel. Each historical epoch was well-drawn: from India in the 1940s to the Soviet Union in the 1960s. And the characters were interesting humans; had this been a series of novels, I probably would have read each one to find out what life brings next for Alex and Richard. However, I tend to prefer novels that are intricate microcosms rather than sweeping epics, so the lack of detail and depth was something that I had to adapt to while reading.
This novel has genuinely changed my perception of Danielle Steel novels for the better. I’m pleased to see that there are at least three other Danielle Steel advance reader copies available at this time. None are as soundly in my reader wheelhouse as this current novel; however, I’m definitely interested in exploring more of what she can do.
I received this book as a digital advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 18, 2019
Spy is a good piece of historical fiction. Alex is from the British aristocracy, but she ends up as a spy during WWII. I like the fact that an unusual choice of character is involved in espionage. The story follows this woman through happiness, sorrow, celebration and loss, and it has all the feels. It's an overarching portrait of a life lived by one woman. I found it though provoking and immersive. I definitely recommend for fans of Danielle Steel. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
December 29, 2019
I appreciate the fact that Danielle Steel likes to go in new directions, but this was not a great direction for her to go. The first half was OK, but when she started to discuss history (Pakistan separating from India, the Cold War in Russia, etc) it really distracted from the story, IMHO. Then she tried to cram about 20 years of story into 20 pages -- if she had cut out the history story, which added little to her plot, and built out the ending a bit more it MIGHT have been better. Not great for me -- 3 out of 10.
February 29, 2020
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
‘There was no turning back, and she didn’t want to. She was an agent of British intelligence, and beyond the fear and victory and her own amazement, there was an overwhelming feeling of pride that she had done something for her country at last, something that mattered and would save lives. And she was willing to sacrifice her own life to do it.’
Danielle Steel shows no signs of slowing down, despite the fact that she has issued her 185th published novel with Spy. Steel continues to release up to half a dozen new books a year, entertaining her loyal readers across the globe. Spy is a historical fiction based novel that combines elements of espionage, romance, drama and mystery.
Alexandra Wickham leads Spy, a historical fiction title by Danielle Steel. Spy begins its journey in 1939, a heartbreaking time for the heroine of this tale. 1939 marks the beginning of a new era for Alex, she joins the war effort, but she also sees her family die for their country. Beginning as a volunteer in the First Aid Corps division, Alex’s capacity to prevail in the face of adversity catches the attention of the intelligence agency M16. Alex’s fearless nature and flair for languages sees her recruited as a spy, working underground. It is a role that sees Alex tackle a number of perilous missions, but Alex knows that her efforts will help her country in this time of great sacrifice. Alex’s dangerous adventures in France lead her to a soldier, who will capture her heart. Eventually this soldier trades the army for a new life as a diplomat. The two marry, but Alex continues to live a double life, as a spy and wife of a diplomat. Spy spans three decades, as Alex continues to hold her post as an undercover officer for MI6. She also becomes a wife, mother and eventually a grandmother. We see Alex cross the globe, travelling to India, Russia and the US, while keeping up the guise of a spy. It is a risky and treacherous existence, but as the years roll on, Alex continues to keep her occupation a secret.
Danielle Steel is quite a versatile author and over the years she released books from a number of different genres. Spy is a book that falls into the historical fiction category, but it also pulls in elements of espionage, family drama, adventure and romance. I did enjoy aspects of this novel, but I can’t say that it was memorable.
The lead character of Alexandra Wickham is well developed and appealing. She is brave, fearless, determined and astute. I admired many of her qualities and I hoped that she would succeed. Some of the situations Alex was faced with helped the reader to better understand who she was and what she stood for. Family, loyalty and honour were important to Alex, but I also think she enjoyed the thrill of the missions she was sent on. I appreciated the travel aspect Alex’s position afforded to reader. We are taken from Britain, to France, India, Russia, the US and even Morocco. This was a great globetrotting experience!
As always with a Danielle Steel novel there is an element of romance. The love story between Alex and Richard was nicely done. There was a nostalgic quality to this romance and I liked how Steel chose to follow this couple across time. We are by this couple’s side as they eventually marry, after putting it off during the war. We also witness moments of pure happiness and episodes of despair. There are times of loss, blame, fears and hope. We also see the branches of Alex and Richard’s family expand over time, which helps you stay invested in this couple’s life journey.
