The World at Night: A Novel

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From Alan Furst, the author of such spy novels as Dark Star, Night Soldiers, and The Polish Officer, comes The World at Night. Set in Paris just following the fall of France to Germany in 1940, the book tracks film producer Jean Casson, a hard-core denizen of Paris nightlife. The Nazi occupation brings with it shortages, travel restrictions, and the petty humiliations of life under the German occupiers. But it offers Casson the chance for a comfortable life as a collaborator. Instead, he opts to take part in an ill-considered espionage plot, along the way rekindling an old and passionate romance with Citrine, a beautiful actress.

Book Description

Paris, 1940. The civilized, upper-class life of film producer Jean Casson is derailed by the German occupation of Paris, but Casson learns that with enough money, compromise, and connections, one need not deny oneself the pleasures of Parisian life. Somewhere inside Casson, though, is a stubborn romantic streak. When he’s offered the chance to take part in an operation of the British secret service, this idealism gives him the courage to say yes. A simple mission, but it goes wrong, and Casson realizes he must gamble everything—his career, the woman he loves, life itself. Here is a brilliant re-creation of France—its spirit in the moment of defeat, its valor in the moment of rebirth.

Customer Reviews:

The Debasement of Wartime France.......2006-10-16

One character in "The World at Night" sums it up the best: "One had a few friends, but mostly people were meant to be used, one way or another, and if you weren't born knowing that you had better learn it somewhere along the way." This sort of cynicism typifies the Paris of this novel, where almost everyone is trying to go along to get along, cherishing black market goods and making deals, as necessary, with the Germans to survive. After French soldiers run (and officers drive!) in flight from Wehrmacht troops, idealists, or even patriots, are in short supply. From LeHavre to the Spanish border, corruption permeates half-occupied, half-Vichy, wartime France.

This novel is thus somewhat different from Furst's prior works. For one thing, the hero is neither soldier nor spy, but a film producer reluctantly drawn into the action for ambiguous reasons. Although initially more interested in skirt-chasing, Jean Casson discovers within himself a deep sense of patriotism. When asked to take part in a mission run by the British secret service, he finds himself at odds with the Gestapo and forced to conceal parts of his life from compromised friends.

I agree with other reviewers who noted the flaws in this book. The flight from Gestapo headquarters, among other things, does not ring entirely true. However, Alan Furst's unmatched description of wartime Paris and the heft and complexity he gives to even minor characters more than compensate for any shortcomings.

The accidental spy.......2006-10-10

This is only my second Alan Furst book (after BLOOD OF VICTORY), and it brings me closer to understanding why my friends rave about him. The setting is Paris in the first year of the occupation. Furst clearly knows the city, its life, and its people, but what he does best goes well beyond the local color of the occasional French phrase and out-of-the-way locations. By allowing himself generous time to establish the social milieu before the spy story really kicks in, he excellently captures how it must have FELT to be a French professional living through the outbreak of war, the first abortive fighting, and the changing attitudes of the Parisians to the occupiers in their midst. I tend to believe this more than any of the several books about the resistance I have read lately.

The hero is Jean-Claude Casson, a fortyish movie producer, ex-husband, and prodigal lover. His position and relative affluence give him a greater ease of movement than most of his compatriots, and he finds himself respected even by his German contacts. So when people begin to approach him for special favors, he sort of slides into agreement. Before he (or the reader) fully knows it, he has become a part-time agent, recruited by both sides, learning to live by a new code of honor. He is not asked to do much, and what he does do seems relatively simple. There are a few close shaves, but little apparent danger or narrative suspense; in a way, it all seems almost easy. But I think this is probably also true to life, in that such adventures might well start by seeming insignificant until luck runs out; the almost-casual quality of the book is one of its strongest aspects.

Somebody remarked on this site that Furst has a cinematic eye; he writes film noir scenes and romances, the same genre as Casson's movies. The noir quality is beautifully reinforced by the physical presentation of this book, whose cover features period photographs by André Kertész and Brassai and has carefully designed typography. The romance, unfortunately, is less successful; there is little sense that Jean-Claude's return to a former love, the once-great actress Citrine, is significantly different from his other amours -- at least until it comes to matter. By then, one can take it as a given, but not truly feel it. So the subtly ambiguous ending of the book, which largely depends on the strength of this commitment, is not quite as satisfying as it might have been. But it is a small failing in an otherwise fine novel.

Not Conrad.......2006-09-02

A nice try. The setting - an aging chemical tanker bodes well. The plot - if there is one is diffuse. This novel wins the prize for most use of the f- word per page.

