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A review by duffypratt
The Polish Officer by Alan Furst
4.0
I've been reading so many big, clunky books recently that I'm somewhat at a loss when I hit upon a writer who is both clean and efficient. This type of writing definitely lies outside the norm for me now, and I have to say that I find myself wondering why. Maybe its just that it's so much harder to find a writer with this kind of skill.
I thought this book was a slight step up from his first two books, but I have a hard time putting my finger on exactly why. I think it comes down to this: instead of being relentlessly bleak, this book has hopeful development to it. The main character goes from being certain of his impending death to gradually coming to terms with the possibility that he actually might survive the war. And, while continuing to fight, embracing that possibility makes him extremely heroic.
The other aspects of the book are all solid: the research, the atmosphere, the secondary characters. Furst is really a fine writer, and he is the undisputed dean of the Eastern European WW2 Spy novel. I'm looking forward to reading more by him, but I don't want to race through. I've done that with other authors I've enjoyed, and then there's nothing else... This time around, I think I will hold off on reading the next book until I need something clean, efficient, and heroic -- if a bit bleak.
I thought this book was a slight step up from his first two books, but I have a hard time putting my finger on exactly why. I think it comes down to this: instead of being relentlessly bleak, this book has hopeful development to it. The main character goes from being certain of his impending death to gradually coming to terms with the possibility that he actually might survive the war. And, while continuing to fight, embracing that possibility makes him extremely heroic.
The other aspects of the book are all solid: the research, the atmosphere, the secondary characters. Furst is really a fine writer, and he is the undisputed dean of the Eastern European WW2 Spy novel. I'm looking forward to reading more by him, but I don't want to race through. I've done that with other authors I've enjoyed, and then there's nothing else... This time around, I think I will hold off on reading the next book until I need something clean, efficient, and heroic -- if a bit bleak.