As this is a historical fiction novel there are references to the war – both during and after. There is a chance to become acquainted with the turmoil experienced by many countries across the world following the close of the war, which was enlightening. The opportunity to glean a little more about the recruitment and operations of MI6 was interesting. However, I will say that Steel tries to cover a great deal of ground in a novel of less than 300 pages. I felt the details of aspects of this novel were only gently touched upon. In some instances I was given useful facts, but I would have preferred some depth and exploration further into the situations faced by the lead, but that is only my personal opinion.
Get caught up in the shadowy experiences of a female agent, across the ages in Spy. A story of family relationships, romance, loss, standing up for your beliefs and commitment defines this late 2019 release, from one of the world’s most popular authors.
*Thanks extended to Pan Macmillan for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
‘There was no turning back, and she didn’t want to. She was an agent of British intelligence, and beyond the fear and victory and her own amazement, there was an overwhelming feeling of pride that she had done something for her country at last, something that mattered and would save lives. And she was willing to sacrifice her own life to do it.’
Danielle Steel shows no signs of slowing down, despite the fact that she has issued her 185th published novel with Spy. Steel continues to release up to half a dozen new books a year, entertaining her loyal readers across the globe. Spy is a historical fiction based novel that combines elements of espionage, romance, drama and mystery.
Alexandra Wickham leads Spy, a historical fiction title by Danielle Steel. Spy begins its journey in 1939, a heartbreaking time for the heroine of this tale. 1939 marks the beginning of a new era for Alex, she joins the war effort, but she also sees her family die for their country. Beginning as a volunteer in the First Aid Corps division, Alex’s capacity to prevail in the face of adversity catches the attention of the intelligence agency M16. Alex’s fearless nature and flair for languages sees her recruited as a spy, working underground. It is a role that sees Alex tackle a number of perilous missions, but Alex knows that her efforts will help her country in this time of great sacrifice. Alex’s dangerous adventures in France lead her to a soldier, who will capture her heart. Eventually this soldier trades the army for a new life as a diplomat. The two marry, but Alex continues to live a double life, as a spy and wife of a diplomat. Spy spans three decades, as Alex continues to hold her post as an undercover officer for MI6. She also becomes a wife, mother and eventually a grandmother. We see Alex cross the globe, travelling to India, Russia and the US, while keeping up the guise of a spy. It is a risky and treacherous existence, but as the years roll on, Alex continues to keep her occupation a secret.
Danielle Steel is quite a versatile author and over the years she released books from a number of different genres. Spy is a book that falls into the historical fiction category, but it also pulls in elements of espionage, family drama, adventure and romance. I did enjoy aspects of this novel, but I can’t say that it was memorable.
The lead character of Alexandra Wickham is well developed and appealing. She is brave, fearless, determined and astute. I admired many of her qualities and I hoped that she would succeed. Some of the situations Alex was faced with helped the reader to better understand who she was and what she stood for. Family, loyalty and honour were important to Alex, but I also think she enjoyed the thrill of the missions she was sent on. I appreciated the travel aspect Alex’s position afforded to reader. We are taken from Britain, to France, India, Russia, the US and even Morocco. This was a great globetrotting experience!
As always with a Danielle Steel novel there is an element of romance. The love story between Alex and Richard was nicely done. There was a nostalgic quality to this romance and I liked how Steel chose to follow this couple across time. We are by this couple’s side as they eventually marry, after putting it off during the war. We also witness moments of pure happiness and episodes of despair. There are times of loss, blame, fears and hope. We also see the branches of Alex and Richard’s family expand over time, which helps you stay invested in this couple’s life journey.
As this is a historical fiction novel there are references to the war – both during and after. There is a chance to become acquainted with the turmoil experienced by many countries across the world following the close of the war, which was enlightening. The opportunity to glean a little more about the recruitment and operations of MI6 was interesting. However, I will say that Steel tries to cover a great deal of ground in a novel of less than 300 pages. I felt the details of aspects of this novel were only gently touched upon. In some instances I was given useful facts, but I would have preferred some depth and exploration further into the situations faced by the lead, but that is only my personal opinion.
Get caught up in the shadowy experiences of a female agent, across the ages in Spy. A story of family relationships, romance, loss, standing up for your beliefs and commitment defines this late 2019 release, from one of the world’s most popular authors.
*Thanks extended to Pan Macmillan for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
September 21, 2020
1.5 Stars
Wow, this was like a middle schooler had read a few WWII spy novels and decided to write their own. That's how bad it was. Extremely limited sentence structure, only telling no showing, zero emotional connection to the characters, and very obvious lack of editing (SO MANY repeated sentences only a few chapters later. We are talking almost identical descriptions or explanations of things that were already obvious). I found myself cringing many times not just over the poor writing style, but also how many situations or events were shoehorned in just to say she wrote about them.
