Reading the 20th Century discussion
Archive
>
Group Reads -> July 2022 -> Nomination thread (The Cold War - won by The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre)
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
https://www.shortform.com/best-books/...
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/boo...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...
https://fivebooks.com/best-books/the-...
Mod
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War (2018) by Ben Macintyre
or
The Third Man (1949) by Graham Greene
Mod
Stalin's Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess
Loved Macintyre's biography of Philiby, but I've had this biography a while and haven't got to it yet.
Guy Burgess was the most important, complex and fascinating of 'The Cambridge Spies' - Maclean, Philby, Blunt - all brilliant young men recruited in the 1930s to betray their country to the Soviet Union. An engaging and charming companion to many, an unappealing, utterly ruthless manipulator to others, Burgess rose through academia, the BBC, the Foreign Office, MI5 and MI6, gaining access to thousands of highly sensitive secret documents which he passed to his Russian handlers.
In this first full biography, Andrew Lownie shows us how even Burgess's chaotic personal life of drunken philandering did nothing to stop his penetration and betrayal of the British Intelligence Service. Even when he was under suspicion, the fabled charm which had enabled many close personal relationships with influential Establishment figures (including Winston Churchill) prevented his exposure as a spy for many years.
Through interviews with more than a hundred people who knew Burgess personally, many of whom have never spoken about him before, and the discovery of hitherto secret files, Stalin's Englishman brilliantly unravels the many lives of Guy Burgess in all their intriguing, chilling, colourful, tragi-comic wonder.
Mod
I'd love to read The Quiet American with this group. It's a book I've wanted to read for a long time. I know many of you have just read another Graham Greene book, but that was an early "entertainment" and this was supposed to be one of his best.Graham Greene's classic exploration of love, innocence, and morality in Vietnam
"I never knew a man who had better motives for all the trouble he caused," Graham Greene's narrator Fowler remarks of Alden Pyle, the eponymous "Quiet American" of what is perhaps the most controversial novel of his career. Pyle is the brash young idealist sent out by Washington on a mysterious mission to Saigon, where the French Army struggles against the Vietminh guerrillas. As young Pyle's well-intentioned policies blunder into bloodshed, Fowler, a seasoned and cynical British reporter, finds it impossible to stand safely aside as an observer. But Fowler's motives for intervening are suspect, both to the police and himself, for Pyle has stolen Fowler's beautiful Vietnamese mistress.
First published in 1956 and twice adapted to film, The Quiet American remains a terrifiying and prescient portrait of innocence at large.
I have to admit, two of the history books on one of Nigeyb's lists also tempted me. The Cold War: a World History by Odd Arne Westad, and For the Soul of Mankind: The a United States, the Soviet Union and the Cold War by Melvyn P Leffler.
Mod
I'm thinking about either The Long Room or The Zhivago Affair: The Kremlin, the CIA, and the Battle over a Forbidden Book - will think further over the weekend.
I'd also be keen to read the Burgess book that Susan has nominated.
Mod
Mod
The Quiet American (1955) is splendid
We discussed it back in December 2020.
Please feel free to revive the discussion once you start reading it Ben...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
More about The Quiet American....
Narrated in the first person by journalist Thomas Fowler, the novel depicts the breakdown of French colonialism in Vietnam and early American involvement in the Vietnam War.
The Quiet American received much attention due to its prediction of the outcome of the Vietnam War and subsequent American foreign policy since the 1950s.
Some critics in the US labelled the novel anti-American, others felt it highlighted important points about US foreign policy.
It was adapted for cinema twice, once in 1958 and the second time in 2002.
That's right. It was just before I joined here. Oh well. I'll get to it eventually.I'll keep looking.
Mod
Thinking off the top of my head about The Book of Daniel by E.L. Doctorow and Our Man Down in Havana: The Story Behind Graham Greene's Cold War Spy Novel by Christopher Hull. When I consult my book list I may add others/change my mind.
Following the le Carré's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy discussion, I'd be very happy to continue with the rest of the Karla trilogy: The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People.
Mod
Mod
I wouldn't reread them but would love a discussion
Mod
Nominations.....
