The Partisan: The explosive debut thriller for fans of Robert Harris and Charles Cumming

£9.9
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The Partisan: The explosive debut thriller for fans of Robert Harris and Charles Cumming

The Partisan: The explosive debut thriller for fans of Robert Harris and Charles Cumming

RRP: £99
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£9.9 FREE Shipping

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Her father used to say that with mushrooms, as with people, a skirt was a sign of impending danger.”

The style of writing is strange in parts For example, “her eyes were a dramatic shade of green, with a hint of the Central Asian steppes in them”. And there’s more: “Michael leaned in so close to the girl that he could hear her eyelashes when she blinked”. Sure, spies may have supernatural powers but … De flaptekst ( die ik normaal nooit lees) deed me uitkijken naar een spannend verhaal. Het liefdesverhaal van Yulia en Michael, twee tieners elk aan een andere zijde van het IJzeren Gordijn, die elkaar leren kennen via een schaaktornooi in Londen. Vasili, de grootste spion van de Sovjet-Unie blijkt één van hun trouwe bon There are numerous threads and characters that slowly begin to connect with each other, but they may prove to be a challenge for readers to keep up with, so attention to detail is essential to understanding the various twists and events that unfold. Young Michael Fitzgerald secures a place at King's College, Cambridge, a talented chess player, he falls in love with a true chessmaster, the Russian Yulia Forsheva, at a London tournament. Her powerful mother, Anna's position become markedly more precarious when it is assumed that Yulia's father, Sergei, has defected. The difficult Romeo and Juliet relationship is facilitated by Vassily, an adept spymaster caught up in the divisions, intrigue, and machinations taking place within the Politburo, and the deadly European ambitions of Maxim Karpov. The connecting parts of the narrative conclude with a nail biting finale set in Valencia, can the horrors of a European catastrophe be averted? Lastly, for this criticism, it's fair enough that it was Russia that the West was fighting during the Cold War, but the West weren't exactly blameless in that particular shite sandwich, were they?! In the Soviet Union, if you get tired of reality, a new one will come along and replace it. Every new leader ushers in a glorious new past.’

First thing that caught my attention was the name. Partisans were the freedom fighters of Lithuania, during German and Soviet occupation. Greta, the Partisan of the title, is a merciless killer who learnt her trade in the forests of Lithuania during the Second World War. She is on a mission to avenge the atrocities carried out during and after the war, hunting down Nazi and Soviet war criminals, and a British traitor. Her search is deeply personal in nature and it is her need for revenge that is at the heart of the narrative. Lithuania was independent, was taken over by the Soviets, then by the Nazis. As the Nazis weakened, the Soviets moved in again, treating the country like just another pawn on their chessboard. In his current position, Karpov has plans for Europe. Vassily has plans to thwart him, while Greta plans to destroy him. Yulia’s parents will also be caught up in this plot, as will Michael’s father.

Worrall slaagt er voortreffelijk in om de drie plots te verweven tot een ingenieus spionageverhaal. Hij springt tussen verschillende tijdzones en personages. Door stukje bij beetje prijs te geven van het verleden van elk personage begrijp je dat oorlog zo verschillend kan impacteren. Het geheim van dit spel is dat je in andermans schoenen moet staan. Je overweegt altijd wat je tegenstander wil’ En toch…. blijft het verhaal boeien. Dat komt gedeeltelijk door de personages maar ook omdat je wilt weten wat er aan de hand is en of de hoofdpersonages het zullen overleven. De personages zijn voldoende tot leven gekomen en vooral Vasili blijkt diepere gronden en motieven te hebben. Zijn achtergrond en kwaliteiten zijn dusdanig dat ze de nieuwsgierigheid van de lezer vasthouden. The Partisan impresses with the breadth of its scope and its seemingly accurate depiction of the various historical events that it covers. There is also a great deal of poignancy and sadness in Worrall’s portrayal of the horrors of war and the brutality of the Soviet Union in the early 1960s. The characters are fulsome and credible, and very engaging.Een andere verwijzing naar het schaken is de naam van een van de slechteriken. Karpov was ooit een beroemde schaker, maar er gingen ook geruchten over zijn betrekkingen met de Russische geheime dienst. Of dat waar is, is onbekend.

Dr. Zhivago meets James Bond in [this] ambitious debut. . . . Fans of intricate Cold War–era spy thrillers will be enthralled.”— Publishers Weekly , Starred Review Immersive, intriguing, and intelligent - incredibly impressive, up there with the best in the genre' Lee Child

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Ook het gevoel van het beloofde spannende spionagespel blijft enigszins achterwege. Dat is mede te wijten aan het vele gespring tussen personages en tijden. Dit -en het verhaal uit de voorgaande alinea- geeft het verhaal een chaotisch tintje. Het roept de vraag op waar het plot heen gaat. Is er wel een richting? En waarom vertelt Greta haar verhaal in 2004 maar is de epiloog gesitueerd in 1966? Verwarring alom. If Sergei had something big and he’s taken it to one of the capitalist countries, we’ve got a problem. Like suddenly the machine isn’t playing with chess pieces, it’s playing with Germany and Poland. Figuring out all the moves. What chance would our senile generals have against that?’” Het gerucht ging dat de naam de indruk moest wekken dat er een netwerk van geheim agenten bestond, allemaal genoemd naar schaakstukken’ Now, the scene is set, fascist fanatics and lunatic Nazi's are torturing and murdering across most of the continent and beyond, but who does the author choose to become his novel's baddies? Yeah! You guessed it, THE RUSSIANS!



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