This is the first Danielle Steel I've ever read, so I'm not sure if all of her books are this bad, but boy if they are, I have no idea how she has become so successful as an author or why anyone still reads her books.
This honestly would have been a 0.5 star book, but I did like the fact that she explored Alex's life and career after the war. Most WWII spy or resistance novels end with the spy just going back to civilian life, which I think would be an extremely difficult transition. Placing Alex in key international locations as the world rebuilt after WWII and into the Cold War was a very interesting spin, so I appreciate the effort. This whole book felt like an outline or summary of a potentially thrilling life story, if it had been in the hands of a more competent writer.
Wow, this was like a middle schooler had read a few WWII spy novels and decided to write their own. That's how bad it was. Extremely limited sentence structure, only telling no showing, zero emotional connection to the characters, and very obvious lack of editing (SO MANY repeated sentences only a few chapters later. We are talking almost identical descriptions or explanations of things that were already obvious). I found myself cringing many times not just over the poor writing style, but also how many situations or events were shoehorned in just to say she wrote about them.
This is the first Danielle Steel I've ever read, so I'm not sure if all of her books are this bad, but boy if they are, I have no idea how she has become so successful as an author or why anyone still reads her books.
This honestly would have been a 0.5 star book, but I did like the fact that she explored Alex's life and career after the war. Most WWII spy or resistance novels end with the spy just going back to civilian life, which I think would be an extremely difficult transition. Placing Alex in key international locations as the world rebuilt after WWII and into the Cold War was a very interesting spin, so I appreciate the effort. This whole book felt like an outline or summary of a potentially thrilling life story, if it had been in the hands of a more competent writer.
October 20, 2020
If you're a 1-2 book a year type of reader and read this on vacation, sitting on a beach with a pinana colada in hand, you might find this an interesting and somewhat enjoyable read.
However, if you consider yourself a true reader, I would be surprised if you find this anything other than cheap crap.
The writing itself is extremely elementary, additionally the author has a tendency to repeat information she wrote less than a page earlier, and the storyline is... well, I don't believe there was a real storyline, just a long list of short anecdotes that somehow add up to a little in-depth story of the main character's life.
This is my first Danielle Steel read. I had heard about the amount of books she has written and despite being skeptical, I was intrigued. Sadly enough, this book is the perfect example of putting quantity over quality.
However, if you consider yourself a true reader, I would be surprised if you find this anything other than cheap crap.
The writing itself is extremely elementary, additionally the author has a tendency to repeat information she wrote less than a page earlier, and the storyline is... well, I don't believe there was a real storyline, just a long list of short anecdotes that somehow add up to a little in-depth story of the main character's life.
This is my first Danielle Steel read. I had heard about the amount of books she has written and despite being skeptical, I was intrigued. Sadly enough, this book is the perfect example of putting quantity over quality.
November 27, 2019
While competently written, and carefully executed, “Spy” felt too shallow and summary for its potential. Alex’s story had the potential to be so much more exciting, with her adventures during World War II and its aftermath. As she and her husband travelled as diplomats, I felt like I was being given an outline, rather than being invited into their lives to share the adventure
September 24, 2019
I haven't read Danielle Steel in years. This book reminded that there are so many amazing historical fiction authors right now and unfortunately Danielle Steel is not one of them. This book felt poorly researched and like written to honor a contract.
December 11, 2019
Simple. Boring. I love historical fiction books, but this was not one of them. The idea was good, but did not go into enough depth about the story and seemed rushed. Danielle Steel needs to keep with romance novels.
November 20, 2022
La seconda guerra mondiale è scoppiata e sta raggiungendo tutti. Perfino, Alex Wickham che si ritrova, improvvisamente, ad aiutare il suo paese a Londra come autista e poi come spia.
Il suo lavoro non è facile e deve riuscire a mantenere il segreto con tutti quelli che ama, sperando di rivederli dopo ogni missione pericolosa che le tocca.
Posso dire? Che noia e che delusione.
Lo ammetto, è più colpa mia perché non mi sono informata a dovere sul romanzo ma non è proprio il mio genere.
Speravo di trovarmi davanti a un romanzo storico in cui la parte legata allo spionaggio fosse la parte preponderante (complice anche il titolo) ma mi sbagliavo.
Tutto il libro è un'immensa lista della spesa. Letteralmente. Passiamo in rassegna più di 50 anni, viaggiamo in non so neanche quanti paesi ma il tutto viene elencato.
Zero introspezione, zero azione vera e propria, zero emozioni.