I MOSTLY LIKED IT A LOT UNTIL THE END.......2006-08-28

Furst is always interesting in my opinion, and having just come back from a trip to Paris, I was eager to read a Furst novel that takes place there. The recreation of Paris during the German occupation was very well done, I thought, and I liked the fact that Casson was a film producer because I think that makes for interesting reading. What didn't work for me was his relationship with Citrine - I didn't think Furst prepared us properly for how important the relationship became to Casson. And as far as the ending goes, talk about mailing it in. What happened - did the editors at Random House contact Alan on vacation in Provence and tell him his manuscript was late and to just send them all he had, even if it wasn't complete? That's certainly how I was left feeling. Oh, well. It doesn't diminish my enthusiasm for Alan Furst - just leaves me shaking my head a little.

Only too little known recent history brillantly told.......2006-07-24

A spy story used as a pretext or background for a fascinating -and sometimes frightening - brilliant book.

Average customer rating:

Historical Novel About Eastern Europe From Pre WWII to the end of The War
A Disapointing Read
Deeply satisfying human drama
The panorama of wartime intrigue
Night Soldiers: A novel

Night Soldiers: A Novel
Alan Furst
Manufacturer: Random House Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0375760008
Release Date: 2002-07-09

Book Description

Bulgaria, 1934. A young man is murdered by the local fascists. His brother, Khristo Stoianev, is recruited into the NKVD, the Soviet secret intelligence service, and sent to Spain to serve in its civil war. Warned that he is about to become a victim of Stalin’s purges, Khristo flees to Paris. Night Soldiers masterfully re-creates
the European world of 1934–45: the struggle between Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia for Eastern Europe, the last desperate gaiety of the beau monde in 1937 Paris, and guerrilla operations with the French underground in 1944. Night Soldiers is a scrupulously researched panoramic novel, a work on a grand scale.

Customer Reviews:

Historical Novel About Eastern Europe From Pre WWII to the end of The War.......2007-08-10

The author writes very authoritatively and realisticially about events leading up to WWII beginning in 1934 and continuing till the end of the war. The main character was Khristo Stoianev, a young Bulgarian whose younger brother was murdered by a group of local fascists. Khristo was recruited into the NKVD and subsequently sent to Spain as an agent. He began to become disillusioned with Soviet politics and moved to Paris to try to live a normal life as a waiter. But, once involved in espionage it's not easy to break away. He was imprisioned as a result of a purge. But released by a Priest. He was thus free to return to his homeland and attempt along the way to cause problems for both the Germans and Russians. The key message I got from the interesting read was how the original idealism faded away with reality. A worthwhile read.

A Disapointing Read.......2007-05-13

Based on the good reviews from Amazon readers, I was really looking forward to this novel. Unfortunately, it is very long winded and boring. I resorted to skimming the text just to get through with the book.

Deeply satisfying human drama .......2007-02-22

Alan Furst's Night Soldiers, takes us first to 1934 Bulgaria, where 19-year-old Khristo Stoianev witnesses his younger brother being beaten to death by local fascists simply for being a smart-aleck. As a result, Khristo allows himself to be recruited to go to Moscow and train with the NKVD, the Soviet spy service.

Though intelligent and thoughtful, Khristo has almost no real power over his own life. Instead, he is buffeted through the conflicts of his time, serving the Soviet cause in the Spanish Civil War, struggling to find love and dignity in pre-war Paris, and surrendering to the inevitability of fighting the Germans as part of the French Resistance. Finally taking a gamble on the meaning of friendship and his past, he journeys through the heart of eastern Europe to help an old friend and perhaps regain his own humanity.

Night Soldiers is episodic in plot, with each episode in Khristo's life only loosely linked to that which came before. Through no fault of his own, Khristo seldom drives the events of the story, and is instead often the victim of the unseen forces of history. The book's central weakness is that the many people who touch Khristo's life are not nearly as well defined as they should be, robbing the story of some of the emotional impact that it could have had.

Yet Night Soldiers is a superior book. I'm not familiar enough with the period to know whether Furst made any historical boo-boos, but I doubt it. I felt deeply immersed in the real history and geography in each of the many different settings of the novel; I feel that if I traveled the Danube on a tugboat, I would see the shining mountains, river flotsam, and fishing villages at each turn of the river just as Khristo sees them on his final epic journey.

More importantly, Night Soldiers is deeply satisfying as a human drama. The exciting thriller aspects are certainly present, but they're secondary to the re-creation of one man's life emeshed in the great historical forces of the 20th century. Khristo seems real, one small human who finally stops trying to tell the good guys from the bad guys and simply puts it all on the line to be a decent human being.

