thomasmannia's review
5.0
This was at least my second, but most likely third, reread. The writing was as great and the plot as intriguing as I had remembered, but Saffron was a borderline Mary Sue. Her story was remarkably boring and irritating at times, my least favorite, and she sent poor Shevchenko to a brutal death with a crassly limited amount of thought or care. Danny was treated terribly and was apparently ultimately meaningless to Saffron and the author. The conflict would have been worth enough, but once it was discarded, I failed to see the point of it at all anymore. I would have liked for there to have been more about Konrad, or at least Gerhard. Overall, 4.5 stars, but still one of my favorites. Finished at around 12:20 midnight.
srreid's review against another edition
5.0
I received a free copy from Readers First in exchange for an honest review.
This was a book in a series which i hadn't read any others of but don't feel like i was missing out as enough backstory was discussed to get you up to speed if you hadn't read any other. Also the fact that this takes place during such an infamous period of history means you are kind of up to speed already.
The pace is relentless, from the excerpt we got for this we were left on a cliffhanger thinking our heroine had been captured by the Germans, how cruel you were to do that to us, i was extremely relieved when i read what had actually happened once i got the full book (no spoilers as to the circumstances around it, but i thoroughly enjoyed being duped).
We switch between Saffron Courtney on her special training to be inserted behind enemy lines to aid in the resistance in Belgium, and the fighting of Gerhard von Meerbach who was unfortunate enough to have been posted into the hell of the siege on Stalingrad.
Once Saffron completes her training she is then sent to South Africa to inveigle her way into the enemies good graces to get them to transport her into Belgium, to discover the truth into why all of their previous spies were so easily captured. Once she makes it into Belgium and completes her mission there is a very tense escape attempt that had me gripped throughout.
Gerhard on the other hand goes from bad to worse, getting away from Stalingrad he finds himself jumping from base to base as the German's retreat further to their homeland until eventually his voicing of his displeasure at the Fuhrer finds him arrested and taken to one of the prisoner camps and eventually on to Dachau. The horrors of those have been well documented and Wilbur Smith holds no punches in his descriptions of what we find there and the treatments the prisoners suffered.
As much as this is a work of fiction, so much of it is based in historic fact that as harrowing a read as it is I couldn't stop and finished this book off a little over a day after starting it. It was extremely well written and kept me turning the page to find out how it would end.
This was a book in a series which i hadn't read any others of but don't feel like i was missing out as enough backstory was discussed to get you up to speed if you hadn't read any other. Also the fact that this takes place during such an infamous period of history means you are kind of up to speed already.
The pace is relentless, from the excerpt we got for this we were left on a cliffhanger thinking our heroine had been captured by the Germans, how cruel you were to do that to us, i was extremely relieved when i read what had actually happened once i got the full book (no spoilers as to the circumstances around it, but i thoroughly enjoyed being duped).
We switch between Saffron Courtney on her special training to be inserted behind enemy lines to aid in the resistance in Belgium, and the fighting of Gerhard von Meerbach who was unfortunate enough to have been posted into the hell of the siege on Stalingrad.
Once Saffron completes her training she is then sent to South Africa to inveigle her way into the enemies good graces to get them to transport her into Belgium, to discover the truth into why all of their previous spies were so easily captured. Once she makes it into Belgium and completes her mission there is a very tense escape attempt that had me gripped throughout.
Gerhard on the other hand goes from bad to worse, getting away from Stalingrad he finds himself jumping from base to base as the German's retreat further to their homeland until eventually his voicing of his displeasure at the Fuhrer finds him arrested and taken to one of the prisoner camps and eventually on to Dachau. The horrors of those have been well documented and Wilbur Smith holds no punches in his descriptions of what we find there and the treatments the prisoners suffered.
As much as this is a work of fiction, so much of it is based in historic fact that as harrowing a read as it is I couldn't stop and finished this book off a little over a day after starting it. It was extremely well written and kept me turning the page to find out how it would end.
librarian_sky's review
4.0
This was my first foray into Wilbur Smith. I'm a long-time historical fiction fan, and I wanted to broaden my horizons into unfamiliar authors for my job (librarian). I was immediately captured by Smith's colorful and descriptive storytelling; he doesn't ramble on, and each descriptive paragraph allowed me to paint the scene in my mind before going into character dialogue. Smith definitely has a beautiful enjoyable way with words. This book was moving with definitively morally corrupt characters facing off against imperfect heroes, who wrestle with the weight of the complicated decisions they've been forced to make. Gerhard drew me in more as the book moved along, as did Saffron. Gerhard's will to survive and his experiences definitely pulled on my heart.
This book was paced well for the most part, and kept you guessing with just the right amount of romance thrown into the drama. As many have said, its easy to read as a stand-alone, but I will be picking up more books by Smith in the future.
This book was paced well for the most part, and kept you guessing with just the right amount of romance thrown into the drama. As many have said, its easy to read as a stand-alone, but I will be picking up more books by Smith in the future.
owengail22's review
4.0
A novel with something for both the romance and drama lover alike.