I personaggi sono piatti e non hanno un briciolo di evoluzione nonostante tutto ciò che accade nel libro. Tutto ciò che sappiamo perfino della protagonista è che è bella, bionda, parla bene le lingue straniere. Caratteristiche che vengono ripetute fino allo sfinimento, per tutto il libro.
Esempio banalizzato per farvi capire cosa intendo: Alex era pronta ad andare in missione, anche questa volta era una missione difficilissima ma con la sua bellezza e la sua intelligenza ce l'avrebbe fatta. Lei era la migliore. Fu difficile, ma tornò in patria dopo aver aiutato ancora una volta il suo paese.
Il libro è tutto così. E non sto scherzando.
Di base, ci sono anche degli eventi abbastanza traumatizzanti che meriterebbero maggiore attenzione ma vengono giusto nominati e boh, ci deve bastare saperlo a quanto pare.
Il realismo non esiste, questa qui è diventata una spia dopo un mese di addestramento ed è diventata subito la spia migliore del SOE.
Com'è possibile?
In più, l'autrice ci prende per stupidi perché ripete sempre le stesse cose. Perfino con le stesse parole.
Non è un libro orribile ma non mi sento di consigliarlo.
Il suo lavoro non è facile e deve riuscire a mantenere il segreto con tutti quelli che ama, sperando di rivederli dopo ogni missione pericolosa che le tocca.
Posso dire? Che noia e che delusione.
Lo ammetto, è più colpa mia perché non mi sono informata a dovere sul romanzo ma non è proprio il mio genere.
Speravo di trovarmi davanti a un romanzo storico in cui la parte legata allo spionaggio fosse la parte preponderante (complice anche il titolo) ma mi sbagliavo.
Tutto il libro è un'immensa lista della spesa. Letteralmente. Passiamo in rassegna più di 50 anni, viaggiamo in non so neanche quanti paesi ma il tutto viene elencato.
Zero introspezione, zero azione vera e propria, zero emozioni.
I personaggi sono piatti e non hanno un briciolo di evoluzione nonostante tutto ciò che accade nel libro. Tutto ciò che sappiamo perfino della protagonista è che è bella, bionda, parla bene le lingue straniere. Caratteristiche che vengono ripetute fino allo sfinimento, per tutto il libro.
Esempio banalizzato per farvi capire cosa intendo: Alex era pronta ad andare in missione, anche questa volta era una missione difficilissima ma con la sua bellezza e la sua intelligenza ce l'avrebbe fatta. Lei era la migliore. Fu difficile, ma tornò in patria dopo aver aiutato ancora una volta il suo paese.
Il libro è tutto così. E non sto scherzando.
Di base, ci sono anche degli eventi abbastanza traumatizzanti che meriterebbero maggiore attenzione ma vengono giusto nominati e boh, ci deve bastare saperlo a quanto pare.
Il realismo non esiste, questa qui è diventata una spia dopo un mese di addestramento ed è diventata subito la spia migliore del SOE.
Com'è possibile?
In più, l'autrice ci prende per stupidi perché ripete sempre le stesse cose. Perfino con le stesse parole.
Non è un libro orribile ma non mi sento di consigliarlo.
October 4, 2019
D.S. has done it again!!!!!!!!! Spy has her signature comforting style of writing that makes you fall in love with her characters and keep you reading till the last page. Alex is a young woman who becomes a spy in the war and starts a fifty- something years career. She has some dangerous missions and some easy ones. Her job takes her all over the world and we follow right along with her. Thank you to Netgalley and Random house Publishing for my honest review
December 3, 2019
I had high hopes that this book would keep me interested, but it disappointed. I must stop reading her books.
Read
April 14, 2025This is what I get for suggesting to my lovely wife that we read more books together. She said, “What about a sexy thriller?!” Sadly, this book was neither sexy nor thrilling. In fact, it read like a long, boring high school book report about what could have been an exciting trilogy of books in the hands of a competent novelist. All of the interesting exploits are briefly summarized. There are only six characters, all static. And the style of writing is intrusive. Too little dialogue. Too much exposition. But, we did it together and I learned my lesson.
January 11, 2020
A quick read about World War 2. Alexandra is a young lady who decides to join the war effort by driving vehicles in London. Since she is fluent in several languages, she is asked to become a spy for her country. I am sure the way her job was depicted in this book was not true to the way spying really was, but much more glamorous.
April 8, 2020
It took me forever to get through this. The summary sounds promising but I was disappointed. Alex is likable as a character but this was too shallow. I kept waiting to get emotional invested yet it never happened. I felt like as the reader I was on the sidelines and not right there inside this story and the last half was more like an outline of events than anything.