The panorama of wartime intrigue.......2006-11-25

The first in Alan Furst's series of novels about ordinary people caught up in intrigues and espionage before and during WWII, NIGHT SOLDIERS is one of the longest of these books and often characterized as one of the best. The canvas is truly immense, encompassing village life in Bulgaria, France, and Bessarabia, not to mention Moscow, Seville, Madrid, Paris, New York, Prague, Budapest, and even life along the Danube. At the same time, Furst's command of fine historical and character detail is precise and thorough; it seems literally incredible that he knows so much about so many countries during a time in which he never lived. There are times when the novel becomes as berserk as a Hieronymous Bosch painting, given that there's not much really to tie everything together other than the central character of Khristo Stoiaev, a Bulgarian recruited to spy for the NKVD, the Maquis, and finally the OSS; the early sequences involving Khristo's training in the USSR are a bit dreary, and the final sequence along the Danube does seem to wear on quite a bit. The middle sections of the novel in revolutionary Spain, Paris on the eve of invasion, and the French countryside during the Occupation are absolutely engrossing, however, making the novel as a whole difficult to put down. I recommend this especially for readers interested in what it was like for non-military combatants to survive the second World War.

Night Soldiers: A novel.......2006-11-17

This is my third Furst novel while it has gotten great reviews from others I don't believe this is the best of the series but still good.

What I greatly enjoy about all of Furst novels set in this time period, just before and during the early days of WWII in Europe, is Furst puts a real human face on the average people of Western Europe, He clearly shows the confushion and denial among both the Western governments and their people as fascism took hold in Europe.

Furst's are worth reading as we debate our own "pre-war" and "early war days" in the first major conflict of the 21st Century.

The Armies of the Night: History as a Novel, the Novel as History

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The Novel as History, Indeed
Maybe You Had To Be There...
Great style, but is it really a novel in any sense?
At war with oneself
The novelist as central actor on the stage of history

The Armies of the Night: History as a Novel, the Novel as History
Norman Mailer
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Historiography | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0452272793

Customer Reviews:

The Novel as History, Indeed.......2007-01-26

On March 17, 2007 various anti-Iraq War forces will converge on the Pentagon to oppose the war and to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the original protest (and `levitation' according to some sources then such as Abbie Hoffman) of that symbol of American imperialism during the Vietnam War. Whether such a celebration is called for under the circumstances of the Iraq anti-war movement's continuing failure stop this war it is nevertheless fitting that Norman Mailer's Armies of the Night be reviewed with that upcoming event in mind.

Mailer attempted then, as he did several times later in his literary career in works like St. George and the Dragon, to work with new fictional tropes in order to enhance the value of the serious novel which was then as now in some decline. He took the original notes that he made at that first Pentagon event and wrote two forms of the story, one seemingly fictional and the other based on his first-hand impressions as a participant in a historical event. At the time this device had some novelty attached to it although he never achieved the mastery of the concept that Dr. Hunter Thompson was able to do under his concept of `gonzo' journalism. In any case for those anti-war history buffs or those who want to remember a small slice of the 1960's Mailer's history as a novel should hit the spot. Whatever philosophical differences one might have with the man or unsureness of the aptness of his various literary devices one thing is always truw. He sure as hell can write. Read on.

Maybe You Had To Be There..........2006-08-15

I read Armies of the Night for a graduate school class. I found this novel/history very difficult to read. I would sometimes find myself reading a page over three times before I could get anything out of it. It was inaccessible, frustrating, and in short order I felt great hostility bordering on hatred for the author. For example, early in the book Mailer announces to a room full of people that he had just urinated all over the restroom floor when he could find neither the light switch nor the urinal. He is inebriated at the time. Perhaps he intended this to be a humorous revelation, I thought it was obnoxious.

Another example of Mailer's ego, is when he states early in the book that he is "probably willing to die" for the anti-war cause. This is revealed as macho swagger because at the moment of truth, Mailer is unwilling to even do a paltry five days in jail for the cause. He complains about the conditions in jail; he can't shave and his clothes get dirty. I thought the authorities were generous to provide everyone a bed to sleep in, as well as meals, coffee, and reading material but this was apparently insufficient for Mr. Mailer as he finds fault with all of it.

The book gets better when we leave Mailer's personal experience and are finally permitted to learn something about the brave young men and women who made up the heart of the protest. Some of the protesters spent the night in the cold outside the Pentagon, some were beaten by the guards, and others had water poured on them while they were sleeping. Unfortunately this part of the book is much briefer than Mailer's narrative.