Saffron, a secret agent is separated from her lover by WWII. Their different nationalities mean that they find themselves on opposing sides. Wilbur Smith carefully crafts missions for them both and had clearly an excellent historical knowledge of the war. Some of the descriptions of prisoner of war camps are so grafically described in detail that they’re difficult to read, in other sections large amonts of time pass in a couple of pages. This inconsistency is occasionally frustrating, but overall the style does drive you on to keep turning the pages.
The ending was somewhat unrealistic all things considered and rather rushed in comparison to the rest of the novel. This is my first Wilbur Smith novel and I would like to read others to see if this is a style,l trait. Or perhaps there will be a follow up and this isn’t the last we will hear of Saffron and Gerhard
sarabr's review against another edition
3.0
Non avevo mai letto niente di Wilbur Smith, e anche questa lettura è stata un'azzardo. Il romanzo mi è piaciuto, mi ha fatto conoscere un aspetto della storia - la Seconda Guerra Mondiale combattuta dalle donne - che non avevo mai avuto occasione di leggere prima. Eppure non mi ha particolarmente appassionato, non è riuscito a creare quel desiderio di leggere costantemente che avrei voluto provare. Ho apprezzato molto le capacità descrittive di Wilbur Smith: ho ancora vividi nella mente alcuni scenari, perfettamente disegnati dalla sua penna, e le condizioni drammatiche dei detenuti nei campi di prigionia. È stata una lettura nuova, che ha offerto uno scorcio a me inedito sulla guerra, ma che purtroppo non ha saputo coinvolgermi completamente.
readingbetweenthewines's review against another edition
1.0
I’m not a historical fiction girl, unless it’s done well. I could not get in to this one. With dual narrators that don’t seem to overlap a ton and what seems to be a story capitalizing on the never ending sub genre of WW2 historical fiction and this is not one of the best ones out there, by far. I understand this is one a series, and admittedly i didn’t read the others so I really couldn’t say if this is living up to the others. I’ll be honest, I read about 25% and skimmed the rest, hoping to be pulled back in to the story, but alas, no such luck. I do think that fans of this series will likely enjoy this one, I hope that is the case as they were likely the target audience anyways. I think I’ll stick to my rule of not jumping in to the middle of a series.
canada_matt's review against another edition
4.0
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Wilbur Smith, David Churchill, and Bonnier Zaffre USA for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
After a few novels in the Courtney saga proved to be complete duds, I was pleased to see Wilbur Smith team up with David Churchill and returned things to the 20th century, where the series has flourished. In the Spring of 1939, young love is blossoming between Saffron Courtney and Gerhard von Meerbach. Highly educated and politically savvy, both Saffron and Gerhard can feel the tides turning in Europe and anticipate the Nazis will begin their push through Europe, triggering another massive war. After spending time in Paris, these young lovers must part, vowing to find one another as soon as possible. Fast-forward to 1942, where Saffron Courtney is deeply embedded into ‘Baker Street’, a covert group led by a handful of British spies. Her goal will be to infiltrate the National Socialist movement in Belgium and the Netherlands, with hopes of learning Nazi news that can be fed back to the Allies. Meanwhile, Gerhard has become a valuable asset to the Germans, working in the air during the Battle of Stalingrad, shooting down any Russian plane that dares get too close. During one flyover, Gerhard sees some of the atrocities being done to large portions of the Jewish community, only later learning that it is the Final Solution ramping up. Vowing to himself to bring down the Nazis, Gerhard must carefully destroy the political machine without being caught, with a brother who is fully engaged in the Nazi movement and smells a rat. As Saffron returns to the African continent to help build her backstory, she spends some time with family and renews old acquaintances, only to be pulled away and sent to Belgium. Her actions may not be as covert as she hoped, but she can hope to remain one step ahead of the Germans hunting her down. With the War reaching its climax, both Saffron and Gerhard will have to work hard to return Europe to its proper course, though Nazis are ruthless and are happy to scrub out anyone who does not respect the Reich’s power. Brilliant in its delivery and full of wonderful storylines, Smith and Churchill show that this is one saga to which dedicated readers can return with pride. Recommended for those who love the Courtneys in all their glory.
It was a difficult decision to choose this book, having been so disheartened by some of the recent novels in this saga. That said, I had to tell myself that those novels that took things onto the high seas many generations ago were part of a sub-series that never caught my attention. With some of my favourite characters and 20th century history mixed together, I knew that Wilbur Smith (alongside his writing companion, David Churchill) should get the benefit of the doubt. This is a return to the great Courtney stories and the reader should find it easy to glide into the comfort of familiar names (had they read much of the previous novels) while finding the plot riveting and eager to comprehend. Saffron Courtney remains a strong, independent woman who, even though she is madly in love, finds little issue with remaining grounded and able to make snap decisions. She has become a powerhouse character in previous novels and only grows more likeable and independent-minded here. Her tactics will likely have the reader cheering her on as she makes her way through early 1940s Europe in an age where women were still not given their due. Gerhard von Meerbach proves to be as interesting as he is cocky, though some of that is surely a ruse as he hides within the Nazis in order to bring them down. He is strong-willed, as is seen throughout and particularly in the last segment of the book, always hoping that he will be reunited with the woman he loves. While there may be an imbalance in that love between the two characters, the reader can surely feel the connection throughout the parallel plots as they develop. The story itself is strong and uses Second World War history and some of the less familiar angles to keep things from becoming too predictable. Saffron’s seeking to penetrate the Nazis is as intriguing as it is unpredictable, while Gerhard seems more passive in his attempts to weaken the military might for which he fights. The handful of worthwhile secondary characters do well to push the story forward, particularly as to go to either support or suppress our aforementioned protagonists. I can only hope that the reader will see some of the vilification that I did throughout the book, from actual Nazi officers as well as those who support National Socialism in other domains. The narrative kept a good pace, giving the reader action throughout. However, with unnumbered, lengthy chapters, some segments seemed to stretch out without that literary breath that invigorates a stellar story. Let’s be glad the Courtneys are back in fine form.
