Rating: 
Summary: The deadly art of spy craft
Review:
World War II is a breeding ground for spies and double-agents leveraged to play both sides for profit. From bombed-out London to the doomed Hitler's Stalingrad headquarters to the icy landscape of the Soviet war machine, there is a constant shifting of allegiances and agendas.
There is a certain pragmatism to war, once the outcome is understood, as both enemies and allies juggle for position, proffering deals in an effort to position themselves for surrender. The Germans fear the rise of the Russians under Stalin and his intentions for the rest of Europe and Seville is the only city with easy access to the Allies without government scrutiny. It is in Seville that British agent Andrea Aspinall meets German agent Karl Voss and they embark on a brief, torrid affair. But spying does not make for long associations and the couple is suddenly parted, Karl ominously returned to Germany. Andrea attempts a normal life after her short, but intense, work for the Company, but is unable to extricate herself from the emotional rush of the trade, induced to accept more assignments over the years.
The story revolves around the lovers and their convoluted careers in a volatile, distrustful trade and the pivotal characters are by no means one-dimensional. Karl is inherently noble, from a family of soldiers who love their country, betrayed by Hitler's actions. Andrea is a young woman whose very foundation is built on lies, constantly redefining herself in relation to those around her, wary of personal attachments. Youthful vulnerability is a critical component of Andrea's evolving personality; she meets Voss when still a neophyte thrust into a nest of sophisticated operatives, essentially over her head. This is a world of few comforts and always questionable associates. For all the noble intentions of the lovers, they are deeply involved in secret plots driven by vested interests.
Wilson assembles an impressive number of villains in the various agencies spread across the globe, hard men who often pursue private agendas and personal fortunes at the cost of national integrity. The author leads the reader through a post-war clandestine world that is impossible to navigate, a mine field of plausible intentions corrupted by darker motives. The all too brief moments of innocence burn, incandescent, before pitching headfirst into the effluvia of war and its aftermath in this morality play of human failings and betrayal. Luan Gaines/2005.
Rating: 
Summary: Superior World War II Thriller
Review: "The Company of Strangers" blends a number of interesting elements together to make an exquisite brew. There's the setting-World War II Lisbon, where Germans and Allies mingled socially and spied shamelessly in an unaligned city. There are the characters-complex and intriguing. There's the math (codes and ciphers intelligently and accessibly explained) and there are very high stakes-the race to develop an atomic bomb.Andrea Aspinall, an eighteen-year-old Portuguese-speaking math genius is recruited as a spy in this great terrifying game. She meets German military attache Kurt Voss at a party. Their attraction is immediate will last for decades. He's a spy, she's a spy, and in fact, so is just about everybody else in Lisbon. People you would never suspect are spies in this book, and the spying goes on long after the war is over. I don't want to give anything away, but I will add that your mind will buzz with delight at this smart and swift sociopolitical thriller. Only two of Robert Wilson's books are apublished in the U.S. and it would be a treat to see more of his novels available here.
Rating:
Summary: Fans of Alan Furst take note
Review: A couple of years ago, Robert Wilson burst onto the espionage scene with A Small Death in Lisbon, which was a wonderful detective novel with elements of a spy novel. That book (and this one) is set in Portugal, where the author currently lives. In the current volume, two different characters meet in Portugal, and become star-crossed lovers. One is a disillusioned German army officer, not sympathetic to the Nazis in the first place, who has been pushed over the edge by the death of his brother, which in turn precipitates the suicide of their father. He joins the anti-Nazi resistance, formally, and is involved in the coup attempt which culminated in the failed assasination of Hitler in July of 1944. Meanwhile, he's in Portugal, and falls in love with a young British woman who's ostensibly a secretary but in reality is also a spy, working for British Intelligence. Things go awry, and they are separated by the war. They meet again a quarter century later, and things take an ugly turn, and then meet yet again after another decade, in 1989. The theme of the book is the two characters and their love of one another. This is well-told and laid out, but I had trouble keeping track of all of the minor characters in the first half of the book (a number of whom shoot one another in a climactic scene that ends the first half of the book). I also was somewhat surprised and puzzled at the ending, where a character who has a very large part to play in the end of the book is introduced with no background or anything, and there are things about him and the ending which aren't explained. It's not clear what exactly occurred at the end of the book, or at least why it occurred as it did, though all of this is pretty strongly hinted at. This book pretty much demands comparison with the works of Alan Furst. It's in some ways better than what I've read of Furst, in other ways not as good. Furst's strong point, to my mind, is the atmosphere and characters that populate his books. In this book the atmosphere isn't quite as good, though it is worthy of reading. The plot here is however superior to Furst's, given that Furst typically doesn't have much of a plot at all, just a series of semi-connected events. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Company of Strangers
Review: A superb follow-up to Small Death in Lisbon. Deserves a far wider audience. A story of sweep, action and poignancy, at times there is such exquisite writing and characterization you have to pull yurself back and ask yourself, "What kind of novel am I reading?" A damn fine one one.