For me, this book is ruined by Mailer's self-important posturing. If the author's goal was to make readers hate him, I think he succeeded. I have utterly no idea why this book won a Pulitzer Prize. Perhaps it is an example of the adage "you had to be there." I have read Mailer's other Pulitzer Prize winner, The Executioner's Song, and I liked it. This book however, was awful.

Great style, but is it really a novel in any sense?.......2005-07-21

I'm not going to try to answer my own question. I will say that this is an interesting look at the 67 march from Mailer's perspective. The section on the development of the march itself and the organizers was very informative, as was the section entitled "Why are we in Vietnam?" (a clear reference to Mailer's previous novel, which was criticized for not answering the question clearly enough.

The analysis of the changing liberalism in the US is also quite good. Overall, there is no plot. And Mailer's attempts to avoid even the most minor suffering are laughable especially when held against the suffering of the Vietnamese and the US soldiers enlisted to fight a meandering war.

Reading the book in 2005, however, gives the book great significance. It's clear that liberals write books and conservatives work in politics. And unfortunately, neither side listens to the other very closely.

Mailer's style in this book is very fast and pulled me through the first section quickly. Things slow down in the second section, but not because the subject matter is slower. Mailer clearly wanted to switch styles (and even talks about how he prides himself on changing styles with every work).

Anyway. Enjoy it for the connections to 2005 America, but remember that Mailer is...Mailer. And he loves to talk about himself and how important he is to everyone around him.

At war with oneself.......2005-07-17

Most interesting to me, being a rather apolitical person, was the way Mailer described his "image" as a being completely outside of himself, and how the character "Mailer" in the book can be seen as his image, while the Narrator can be seen as the real Mailer. Mailer is an enjoyable author to read, as his utterly opinionated and iconoclastic personality cannot be kept apart from his subject matter, a fact that is all the more true for ARMIES OF THE NIGHT. I was surprised how much self-awareness he actually possesses... writing in the third person allowed him to step outside himself and observe some of his more unusual personality traits. I also enjoyed the books BARK OF THE DOGWOOD and the new novel KITE RUNNER-----that is, if you're looking for something really different and great to read.

The novelist as central actor on the stage of history .......2004-10-31

The novelist places himself in center stage. He writes of the March on Washington in protest of the Vietnam War as if he were a major character. He writes with a great sweep and strength almost as if he had recaptured the power once present when he wrote his first published novel. But of course there is no way he cannot let his own generous capacity for grandiose grandstanding not come into the picture. Still all things considered it is no doubt one of his best books. And it is one which gives a broad- lens picture of the Anti- War movements various components .
Mailer is very good here, and the book does record a moment in the history of the great republic. But it is necessary to be wary of the author's various theories of power in American life.
This is a man who can write so wonderfully at times, but is also capable of tremendous nonsense.
Let the reader judge where this is outstanding, and where it should never have been written.

Average customer rating:

4 1/2 Stars...Entertaining and Enlightening
Couldn't put it down!
awesome
Excellent Read!
Hate Reading

Blue Night (Winter Passing Trilogy #2)
Cindy McCormick Martinusen
Manufacturer: Tyndale House Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0842352368

Book Description

An epic story of a woman's search for her missing husband. A mysterious blue tile is a clue that takes her search back to World War II Austria. This beautifully written novel will endear readers to the fresh voice of rising new author Cindy McCormick Martinusen.

Customer Reviews:

4 1/2 Stars...Entertaining and Enlightening.......2003-09-20

Martinusen writes with confidence in this sequel to "Winter Passing." She paints believable characters, beautiful landscapes, and conflicts that aren't oversimplified. Although the book stands alone, the tie-ins to the previous novel are well handled.

The story starts with a heart-rending hook: Kate Porter's husband disappears during their trip to Venice. The only evidence of any wrongdoing is a broken blue tile. Three years later, she has no answers and is going on with her life. Soon, Kate is dragged into a plot that involves family secrets and national sins. The search for the truth will lead her back to Europe and the heart of the Nazi evil.

I had two complaints while reading. First, on the trivial side, the city of Corvalis (Kate's hometown) is actually spelled "Corvallis." I lived near there, so this inaccuracy tripped me up throughout. Second, the meaning of the blue tiles was anticlimactic and felt forced. Still, this is a story that is so much stronger than those issues and deserves to be read for entertainment and enlightenment both.

"Blue Night" has its dark side, but it won't leave you feeling blue. I can't wait to read the third book, "North of Tomorrow."