Stalin's Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess (2015) by Andrew Lownie (Susan)
Mod
Me too.
Mod
I went on to reread Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People straight after Tinker Tailor so I'd also join a discussion as they're still vivid in my head. Smiley's People is brilliant and throws interesting light on Smiley himself in light of some of our Tinker Tailor discussions.
Honourable Schoolboy would definitely get my vote. I'm going to read it sometime this year, as I make my way through all of the Smiley books.I listed to a wonderful Fresh Air interview with Le Carré yesterday (with the wonderful Terry Gross for the non-Americans in the group). Highly recommended. https://www.npr.org/2020/12/14/946276...
Mod
Rachel Kushner has written an astonishingly wise, ambitious, and riveting novel set in the American community in Cuba during the years leading up to Castro's revolution a place that was a paradise for a time and for a few. The first novel to tell the story of the Americans who were driven out in 1958, this is a masterful debut.
Young Everly Lederer and K.C. Stites come of age in Oriente Province, where the Americans tend their own fiefdom three hundred thousand acres of United Fruit Company sugarcane that surround their gated enclave. If the rural tropics are a child's dream-world, Everly and K.C. nevertheless have keen eyes for the indulgences and betrayals of grown-ups around them the mordant drinking and illicit loves, the race hierarchies, and violence.
In Havana, a thousand kilometers and a world away from the American colony, a cabaret dancer meets a French agitator named Christian de La Mazire, whose seductive demeanor can't mask his shameful past. Together they become enmeshed in the brewing political underground. When Fidel and Raul Castro lead a revolt from the mountains above the cane plantation, torching the sugar and kidnapping a boat full of "yanqui" revelers, K.C. and Everly begin to discover the brutality that keeps the colony humming. If their parents manage to remain blissfully untouched by the forces of history, the children hear the whispers of what is to come.
At the time, the urgent news was conveyed by telex. Kushner's first novel is a tour de force, haunting and compelling, with the urgency of a telex from a forgotten time and place.
Roman Clodia wrote: "Does Cuba and the Cuban revolution count as Cold War?.."It's hard to think of very many revolutions, decolonialisations and international incidents of skullduggery that were not related to the Cold War, given the involvement of the CIA and "international communism" practically everywhere. Were there any wholly Independent indigenous movements?
And how many books, publications, radio and TV stations and other institutions were at least partly financed and directed by the masters in Washington DC and Moscow as part of their political, military and ideological competition?
So, in my book, a long answer of yes.
Mod
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War (2018) by Ben Macintyre
It sounds like a quintessential Cold War story
Our very own Susan lavished it with five stars
The reviews are through the roof....
The best true spy story I have ever read -- John le Carré
Macintyre does true-life espionage better than anyone else. He has a remarkable ability to construct a narrative that is as taut and urgent as it is carefully nuanced. Here the pace never slackens and the focus never drifts, while Macintyre's insight into his subject's tangle of contradictions never loses its sharpness. It's a tough call, but The Spy and the Traitor may well be his best book yet. -- John Preston ― Evening Standard
A real-life thriller, as tense as John le Carré's novels, or even Ian Fleming's ― Economist
A dazzling non-fiction thriller and an intimate portrait of high-stakes espionage -- Luke Harding ― Guardian
[A] captivating espionage tale. In a feat of real authorial dexterity, Macintyre accurately portrays the long-game banality of spycraft-the lead time and persistence in planning-with such clarity and propulsive verve that the book often feels like a thriller. Macintyre has produceda timely and insightful page-turner. ― Publishers Weekly
It has become a cliché to say that real-life spy stories read like John le Carré, but Gordievsky's personal history makes the comparison irresistible... Macintyre tells the story brilliantly. His book's final third is superbly done -- Dominic Sandbrook, Book of the Week ― Sunday Times
The fact that parts of The Spy and the Traitor read like a pacey thriller is a bonus, but it is based on serious research, including interviews with Gordievsky and anonymous British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) officers... This is a remarkable story of one man's courage, and of the skill of our much traduced security services. Ben Macintyre tells it very well indeed ― The Times, Book of the Week
You can always rely on this author to tease out fascinating details on the second oldest profession ― Sunday Express
Writing about cases of British espionage success that the public knows little about, he says - 'It takes an investigator of consummate talent and a narrator of equal skill to unearth one of these triumphs and explain it clearly. Ben Macintyre, who is both, has done exactly that. -- Frederick Forsyth ― Literary Review
Macintyre's account brings it to life in vivid technicolor with fascinating new details. He tells it with all the verve we have come to expect from such an accomplished writer ― Spectator
[An] exceptionally rewarding book ― Observer
He writes like a novelist, introducing richly drawn characters whose lives intersect with Gordievsky's. One of the last chapters is as tense as any thriller. No wonder Le Carré liked it ― Daily Express
Thrilling... A real heart-in-the-mouth book ― New Statesman
Reads like a thriller. . . truly nerve-jangling ― The Times Books of the Year
One of the most exciting things I have ever read -- George Osborne ― Evening Standard, Books of the Year
An impeccably researched, compelling read ― Independent
More information...
