Blurb: It is 1939. Eva Delectorskaya is a beautiful 28-year-old Russian emigree living in Paris. As war breaks out she is recruited for the British Secret Service by Lucas Romer, a mysterious Englishman, and under his tutelage she learns to become the perfect spy, to mask her emotions and trust no one, including those she loves most. Since the war, Eva has carefully rebuilt her life as a typically English wife and mother. But once a spy, always a spy. Now she must complete one final assignment, and this time Eva can't do it alone: she needs her daughter's help.
In 2010, Channel 4 broadcast William Boyd's Any Human Heart in a four part series starring Jim Broadbent, Kim Catrall, Matthew McFadyen, Hayley Atwell and Gillian Anderson. It was extremely well-received, winning a BAFTA and sending the original 2002 novel soaring up the bestseller charts once again. Completely unaware at the time that it was an adaptation, I got completely carried away with watching it that I denied myself what so many people have told me since was 'one of the best ever books' they've read. One of the most annoying things in life is when someone goes 'oh, but you haven't read the book?'. Conversation is struck dead and you have to retreat into that clearly deeply uncultured world in which you live. Why do we do that to each other? It's almost as bad as saying 'you really didn't know that?'. Cruel.
Anyway, I wasn't going to make that mistake again so as soon as it was announced that Hayley Atwell would star in a new William Boyd adaptation for the BBC over Christmas, my then complete and utter apathy for work and ten idle fingers lead me to quickly add Restless to my Christmas wish list. A couple of months later here I am having read it and about to tell you allll about it.
I've got to say, I was a bit disappointed at the beginning. The writing seemed to me a little average for someone so highly praised and I wasn't feeling particularly excited by the plot (which was odd considering 1939 female spy sounds just up my street). The narrative alternates between 1939 and the 1970s when the protagonist is employing her daughter in one final mission. The problem is that you know that Eva is going to survive at least until the 1970s so any threat she comes to feels inevitably less potent.
By the time I got into the bulk of the novel, though, I was involved. My train journeys seemed suddenly quicker as I kept reading, wanting to see who was going to betray who and when and why. I liked the way Boyd alternates between the reality of spying during the war and the reflective moments where you can start to see where Eva's story fits in the big picture.
I would say that I wasn't a big fan of Eva's daughter for the most part. I can't put my finger on why, just a bit annoying, but she felt believable and so it didn't really matter. My favourite character has got to be Romer. He was the only one, to me, who had any real mystery around him and this novel, ultimately, is supposed to be a mystery! I wasn't entirely convinced by his relationship with Eva and would have perhaps liked to see him come out a little bit smarter than perhaps he does at the end. That's not to say Boyd doesn't do this with Romer, I just think perhaps I'd have liked him to push it a little further.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this book. It was a classic Costa winner - easy to read, unpretentious and a solid plot.
6.5/10
In 2010, Channel 4 broadcast William Boyd's Any Human Heart in a four part series starring Jim Broadbent, Kim Catrall, Matthew McFadyen, Hayley Atwell and Gillian Anderson. It was extremely well-received, winning a BAFTA and sending the original 2002 novel soaring up the bestseller charts once again. Completely unaware at the time that it was an adaptation, I got completely carried away with watching it that I denied myself what so many people have told me since was 'one of the best ever books' they've read. One of the most annoying things in life is when someone goes 'oh, but you haven't read the book?'. Conversation is struck dead and you have to retreat into that clearly deeply uncultured world in which you live. Why do we do that to each other? It's almost as bad as saying 'you really didn't know that?'. Cruel.
Anyway, I wasn't going to make that mistake again so as soon as it was announced that Hayley Atwell would star in a new William Boyd adaptation for the BBC over Christmas, my then complete and utter apathy for work and ten idle fingers lead me to quickly add Restless to my Christmas wish list. A couple of months later here I am having read it and about to tell you allll about it.
I've got to say, I was a bit disappointed at the beginning. The writing seemed to me a little average for someone so highly praised and I wasn't feeling particularly excited by the plot (which was odd considering 1939 female spy sounds just up my street). The narrative alternates between 1939 and the 1970s when the protagonist is employing her daughter in one final mission. The problem is that you know that Eva is going to survive at least until the 1970s so any threat she comes to feels inevitably less potent.
By the time I got into the bulk of the novel, though, I was involved. My train journeys seemed suddenly quicker as I kept reading, wanting to see who was going to betray who and when and why. I liked the way Boyd alternates between the reality of spying during the war and the reflective moments where you can start to see where Eva's story fits in the big picture.
I would say that I wasn't a big fan of Eva's daughter for the most part. I can't put my finger on why, just a bit annoying, but she felt believable and so it didn't really matter. My favourite character has got to be Romer. He was the only one, to me, who had any real mystery around him and this novel, ultimately, is supposed to be a mystery! I wasn't entirely convinced by his relationship with Eva and would have perhaps liked to see him come out a little bit smarter than perhaps he does at the end. That's not to say Boyd doesn't do this with Romer, I just think perhaps I'd have liked him to push it a little further.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this book. It was a classic Costa winner - easy to read, unpretentious and a solid plot.
6.5/10
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