Couldn't put it down!.......2003-01-11

Set in Oregon, California, Venice and Austria, Cindy Martinusen's wonderful book, Blue Night, is a compelling, suspenseful read, the next in the Winter Passing trilogy.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. Kate Porter's plight as she attempts to put her life in some sort of meaningful order after the disappearance of her husband, Jack, was a heart-tugger. She was all that a heroine needed to be: tender, brave, frightened and adventureous. I loved coming alongside Kate, walking with her as she tried to find Jack and solve the mystery. Since I didn't want it to end, it made me happy that one more book in the trilogy was yet to come.

Be sure to consider Cindy's books when you are looking for a good read. They are terrific!

awesome.......2002-12-03

I thought this was a great book. I loved it and I would recomend it. I hate it when I'm reading and the book is totally predictable, but this book wasn't at all, and that's what kept me reading. I also liked how it has stuff in there about God.

Excellent Read!.......2002-10-26

I read the first book, Winter Passing, about a year ago. I picked this one up recently and didn't put it down until I was finished! I look forward to many more books from this author.

Hate Reading.......2002-01-14

This book was the best book I have ever read. I picked it up for a book report for my Church History class. I had 3 days to read it, and because it was so good, it wasn't that hard. The way she rights is very good. Kate Porter was a great character and so was Lukas. If you are even debating getting this, get it! You'll love it.

Arabian Night's Entertainments (Oxford World's Classics)

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Buyer Beware

Arabian Night's Entertainments (Oxford World's Classics)

Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192834797

Book Description

No other edition offers extensive textual apparatus such as explanatory notes, plot summaries, particularly vital as stories are complex and interwoven. The Sultan Schahriar's misguided resolution to shelter himself from the possible infidelities on his wives leads to an outbreak of barbarity in his kingdoms and a reign of terror in his court, stopped only by the resourceful Scheherazade. The tales with which Scheherazade nightly postpones the muderous intent of the sultan have entered our language and our lives like no other collection of narratives before or since. Sinbad, Aladdin, Ali Baba: all make their spectacular entrance on to the stage of English literary history in the Arabian Nights Entertainments (1704-17). The stories contained in this `store house of ingenious fiction' initiate a pattern of literary reference and influence which today remains as powerful and intense as it was throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This edition reproduces in its entirety the earliest English translation of the French orientalist Antoine Galland's Mille et une Nuits. This remained for over a century the only English translation of the story cycle, influencing an incalculable number of writers, and no other edition offers the complete text supplemented by full textual apparatus.

Customer Reviews:

Buyer Beware.......2007-06-19

The publisher's description of this book is misleading. The translation dates from 1706-1721 but has been typographically modernized (e.g., long "s" that looks like "f" has been replaced). The blather about "textual apparatus" sounds scholarly but amounts to a few pages of notes, an appendix containing plot summaries of the selections represented in this translation, a glossary of foreign terms, and an index. The introduction is plodding, patched together from other introductions, and tendentious.

Example: "For [Scheherazade] ... story-telling is nothing less than a matter of life and death. Again and again in the collection we encounter individuals whose lives depend upon the responses of their listeners to their tales. If, in the frame story which structures the entire body of narratives, for example, Scheherazade fails to persuade the sultan Schahriar to rescind his pledge to execute each of his new wives on the morning following their marriage, she will not only forfeit her own life, but effectively will be Schahriar's accomplice in sentencing an untold number of young women to a similar fate." The heroine's failure would make her an accomplice in murder? I think not. The point of the frame story is that she does indeed succeed in delaying Schahriar's demented vengeance and ultimately cures him of his psychopathy. Whether this is realistic is beside the point: it's a story.

The translation in this edition was extensively bowdlerized, making funny, bawdy, and fairly raw stories suitable for reading by gentlewomen of early 18th century England. This translation of the French Galland translation (1704-1721) from the Arabic has historical interest as the most widely available version of the "Nights" in English throughout the 18th century, but if you are looking for a good, honest translation of these wonderful stories, this is not it. I suggest the translation by Husain Haddawy, which is varied, strange, and wonderful, but not for the squeamish.

Jack Higgins: Three Complete Novels: The Eagle Has Landed; The Eagle Has Flown; Night of the Fox

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A great bargain to read all 3 best sellers!

Jack Higgins: Three Complete Novels: The Eagle Has Landed; The Eagle Has Flown; Night of the Fox
Jack Higgins
Manufacturer: Wings
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Spy Stories & Tales of Intrigue | Thrillers | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0517101815
Release Date: 1994-04-23

Customer Reviews:

A great bargain to read all 3 best sellers!.......2001-12-19

I have read all three super thrillers by Jack Higgins. He is truly the master of WWII intrigue/espionage fiction. His books propell you to great climax in each story here! Read one a month! UNDOWNPUTABLE!

