Rating: 
Summary: Nobody does it better...
Review: ...than Alan Furst. "Red Gold' is another literary masterpiece from the king of the sophisticated spy thriller. My only regret is that, at 258 pages, I was hungry for more(I began rereading this gem immediately). I only wish Furst was published on an annual basis like some of the "bestselling" writers, but alas, he is a true artist and his work is far too detailed, his charactors too rich, to "cookie-cut." Bravo, again, Mr. Furst. "Red Gold" is the finest novel published thus far in '99.
Rating: 
Summary: Furst certainly doesn't 'get it right...'
Review: From having read reviews of his books, I came to Alan Furst's work expecting a masterful evocation of occupation France, a 'noir' with panache. The critics appear to be impressed above all by his mastery of the small, telling, historically accurate detail, details that add substance and a sort of veracity to his story. Imagine my surprise to find a litany of really bad mistakes of all sorts littering the text, making one wonder whether anything like an informed editor had ever been allowed remotely close to the text. In no particular order: 1) The French in the text is execrable: 'petits annonces' (!!!) Place Republique, Place Bastille, all sorts of solecisms. Couldn't his publisher have shown it to a REAL French person?! It's embarassingly bad. 2)In the very first scene of the book, the protagonist is seen in his seedy French hotel looking out the window at a slit of blue sky formed by a window shade banging aginst the window. Trouble is, French hotels don't have window shades, as anyone who has ever been to France surely knows, they have so called casement windows, shutters on the outside, and curtains inside. This is a commonplace of Frenchness, and Furst gets it wrong in his very first first paragraph. 3) His history is as deficient as his grasp of French culture and language. A few pages from the beginning, he has a character claim to have been wounded at 'le Chemin des Dames, near Verdun, in 1916.' Trouble is, 'le Chemin des Dames' is not close to Verdun, the infamous battle fought there was in 1917, and in fact provoked the French mutinies of May and June of that year, and has thus become a highly symbolic affair, whose significance Furst seems to have entirely missed. This is somewhat analogous to someone reputed to be an expert in American military history of the second war claiming that the Battle of the Bulge took place in Italy in 1942.
So much for veracity, historical detail, and getting France right. Oh, yes. Furst refers to 'Gestapo troops' in the book. So much for his knowledge of things German!
Rating:
Summary: Furst certainly doesn't 'get it right...'
Review: From having read reviews of his books, I came to Alan Furst's work expecting a masterful evocation of occupation France, a 'noir' with panache. The critics appear to be impressed above all by his mastery of the small, telling, historically accurate detail, details that add substance and a sort of veracity to his story. Imagine my surprise to find a litany of really bad mistakes of all sorts littering the text, making one wonder whether anything like an informed editor had ever been allowed remotely close to the text. In no particular order: 1) The French in the text is execrable: 'petits annonces' (!!!) Place Republique, Place Bastille, all sorts of solecisms. Couldn't his publisher have shown it to a REAL French person?! It's embarassingly bad. 2)In the very first scene of the book, the protagonist is seen in his seedy French hotel looking out the window at a slit of blue sky formed by a window shade banging aginst the window. Trouble is, French hotels don't have window shades, as anyone who has ever been to France surely knows, they have so called casement windows, shutters on the outside, and curtains inside. This is a commonplace of Frenchness, and Furst gets it wrong in his very first first paragraph. 3) His history is as deficient as his grasp of French culture and language. A few pages from the beginning, he has a character claim to have been wounded at 'le Chemin des Dames, near Verdun, in 1916.' Trouble is, 'le Chemin des Dames' is not close to Verdun, the infamous battle fought there was in 1917, and in fact provoked the French mutinies of May and June of that year, and has thus become a highly symbolic affair, whose significance Furst seems to have entirely missed. This is somewhat analogous to someone reputed to be an expert in American military history of the second war claiming that the Battle of the Bulge took place in Italy in 1942.
So much for veracity, historical detail, and getting France right. Oh, yes. Furst refers to 'Gestapo troops' in the book. So much for his knowledge of things German!
Rating: 
Summary: Red Gold et al
Review: I am a recent convert to the fictional spy genre(much overused word). Along the way I lucked upon Alan Furst novels, among them was "Red Gold". I found his sense of historical episodes to be factual, despite the fact that you knew the storyline itself was fictional. His characterization was somewhat wanting in my opinion and it seems that he writes with an overwhelming hint of "this would make a good film". After reading several of his novels, I seem to have lost the thread of character, and find it difficult to recall who was in which novel....Perhaps my own shortcoming, or the shallowness of the characterization. That being said however, if one is desirous of a quick moving adventure story, I can not recommend this and other of Furst's novels too highly. Particularly if one is interested in the surrounding history of the WWII.Vincent J. Sgro
Rating:
Summary: Red Gold et al
Review: I am a recent convert to the fictional spy genre(much overused word). Along the way I lucked upon Alan Furst novels, among them was "Red Gold". I found his sense of historical episodes to be factual, despite the fact that you knew the storyline itself was fictional. His characterization was somewhat wanting in my opinion and it seems that he writes with an overwhelming hint of "this would make a good film". After reading several of his novels, I seem to have lost the thread of character, and find it difficult to recall who was in which novel....Perhaps my own shortcoming, or the shallowness of the characterization. That being said however, if one is desirous of a quick moving adventure story, I can not recommend this and other of Furst's novels too highly. Particularly if one is interested in the surrounding history of the WWII. Vincent J. Sgro
Rating:
Summary: Furst appeals-
Review: I read Red Gold just after finishing World at Night. The occupation has not yet ended at the finish of Red Gold. Casson has grown wiser and now is more dangerous as he is called upon to contribute more to the resistance. Furst does an excellent job recreating the sense of desperation among the French. In Red Gold the Germans begin to lose some of the bravura that they exhibited in World at Night. The exploits of Casson and his compatriots make for a great read. The suspense is created in a subtle manner which prevents this book from being what I consider a page-turner. Well worth the visit.