On a warm July evening in 1985, a middle-aged man stood on the pavement of a busy avenue in the heart of Moscow, holding a plastic carrier bag. In his grey suit and tie, he looked like any other Soviet citizen. The bag alone was mildly conspicuous, printed with the red logo of Safeway, the British supermarket.
The man was a spy for MI6. A senior KGB officer, for more than a decade he had supplied his British spymasters with a stream of priceless secrets from deep within the Soviet intelligence machine. No spy had done more to damage the KGB. The Safeway bag was a signal: to activate his escape plan to be smuggled out of Soviet Russia.
So began one of the boldest and most extraordinary episodes in the history of spying. Ben Macintyre reveals a tale of espionage, betrayal and raw courage that changed the course of the Cold War forever.
Mod
Thanks, Nigeyb.
This is my nomination, then: Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner.
Mod
An interesting book on this topic is Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan - not executed wholly successfully for me but interesting.
Mod
Nominations.....
Stalin's Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie (Susan)
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre (Nigeyb)
Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner (Roman Clodia)
Mod
Mod
Mod
Who else is nominating?
Nominations.....
Stalin's Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie (Susan)
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre (Nigeyb)
Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner (Roman Clodia)
The Book of Daniel by E.L. Doctorow (Jan C)
I'll nominate The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré.
Mod
Is that it?
Anyone else?
Nominations.....
Stalin's Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie (Susan)
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre (Nigeyb)
Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner (Roman Clodia)
The Book of Daniel by E.L. Doctorow (Jan C)
The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré (Ben)
I don't know if it was just for today but in US The Spy and the Traitor was $2.99 on Kindle.
Mod
Snap it up Jan
:-)
I'll get the poll up later today
Mod
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...
Nominations.....
Stalin's Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie (Susan)
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre (Nigeyb)
Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner (Roman Clodia)
The Book of Daniel by E.L. Doctorow (Jan C)
The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré (Ben)
Nigeyb wrote: "Jan C wrote: "I don't know if it was just for today but in US The Spy and the Traitor was $2.99 on Kindle."Snap it up Jan
:-)
I'll get the poll up later today"
I did.
Mod
The Book of Daniel by E.L. Doctorow (Jan C) - 3 votes, 37.5%
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre (Nigeyb) - 2 votes, 25.0%
The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré (Ben) - 2 votes, 25.0%
Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner (Roman Clodia) - 1 vote, 12.5%
Stalin's Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie (Susan) - 0 votes
Vote here...
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...
Mod
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre (Nigeyb) - 5 votes, 1.7%
The Book of Daniel by E.L. Doctorow (Jan C) - 3 votes, 25.0%
The Honourable Schoolboy by John le Carré (Ben) - 2 votes, 16.7%
Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner (Roman Clodia) - 2 votes, 16.7%
Stalin's Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess by Andrew Lownie (Susan) - 0 votes
Vote here...
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...
Mod
Mod
I can't wait to read it - doubly if it wins as we get to discuss it too
From what I've seen from the reviews, it looks to be Macintyre at his very best. Which, as we know, is very good indeed
Mod
Mod
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War (2018) by Ben Macintyre
It sounds like a quintessential Cold War story
Our very own Susan lavished it with five stars
The reviews are through the roof....