Average customer rating:

thanks MR . Asiner for ruining the plot
awakening Vincent in flames
Big disappointment after enjoying the film....
Thank you Mr. Asiner
Night of the Generals: Out of Time--Out of Place

Night of the Generals: A Novel
Hans Hellmut , and Hans Kirst
Manufacturer: Cassell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Night of the Generals

ASIN: 0304361887

Book Description

A Polish prostitute is murdered in Warsaw in 1942. The possible suspects are narrowed down to three German generals, but the investigation eventually comes to nothing. A similar crime happens in Paris in 1944 when all three generals are assembled once more - but again the investigations are halted by the famous 'night of the generals' - the coup against Hitler. Then, in 1956, a third murder occurs in Dresden. This time the killer must be caught...

Customer Reviews:

thanks MR . Asiner for ruining the plot.......2007-07-26

I am am currently reading the novel. I came to the review section to see what others were saying. the FIRST review I read gives away the ENTIRE plot line. Thanks for ruining a good book.

awakening Vincent in flames.......2007-04-01

Gabler, Kahlenberge, Tanz. A cold blood trail from Warsaw to Paris, and later on back to Fatherland. The inner demons eclipse the surreal nightmare that created them.

Big disappointment after enjoying the film...........2006-01-13

Whenever I enjoy a movie based on a successful book, I am excited to give the original a read. It's usually better! PRINCE OF TIDES...OF HUMAN BONDAGES...and many others.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for me with this one. Especially as a fan of historical fiction, I'd been looking forward to an engrossing thriller but I was tremendously disappointed. It just couldn't hold my attention.

I suspect this is a case where it would have been better to read the book first!

Thank you Mr. Asiner.......2004-06-18

Would someone please explain to Mr. Asiner that the point of a review is to give one's opinion as to whether or not the book is good; not to give away ever single bit of the plot, including the ending! No reason to buy this book now after reading his "review". I bet the author and publisher are happy about that.

Night of the Generals: Out of Time--Out of Place.......2002-06-26

The Second World War has produced many different kinds of novels, but the detective novel has not often been the case. In NIGHT OF THE GENERALS, Hans Hellmut Kirst tells of a German general who uses his position to kill women as if he were a Teutonic Jack the Ripper. The problem with writing a murder mystery using the deaths of millions as a backdrop is that the reader is forced to face an unsettling question: what is the value of one human life taken in murder when millions more are taken during battle?
General Tanz is the Nazi general who likes to slice up [hookers]. After he commits a few murders, one police officer, Major Grau, begins to suspect him, but lacks the proof needed to accuse a general. When Grau does get the proof, Tanz has him arrested and executed. All this detective work takes place before and after the plot on Hitler's life in 1944. Tanz survives the war only to continue his killing in the Soviet bloc countries. Another policeman, a friend of Grau's, picks up the chase, and brings with him a witness to Tanz's murders. Faced with the publicity of being accused a serial killer, the general commits suicide.
This book is the classic cat-and-mouse novel, with the suspect revealed from the very first chapter. The power of the book lies in whether the general or the police will triumph. However, it is unavoidable to consider how one life figures into the bigger scheme of things while a world war is raging. Concepts such as truth, justice, personal responsibility, and accountability form the philosophical underpinning. By the time, the reader gets to the end, he can see that the death of one woman still counts for something even while mass craziness is being perpetrated on millions of others.

All Through the Night (Classic Collection (Howard Fiction))

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Groan!!!
Great Christian Novel
All Through the Night
All Through the Night

All Through the Night (Classic Collection (Howard Fiction))
Grace L. Hill
Manufacturer: Howard Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1416535942

Book Description

Threatened by the greed and duplicity of a hostile world, young and lovely Dale Huntley's greatest sorrow is that her beloved is at war -- and that he might never return. But in her darkest hour, Dale's deep faith and gentle love begin to change her self-centered family, and a hope begins to build in her heart that maybe love can truly triumph over all.

Customer Reviews:

Groan!!!.......2005-08-17

I know the basic premise of this book was good, that God can take all things difficult and painful and work them together for good BUT the first two hundred pages of the book were of spoiled, obnoxious relatives, it was very tedious to read it over and over as Dale perfectly submitted to the trial. I guess it is definitely a matter of taste because I loved the Gold Shoe, while some disliked it for the obnoxious relative that came to stay, I found that book delightful and skillfully woven with the Mother's growth as she sought the Lord in it. This book is like a long drawn out dose of castor oil!!

Great Christian Novel.......2001-09-08

This novel is inspiring as is all Grace Livingston Hill novels. It makes you realize how God touches everyone and how he is so amazing.