Kudos, Messrs. Smith and Churchill, for returning the Courtney saga to its rightful place with a strong novel. I can only hope this will continue, as you boasted, Mr. Smith, in your recently published memoir that you loves this series with all your heart.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
After a few novels in the Courtney saga proved to be complete duds, I was pleased to see Wilbur Smith team up with David Churchill and returned things to the 20th century, where the series has flourished. In the Spring of 1939, young love is blossoming between Saffron Courtney and Gerhard von Meerbach. Highly educated and politically savvy, both Saffron and Gerhard can feel the tides turning in Europe and anticipate the Nazis will begin their push through Europe, triggering another massive war. After spending time in Paris, these young lovers must part, vowing to find one another as soon as possible. Fast-forward to 1942, where Saffron Courtney is deeply embedded into ‘Baker Street’, a covert group led by a handful of British spies. Her goal will be to infiltrate the National Socialist movement in Belgium and the Netherlands, with hopes of learning Nazi news that can be fed back to the Allies. Meanwhile, Gerhard has become a valuable asset to the Germans, working in the air during the Battle of Stalingrad, shooting down any Russian plane that dares get too close. During one flyover, Gerhard sees some of the atrocities being done to large portions of the Jewish community, only later learning that it is the Final Solution ramping up. Vowing to himself to bring down the Nazis, Gerhard must carefully destroy the political machine without being caught, with a brother who is fully engaged in the Nazi movement and smells a rat. As Saffron returns to the African continent to help build her backstory, she spends some time with family and renews old acquaintances, only to be pulled away and sent to Belgium. Her actions may not be as covert as she hoped, but she can hope to remain one step ahead of the Germans hunting her down. With the War reaching its climax, both Saffron and Gerhard will have to work hard to return Europe to its proper course, though Nazis are ruthless and are happy to scrub out anyone who does not respect the Reich’s power. Brilliant in its delivery and full of wonderful storylines, Smith and Churchill show that this is one saga to which dedicated readers can return with pride. Recommended for those who love the Courtneys in all their glory.
It was a difficult decision to choose this book, having been so disheartened by some of the recent novels in this saga. That said, I had to tell myself that those novels that took things onto the high seas many generations ago were part of a sub-series that never caught my attention. With some of my favourite characters and 20th century history mixed together, I knew that Wilbur Smith (alongside his writing companion, David Churchill) should get the benefit of the doubt. This is a return to the great Courtney stories and the reader should find it easy to glide into the comfort of familiar names (had they read much of the previous novels) while finding the plot riveting and eager to comprehend. Saffron Courtney remains a strong, independent woman who, even though she is madly in love, finds little issue with remaining grounded and able to make snap decisions. She has become a powerhouse character in previous novels and only grows more likeable and independent-minded here. Her tactics will likely have the reader cheering her on as she makes her way through early 1940s Europe in an age where women were still not given their due. Gerhard von Meerbach proves to be as interesting as he is cocky, though some of that is surely a ruse as he hides within the Nazis in order to bring them down. He is strong-willed, as is seen throughout and particularly in the last segment of the book, always hoping that he will be reunited with the woman he loves. While there may be an imbalance in that love between the two characters, the reader can surely feel the connection throughout the parallel plots as they develop. The story itself is strong and uses Second World War history and some of the less familiar angles to keep things from becoming too predictable. Saffron’s seeking to penetrate the Nazis is as intriguing as it is unpredictable, while Gerhard seems more passive in his attempts to weaken the military might for which he fights. The handful of worthwhile secondary characters do well to push the story forward, particularly as to go to either support or suppress our aforementioned protagonists. I can only hope that the reader will see some of the vilification that I did throughout the book, from actual Nazi officers as well as those who support National Socialism in other domains. The narrative kept a good pace, giving the reader action throughout. However, with unnumbered, lengthy chapters, some segments seemed to stretch out without that literary breath that invigorates a stellar story. Let’s be glad the Courtneys are back in fine form.
Kudos, Messrs. Smith and Churchill, for returning the Courtney saga to its rightful place with a strong novel. I can only hope this will continue, as you boasted, Mr. Smith, in your recently published memoir that you loves this series with all your heart.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
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