The best true spy story I have ever read -- John le Carré
Macintyre does true-life espionage better than anyone else. He has a remarkable ability to construct a narrative that is as taut and urgent as it is carefully nuanced. Here the pace never slackens and the focus never drifts, while Macintyre's insight into his subject's tangle of contradictions never loses its sharpness. It's a tough call, but The Spy and the Traitor may well be his best book yet. -- John Preston ― Evening Standard
A real-life thriller, as tense as John le Carré's novels, or even Ian Fleming's ― Economist
A dazzling non-fiction thriller and an intimate portrait of high-stakes espionage -- Luke Harding ― Guardian
[A] captivating espionage tale. In a feat of real authorial dexterity, Macintyre accurately portrays the long-game banality of spycraft-the lead time and persistence in planning-with such clarity and propulsive verve that the book often feels like a thriller. Macintyre has produceda timely and insightful page-turner. ― Publishers Weekly
It has become a cliché to say that real-life spy stories read like John le Carré, but Gordievsky's personal history makes the comparison irresistible... Macintyre tells the story brilliantly. His book's final third is superbly done -- Dominic Sandbrook, Book of the Week ― Sunday Times
The fact that parts of The Spy and the Traitor read like a pacey thriller is a bonus, but it is based on serious research, including interviews with Gordievsky and anonymous British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) officers... This is a remarkable story of one man's courage, and of the skill of our much traduced security services. Ben Macintyre tells it very well indeed ― The Times, Book of the Week
You can always rely on this author to tease out fascinating details on the second oldest profession ― Sunday Express
Writing about cases of British espionage success that the public knows little about, he says - 'It takes an investigator of consummate talent and a narrator of equal skill to unearth one of these triumphs and explain it clearly. Ben Macintyre, who is both, has done exactly that. -- Frederick Forsyth ― Literary Review
Macintyre's account brings it to life in vivid technicolor with fascinating new details. He tells it with all the verve we have come to expect from such an accomplished writer ― Spectator
[An] exceptionally rewarding book ― Observer
He writes like a novelist, introducing richly drawn characters whose lives intersect with Gordievsky's. One of the last chapters is as tense as any thriller. No wonder Le Carré liked it ― Daily Express
Thrilling... A real heart-in-the-mouth book ― New Statesman
Reads like a thriller. . . truly nerve-jangling ― The Times Books of the Year
One of the most exciting things I have ever read -- George Osborne ― Evening Standard, Books of the Year
An impeccably researched, compelling read ― Independent
More information...
On a warm July evening in 1985, a middle-aged man stood on the pavement of a busy avenue in the heart of Moscow, holding a plastic carrier bag. In his grey suit and tie, he looked like any other Soviet citizen. The bag alone was mildly conspicuous, printed with the red logo of Safeway, the British supermarket.
The man was a spy for MI6. A senior KGB officer, for more than a decade he had supplied his British spymasters with a stream of priceless secrets from deep within the Soviet intelligence machine. No spy had done more to damage the KGB. The Safeway bag was a signal: to activate his escape plan to be smuggled out of Soviet Russia.
So began one of the boldest and most extraordinary episodes in the history of spying. Ben Macintyre reveals a tale of espionage, betrayal and raw courage that changed the course of the Cold War forever.
Mod
See you in July
Reading the 20th Century
Books mentioned in this topic
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War (other topics)The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War (other topics)
The Honourable Schoolboy (other topics)
The Book of Daniel (other topics)
Telex from Cuba (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Ben Macintyre (other topics)E.L. Doctorow (other topics)
Ben Macintyre (other topics)
John Le Carré (other topics)
Rachel Kushner (other topics)
More...
Our July 2022 theme is The Cold War
Please nominate a 20th century book (either written in the 20th century or set in it) that is centred around the world of The Cold War, and that you would like to read and discuss. It could be fiction or non-fiction
Please supply the title, author, a brief synopsis, and anything else you'd like to mention about the book, and why you think it might make a good book to discuss.
Happy nominating.