Rating:
Summary: The occupation goes on
Review: I read Red Gold just after finishing World at Night. The occupation has not yet ended at the finish of Red Gold. Casson has grown wiser and now is more dangerous as he is called upon to contribute more to the resistance. Furst does an excellent job recreating the sense of desperation among the French. In Red Gold the Germans begin to lose some of the bravura that they exhibited in World at Night. The exploits of Casson and his compatriots make for a great read. The suspense is created in a subtle manner which prevents this book from being what I consider a page-turner. Well worth the visit.
Rating:
Summary: Best Read In Order
Review: I read the paperback edition of this book, which lead me to read this sequel prior to reading the first book. There is no location on the outside of the book that explains this is a sequel. The positive news is that the story is self-contained and while it references the past it does not rely on it for this book to read well. I did read the first book, "The World At Night", and except for the dates the book is still enjoyable if partially compromised by having been read out of sequence. I don't see why a simple notation could not have identified the book as a sequel. Alan Furst writes about a narrow by eventful time from 1933 to 1945. His books are meticulously accurate to the point they would pass inspection by many readers of history. The author takes an unusual step at the end of his books by sharing with readers his sources for the novels he creates. This is not done in an academic bibliography or a blizzard of footnotes, rather he writes conversationally about what he reads, and what he suggests as reading for those who are interested. Our former film producer Jean Casson has transformed from a man without a positive idea of what he supports, to a man who now seems to get in the midst of everything. He also has lost any illusion of safety as he was taken to visit the Gestapo, and their interest in him has not declined. Casson's relationships with actors and other support personnel for his pre-war movies brought him in contact with a variety of political agendas that were of little interest to him at the time, and that now have become relationships that can get a person killed for real or imagined activities. His uncertainty about what constituted honorable conduct, and what loyalty means in wartime were all explored in the first book. In this sequel the lines have at once become all to clear, even as they are vague. Is a friend's politics prior to the war a reason to help them, to look the other way, or to promise to maintain silence in return for his own safety? In the first book Jean made a decision that set his future decisively in one area, and as the war progresses his environs become all the more lethal, and the reliability of relationships all the more questionable. There seems to be no end to those who would befriend him for his help, the question also remains how many of the same would turn him in without a moments thought. Alan Furst once again has written a fine book, and I look forward to the final two that are to be published later this year.
Rating:
Summary: cigarette smoke and fog
Review: I suspect when a person reads any Alan Furst book, he is left with the feeling that some insane person has ripped out the last hundred pages or so. And so it is with 'Red Gold'. Furst is a master of atmosphere and characterization, but always seems to me to be a bit wanting in plotting. That said, I consider myself an enormous fan of Furst's. This book centers around Jean Casson, a down-on-his-luck film producer stuck in Paris without friends or money. He is thrust into the resistance and becomes a liason between a group of french army officers and the communist resistance.
Casson has several thrilling adventures, amorous and violent. He hides in Paris, afraid of being recognised by old associates, but knows in his heart there is a war to be fought and, though he may be a reluctant warrior, he chooses to fight. Furst's novels all have a connection, the Brasserie Heininger, and it appears again here. So even though I get the feeling there are some missing chapters here, the war will continue in Furst's next novel.
Rating:
Summary: Furst appeals-
Review: I was so impressed with, "The World at Night," that I had to immediately read, "Red Gold." "Red Gold," unfortunately, doesn't compare with "World." I certainly wish it did, because I was completely captivated by the first installment of the Casson story. I hope Furst continues and follows Casson on throughout the war. He's a compelling protagonist and Furst is a masterful storyteller. I've not read anyone who can recreate a time and period better than he can. Furst should consider writing another book or two with Casson. I love this character. He is a reluctant hero. What I enjoy about Furst's characters are their ambiguity, none of them are moralists. After the first twenty pages of "World," I was hooked in, but I never felt that way with "Red Gold." I read it through, but never felt the book was fully realized. I agree with a previous reviewer, who said, that Furst was going through the motions. I felt that a bit too. Having said that though, Furst is such a fine writer, that it really is a quibble, overall he's one of the best writing in this genre.
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