All Through the Night.......2000-03-29

I've read this book time and time again, and every time, I like it more. The main character is a girl by the name of Dale whose grandmother has just died. Right in the middle of her grief, several of her relatives arrive. Rather than caring about her, these rude, obnoxious and unfeeling people have no reason for being there except to get money that was supposedly left to them. At this same time, Dale's beloved leaves to go to war, and this is one of the things that carries her through the trying times ahead. No matter what her family says or does to her, she has the memory of her beloved across the sea, who is waiting patiently to be allowed to return to her. And through it all, her Savior carries her through all of her trials, so that she never returns hurt for hurt, even when her heart seems to be breaking. Maybe, when its all through, her selfish family will actually see something in her that they don't have, and maybe they'll change because of it.

All Through the Night.......2000-03-29

I have read this book several times, and I enjoy it more every time. The story is about a girl whose grandmother has just died, and in the midst of her grief, unwelcome relatives arrive. As unfeeling, rude, and obnoxious as they act, the girl does not return wrong for wrong. Through it all, she has the memory of her Savior who will bring her through every trial that comes along, and also, that there is a young man somewhere who loves her. Knowing that her beloved is across the ocean, at war, and waiting to return to her, and that her Savior loves and cares for her is just what she needs to carry her through it all. And just maybe, her relatives will see something in her, that they've never seen in anyone else, and maybe they can change, too.

Céline: Journey to the End of the Night (Landmarks of World Literature)

Average customer rating:

Helpful Guide to Great Lit

Céline: Journey to the End of the Night (Landmarks of World Literature)
John Sturrock
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

European | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Journey to the End of the Night (New Directions Paperbook)

ASIN: 0521378540

Book Description

This textbook series is ambitious in scope. It provides concise and lucid introductions to major works of world literature from classical antiquity to the twentieth century. It is not confined to any single literary tradition or genre, and will cumulatively form a substantial library of textbooks on some of the most important and widely read literary masterpieces. Each book is devoted to a single work and provides a close reading of that text, as well as a full account of its historical, cultural, and intellectual background, a discussion of its influence, and a guide to further reading. The contributors to the series give full consideration to the linguistic issues raised by each text, and, within the overall framework of the series, are given complete freedom in the choice of their critical method. Where the text is written in a language other than English, full account is taken of readers studying the text in English translation. While critical jargon is avoided, important technical terminology is fully explained and thus this series will be genuinely accessible to students at all levels and to general readers.

Customer Reviews:

Helpful Guide to Great Lit.......2000-06-09

This is a rare find, because it concentrates on a book by Celine. Hailing 'Journey' as a masterpiece, the book analyzes the key components and the picaresque adventures of Bardamu. Good companion.

Forests of the Night: A Johnny Hawke Novel (Johnny Hawke Novels)

Average customer rating:

A compelling read
an abosrbing read but not very atmospheric
fine 1940 England whodunit

Forests of the Night: A Johnny Hawke Novel (Johnny Hawke Novels)
David Stuart Davies
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Historical | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British Detectives | Mystery | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

General | Mystery & Thrillers | Subjects | Books

All Deals | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Literature & Fiction | Blowout Books | Stores | Books

Mystery & Thrillers | Blowout Books | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0312360002
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Book Description

Forests of the Night introduces the intrepid John Hawke, an exciting new detective operating in London during the Blitz.

When World War II breaks out in London, young policeman John Hawke enlists in the army. His dreams of fighting for his country, however, are cut short after he loses an eye in rifle training. Invalided out of the army and offered a desk job with the police, John sets up as a private investigator in London instead, hoping for excitement and danger.

In the autumn of 1940, John is engaged to investigate the mysterious death of a young woman. What is the connection between her brutal murder and the fading film actor Gordon Moore? Johnny also becomes involved in the plight of a runaway boy who may have witnessed something terrible.

Told with wit and humor, while evoking an atmospheric picture of the home front during the dark days of the Second World War, Forests of the Night is an impressive U.S. debut for David Stuart Davies.

Customer Reviews:

A compelling read.......2007-02-06

Author David Stuart Davies is the former editor of Sherlock, a crime fiction magazine and the author of several books on Sherlock Holmes. He edits the Crime Writers' Association magazine, Red Herrings.

If you love period mysteries and anything British, you'll be right at home with the novel, Forests of the Night.

In 1939, young John Hawke, a policeman, is preparing, as is most of Britain, to fight for his country in WWII. His plans change with one shot from a rifle during training. The gun explodes and he loses an eye. Not one to sit behind a desk, John leaves the police force and sets up shop, in London, as a private investigator.

