![]() The romantic sub-plot (or can I say sub-plots in the plural without heading into spoiler territory) really hooked me in too. Today, and in 2005 when the modern day part of the story is set, it is probably difficult for most modern Britons to imagine circumstances in which we would have felt justified in leaking secrets to the Soviet Union, but putting hindsight to one side I was able to sympathize with why Joan did what she did. One of the best things about Red Joan is that it devotes quite a lot of attention to motive. ![]() more her side to betray their country of origin. Review 2: John le Carre's Smiley novels are masterpieces of the espionage genre, but my possibly faulty recollection of the one or two I have read (as opposed to experiencing in dramatic form) is that they can make it all seem like a game, with little attention given to what motivates people on eit. The novel goes back and forth from present day to the 1940s, but it's the earlier times that are so interesting from an historical perspective. Rather than being a 'spy thriller', it instead focuses on the why-how a naive and easily manipulated girl can be convinced to pass along atomic secrets. ![]() Review 1: Based on the true story of a 85 year old British grandmother accused of being a soviet spy 60 years earlier in WWII, this novel is both an entertaining and interesting read. ![]()
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