August 4, 2022
Abandono. Ya lo retomaré en otro momento si me veo capaz, pero es demasiado repetitivo, en dos paginas pasan mil cosas distintas, el amor entre ellos surge de la nada y súper rápido. Tiene muy pocos diálogos y no he llegado a conectar nada con Alex.
March 22, 2020
A Brit female spy durung World War II, and her life afterward.
Solid. Not an author I usually read, but I couldn't resist the topic. The book had a personal-history sort of structure that normally just annoys me, but I just flipped the pages on this. Something of a realistic wish-fulfillment book, if that makes any sense. Total comfort food. Apparently based on the stories of some of the author's friends finding out their mothers had been spies. (How cool is that?)
Total escapism. The character mentions some historical figures I can't encounter without wincing, in tones of approval. If you know history, just be ready for it. But if you want to slip away into the life of an upper-class British white woman and her adventures defending the U.K., then I won't stop you :)
Solid. Not an author I usually read, but I couldn't resist the topic. The book had a personal-history sort of structure that normally just annoys me, but I just flipped the pages on this. Something of a realistic wish-fulfillment book, if that makes any sense. Total comfort food. Apparently based on the stories of some of the author's friends finding out their mothers had been spies. (How cool is that?)
Total escapism. The character mentions some historical figures I can't encounter without wincing, in tones of approval. If you know history, just be ready for it. But if you want to slip away into the life of an upper-class British white woman and her adventures defending the U.K., then I won't stop you :)
June 4, 2024
The writing style was not my favorite but I enjoyed the slice of life aspect that this book told!
April 8, 2021
Slightly disappointed with this! Not up to Daniel Steel's normal standard.
January 23, 2020
This is a truly terrible book. I disliked the writing style, truly cringed at the editing, and was SHOCKED at the lack of basic research done. In fact I do believe the only enjoyable and well done part of the book was the dust cover. Props to the person who wrote the blurb that convinced me to read this. I have never desired to read a Danielle Steele book, but the description looked like it would be something that I would truly enjoy so I gave it a shot. I knew by page 4 that this was going to be awful, and would have just returned the book to the library, but unfortunately I did not have any other books to read on my person at the time. By the time I could get my hands on another book, I was nearly halfway finished with this and had moved from disgust to a sick form of enjoyment on JUST how terrible the book was! I HAD to finish to see just HOW far the author was going to take this ludicrous, poorly researched plot. Summed up this is the story a a woman's life from 19-80 something and she just "happens" to be a spy. Steele spent more time focusing on the main character's grandchildren's weddings than she did on the 4 years that she spent spying in Russia during the Cold War. Needless to say I will NOT be revisiting this author.
August 31, 2020
I felt like I was reading 2 separate books with the same characters. The first was set during WW2, and the second was everything after that until the present day. The first part was almost tantalizingly compelling - just when the author could have taken a good plot twist, she reverted to her usual ineffective story telling. There was little tension in the plot, and the spy missions were just a bit too clean and safe.
Ms. Steel writes better when she uses a historical setting; the rest of the book was too rushed (the family events of decades crammed into one paragraph) and at times seemed like a dull (and poorly told) history lesson. I think she should have ended the book at the end of the War - that would have made for a far more effective novel.
There are certainly better books about espionage during the War to read. As for this one, not worth the time. Still the same repetitive text, blah, blah, blah.
Ms. Steel writes better when she uses a historical setting; the rest of the book was too rushed (the family events of decades crammed into one paragraph) and at times seemed like a dull (and poorly told) history lesson. I think she should have ended the book at the end of the War - that would have made for a far more effective novel.
There are certainly better books about espionage during the War to read. As for this one, not worth the time. Still the same repetitive text, blah, blah, blah.
June 10, 2020
The story needs greater depth and focus on character and plot development. It was like reading a summary of a life and a lot of details regarding character experiences and development was missing. Details regarding historical matters were interesting, however detracted from the story somewhat. Also, I felt the story was too fast paced. Good writing should show a reader and allow opportunities to feel, explore and journey alongside the character and events, not brush across the surface by “telling”. I’m sad to say that the writing did not carry the weight and potential of this story very well.
December 25, 2019
I liked it, I like all of Danielle Steel’s novels, however, I think perhaps Ms Steel is a little in over her head with this one. Trying to include parts of history, it just didn’t feel right from a writer like Steel. She excels when she’s writing about modern contemporary middle aged women, leave this stuff to the Patricia Highsmith’s and the John Le Carre’s of the world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 936 reviews