In 1940, John is hired by a young woman's family to find her. Pamela Palfrey been missing for several months. John soon learns that the dowdy, plain girl her parents knew is not the same beautiful, promiscuous woman that others knew.

When Pamela's body is found, John decides that he must find her murderer. His investigation into her life as a 'star-struck' wannabe actress leads John to the fading film actor Gordon Moore. A chance meeting with a young runaway boy also is connected to Gordon Moore. The boy tugs at John's heart because of the parallels to John's own life.

This book is compelling. His dialogue is filled with dry humor and just sparse enough to evoke strong emotions from the reader. The characters are well developed--and you'll either like them or root for their downfall.

I hope that John Hawke will make a return appearance.

Armchair Interviews says: John Hawke is a welcome addition to the mystery scene.

an abosrbing read but not very atmospheric.......2007-01-26

A fan of the PBS series, "Foyle's War," I grabbed my copy of David Stuart Davies' "Forest of the Night," the first installment in a new series set in WWII London, featuring private detective Johnny Hawke, with high hopes. Were my expectations met? Yes, and no -- and I'm not being purposefully coy here. The mystery subplot made for a very absorbing and intriguing; however, the history bits -- period detail, atmosphere, etc. were a bit paper thin, and the language seemed a bit heavy and clunky at times. All in all, though, I was happy with "Forests of the Night."

When a jammed rifle causes ex-police constable Johnny Hawke to loose an eye and ends his grandiose plans of performing feats of glory for King and country, Johnny decides to use his detecting skills and become a private detective instead. Things start off slowly at first, that is until a rather dreary middle class couple, Mr. and Mrs. Palfrey hire Johnny to find their missing daughter. Plain and frumpish Pamela, who seemed to spend a lot of time daydreaming about film stars, had left home to move in with a girl friend, but now, Pamela seems to have disappeared. No one at her place of work seems to know where she has vanished to, and the girl that Pamela claimed she would be rooming with seems not to exist at all. Johnny starts his investigation immediately, and one of the first things he discovers is that Pamela was leading quite the double life -- remaining quiet and plain and frumpish for her parents, while blossoming into quite the glamour girl while at work. It is little wonder that Pamela decided to move out and leave no trace for her parents to track her down. Johnny thinks he knows what this case is all about, that is until this missing persons case suddenly becomes a case of murder and the list of suspects includes a well known film star. And even though the police have made a quick arrest, Johnny is quite sure that they have arrested the wrong person, and is determined to use all his detecting skills and ingenuity to nab the real killer...

"Forests of the Night" was a fairly quick and easy read. The plot wasn't too complicated and there were really very few plot twists, even though there were quite a few red herring suspects. Personally, I had anticipated a more complex plot and so was a little discombobulated by the straightforwardness of the novel. What I really missed though was the period details and atmosphere. Perhaps this was because I had "Foyle's War" at the back of my mind. This, of course, was not fair to David Stuart Davies and the book. However, while some of my expectations were unfairly laid on, I have to own that I did find the author's prose style to be heavy and clunky and jarring at times; and this really did not lend itself to very smooth reading. All in all though I would recommend "Forests of the Night" as an engaging 3 1/2 star read.

fine 1940 England whodunit .......2007-01-13

In 1939, Johnny Hawke left the London police force to enlist with the military. However, with only a couple of months as a soldier, his military career ended on English soil at Aldershot; during training Sergeant-Major Stock gave Johnny a rifle with an obstruction in the barrel that when the recruit fired it exploded in his face. He learns from Dr. Moorhouse at Aldershot General that the heat of the explosion destroyed his left eye.

Stunned as he is discharged from the military and knowing his previous vocation is no longer available for a freak like Johnny One-Eye, he becomes a private investigator as a means of making a living. He handles boring minor cases until Eric and Freda Palfrey hire him to find their missing twenty-seven years old daughter, Pamela. Hawke soon uncover the truth about Pamela that her parents were unaware of; she hid her high class prostitution business from her middle class family. Learning that leads Johnny to realize she was murdered probably by one of her customers. He begins to investigate the late Pamela's clientele to ascertain just who killed the high price prostitute.

Though the case may seem somewhat minor especially with WW II in full heat, readers will appreciate the first Johnny Hawke private investigation mystery that brings to life England while the hostilities are in the air and on the continent. Johnny's inquiries enable the audience to obtain a feel for how mostly Londoners were coping during their "finest hour" that seemed so bleak. The whodunit is fun to follow, but takes a back seat to the world of 1940 England.

Harriet Klausner

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