henrismum's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Non-series / Non-fiction
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
Why I added this book to my TBR pile: I've read a few non-fiction books about WWII resistance spies, as well as fictional accounts such as in the Night Soldiers and Billy Boyle series. I knew about the Starr brothers for a while before I put this on my list.
Will I read more by this author / about this subject?Probably Not Maybe Definitely
I like the subject and will seek out more stories. This book was a little lackluster compared to A Woman of No Importance. I didn't get an emotional feeling for these men like I have in other books.
The narrator was Allan Corduner. I enjoyed him. He sounded like the man who read The Raj Quartet, but I couldn't find anything to support my assumption. I guess it's just an imperial English voice.
Source: Brooklyn Library
Audiobook (All of my entries on The Story Graph are audiobooks.)
Why I added this book to my TBR pile: I've read a few non-fiction books about WWII resistance spies, as well as fictional accounts such as in the Night Soldiers and Billy Boyle series. I knew about the Starr brothers for a while before I put this on my list.
Will I read more by this author / about this subject?
I like the subject and will seek out more stories. This book was a little lackluster compared to A Woman of No Importance. I didn't get an emotional feeling for these men like I have in other books.
The narrator was Allan Corduner. I enjoyed him. He sounded like the man who read The Raj Quartet, but I couldn't find anything to support my assumption. I guess it's just an imperial English voice.
Source: Brooklyn Library
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, War, Blood, and Murder
sarahlisbeth84's review against another edition
2.0
I always forget I can't read these kinds of books when I'm super busy. It's too difficult to keep track of all the names, dates, and events when I pop in and out of a book in brief, quick stints. It was a chore to finish this but I don't think it was the author's fault.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
If you know anything about SOE then you have heard about the Starr brothers, maybe not in depth and maybe just by their code names, but you have heard them. John Starr was at Avenue Foch at the same as Noor Khan and was one of the men who planned an escape attempt with her.
Charles Glass presents the story of the brothers’ actions in SOE during the second World War. George Starr avoided capture and lead a rather effective group of resistance operatives in occupied France. His brother, John Starr, was not as lucky.
In many ways, using the two brothers, Glass shows the divergent paths an SOE operative could take. Capture in most case, meant torture and death. But freedom could mean death as well, but also to strike against the Nazis, then possibly, possibly honors after the war.
Not that those who joined SOE did so for honors; it was a top-secret organization after all.
The book’s one problem is the same problem that is in any book about SOE, what is the truth and what actually happened. It’s hard, and then you have to factor in the times, the situation and all that.
To be fair, Glass does his best. He does note when something is rumor and when something is fact. If there are two divergent stories, he gives both with context and pros and cons. This is especially important when dealing with John Starr’s story as his is less clear cut than his brothers. Did he help the enemy or not, if he did is he at fault are questions that Glass must attend to, and he does, quite well. While he is sympathetic to his subjects, he is not blind or totally in awe. It is a balanced recounting.
The Starrs are the focus of the book, but Glass does give time to various members of the Circuit and other prisoners.
This book is nice addition to the works about the members of SOE.
If you know anything about SOE then you have heard about the Starr brothers, maybe not in depth and maybe just by their code names, but you have heard them. John Starr was at Avenue Foch at the same as Noor Khan and was one of the men who planned an escape attempt with her.
Charles Glass presents the story of the brothers’ actions in SOE during the second World War. George Starr avoided capture and lead a rather effective group of resistance operatives in occupied France. His brother, John Starr, was not as lucky.
In many ways, using the two brothers, Glass shows the divergent paths an SOE operative could take. Capture in most case, meant torture and death. But freedom could mean death as well, but also to strike against the Nazis, then possibly, possibly honors after the war.
Not that those who joined SOE did so for honors; it was a top-secret organization after all.
The book’s one problem is the same problem that is in any book about SOE, what is the truth and what actually happened. It’s hard, and then you have to factor in the times, the situation and all that.
To be fair, Glass does his best. He does note when something is rumor and when something is fact. If there are two divergent stories, he gives both with context and pros and cons. This is especially important when dealing with John Starr’s story as his is less clear cut than his brothers. Did he help the enemy or not, if he did is he at fault are questions that Glass must attend to, and he does, quite well. While he is sympathetic to his subjects, he is not blind or totally in awe. It is a balanced recounting.
The Starrs are the focus of the book, but Glass does give time to various members of the Circuit and other prisoners.
This book is nice addition to the works about the members of SOE.
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