Rating: 
Summary: Grippingly Thrilling at first, but takes a nose-dive
Review: After reading "The Blind Man of Seville," I was eager to start reading "The Company of Strangers.
The first half of "The Company of Strangers" seemed to be a great novel in itself. The plot continually thickened, new characters were introduced and the world of espionage opened up. I couldn't help but read for hours at a time. I felt the plot's real climax was dead center in the middle of the book.
The second half of "The Company of Strangers" was a huge let down. I struggled to keep plowing through the pages... too many new characters and boring side plots. Andrea's life had gone to crap and the intensity from the book was lost.
There were a few moments of excitement in the latter half though... and Robert Wilson always has a great way of tying characters together at the right moment. The Math in the book didn't do much for me... but i'm sure people in other countries might have felt it was vital... even exciting (they don't hate math like americans do). The ending ticked me off... i felt the book deserved something better than what Wilson finished with. Too sad maybe?... or perhaps boring... not really sure.
I haven't given up on Wilson though, he's still a talented author. Time to read "A small death in lisbon"
Rating: 
Summary: The Ending DOES Matter!
Review: An excellent sweep through 50 years of espionage, and the writing is excellent. Unfortunately the ending RUINED my enjoyment of this book. Things seemed as though they were about to end in a somber yet placid way, and then Wilson botched it. There will always be those who don't mind a sad ending, especially if the tale was already grim in nature and subject. There will, I'm sure, always be a percentage of us for whom such an ending will make us less likely to read that author again.
Rating:
Summary: Cool!!!
Review: An intricately plotted espionage thriller. The descriptions of geographic settings (primarily Lisbon towards the end of the Second World War) are detailed and enjoyable. The plot is carefully crafted and moves well, although Wilson's attempt to "tie up" various threads in a neat ending feels quite contrived and flat. The characterers are a bit 2-dimensional, not quite as fully developed and believable as, say, Le Carre.
Still, on the whole, a very absorbing read.
Also, as another reader has mentioned, Wilson also has a penchant for graphic scenes of sexual violence, so be forewarned if you would find that troubling. They constitute relatively brief portions of the book, but they stand out and feel a bit forced, as if Wilson has decided "Now it's time to soften up my readers with something really shocking."
Rating:
Summary: A good read, although not at the level of the masters
Review: An intricately plotted espionage thriller. The descriptions of geographic settings (primarily Lisbon towards the end of the Second World War) are detailed and enjoyable. The plot is carefully crafted and moves well, although Wilson's attempt to "tie up" various threads in a neat ending feels quite contrived and flat. The characterers are a bit 2-dimensional, not quite as fully developed and believable as, say, Le Carre.
Still, on the whole, a very absorbing read.
Also, as another reader has mentioned, Wilson also has a penchant for graphic scenes of sexual violence, so be forewarned if you would find that troubling. They constitute relatively brief portions of the book, but they stand out and feel a bit forced, as if Wilson has decided "Now it's time to soften up my readers with something really shocking."
Rating:
Summary: profound sadness
Review: Another brilliant novel by Robert Wilson set in World War II Portugal. Murky characters, unbearable heat, twisted games and two people falling in love. Needless to say it was not a good time for lovers
This stunning book is a gripping read and its over 400 pages are never to long. Mr.Wilson has an amazing gift of drawing each, even the smallest character in this unforgetable novel about passion and sadness and so many wasted lives.After reading this book who can, even for a moment believe, that any war has any meaning.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: As with "A Small Death in Lisbon," lots of fun; had trouble putting it down. One problem, though, and I'd like to see if I'm just crazy or if others have noticed this. (I'll keep this a vague as possible so I don't ruin anything.) The final date we see, introducing the last few pages of the hardcover, is incorrect. Yes? As written, the actions of the penultimate section take place a few months after the events of the final section, which is impossible. Has anyone noticed this? Am I touched? Do I need to re-learn how to read a 12-month calendar? Go buy the book to help me out.
|
