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It was unlikely that the Russians would try any thuggery in a busy London thoroughfare in broad daylight, but you never knew. In the mid-1950s two agents from what was then the Ministry of Internal Affairs had attempted to snatch her in Paris while she was walking down a shopping street much like this one. Be bold again if you want to, my little friends, she thought. I splashed your blood all over the white paving stones that day, and I will do it again.” 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!
The Cold War as a game of chess. You don’t need to know anything about how chess is played or how players sacrifice pieces to gain an advantage. That’s because you will see in real time how the Cold War players sacrifice their real players when necessary. The powers-that-be may even say Sorry, but you know why you have to go. You play the game, you take your chances. This book was a completely unexpected find at the bookstore window shelf in Durham. The last copy in that store. When it is believed that Yulia’s father, Sergei, has turned traitor, Anna, her strong mother, finds her situation far more perilous. The Romeo and Juliet love affair is facilitated by Vassily, a skilled spymaster caught up in the factionalism, intrigue, and plotting to go on inside the Politburo, as well as the lethal European aspirations of Maxim Karpov. Can the devastation of a European tragedy be avoided? It is the suspenseful Valencian climax to the narrative’s linking sections. In 2004, one such partisan, Greta, a member of the formidable team known as the three sisters is relating the story of her time as a partisan to a member of the Lithuanian ministry responsible for memorials. Since the war she has become a skilled Nazi hunter, tracing and killing war criminals. Her biggest hunt however was in 1961 for a Russian called Maxim Karpov, now high up in the Kremlin and known as the Chief Administrator who was responsible for killing a whole village of Lithuanians, suspected of aiding the partisans.Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes. Fast-paced, intriguing and deeply atmospheric. The Kremlin sequences in particular are mighty evocative. Tom Bradby The author also adds to the near confusion by starting a chapter with a previously unmentioned event and then proceeds to explain said event as the chapter moves on, so it eventually does become relatively clear as to what's going on! Russische Joelia en Britse Michael leren elkaar kennen tijdens een schaaktornooi. Aantrekkingskracht door verliefdheid, onbewust (on)wetend over elkaars wereld.
True, there were some good female characters who played pivotal roles without taking over everything as sometimes happens when people misinterpret what a 'strong' female character is, but a lot of the rest wasn't fantastic. Het geheim van dit spel is dat je in andermans schoenen moet staan. Je overweegt altijd wat je tegenstander wil’ I have hesitated to speak specifically of plot points because the novel conveys these much better than I ever could. I will simply conclude by saying that this is an extremely well written novel and is a must read. I recommend this book to those well acquainted with the spy/thriller/historical fiction genres and also for those who are looking to read a genuinely good book that might be out of their usual reading lists! Ik had het niet zo gemakkelijk om in het verhaal te komen. Reden hiervoor was dat ik van in het begin overstelpt werd door verschillende namen en hun achtergrond, plaatsen, settings waardoor ik precies mijn plaats in het boek niet kon vinden. 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?’”
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The public knows only the official faces of governments and the military, but the real power lies with other slippery government officials like Vassily, a Soviet official who manages to travel freely, but nobody knows exactly why. I am Lithuanian. I grew up with the stories about partisans. I watched the documentaries and fictional movies about that part of the history. As a rule, they're written and produced locally and they always have a tragic ending. The real history was brutally tragic. 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. Immersive, intriguing, and intelligent - incredibly impressive, up there with the best in the genre Lee Child
I thought the way the multiple threads and timelines were handled and drawn together was impressively handled by a first time author. Although it does require a little patience and concentration to follow all the threads until they come together, it is well worth the effort. The main characters are fascinating and well depicted, particularly Vassily, Greta and the hideous Karpov. I would have liked to have got to know Michael and Julia a little better as well as their parents to have a better feel for everyone’s motives and driving forces, but there is so much in the novel already that it would have been difficult to fit in much more character development. Overall, it is an exciting historical thriller which will delight fans of Russian history and Cold War spycraft, particularly while Russia is once again flexing it’s expansionist muscles with its war in Ukraine. As mentioned earlier, the Cold War was like a game of chess. But in this case, you don’t need to know anything about chess as you will witness in real time how the Cold War participants sacrificed their real players when necessary for their advantage, just like how chess players sacrifice pieces to gain an advantage. Like chess, the cold war participants played their game and took their chances. At some points this story can be difficult to read, it references torture and the cruel nature of war. This however, is important to the plot and is extremely compelling. 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 Russians sadly lost over twenty million people during The Great Patriotic War, so justly cannot in reality be considered anything other than victims! The story is very complex, and some patience is needed in the early stages, but Worrall steadily and skilfully knits his various strands into a compelling whole that comes together in a series of stunning finales in Spain, London and Sweden. The second half of the book is particularly suspenseful, as the twin storylines in 1961 and 1944 reach their violent conclusions and Worrall offers some unexpected final twists. Overall, The Partisan is a very impressive debut that bodes well for Worrall future career as a spy novelist.
If I were to have any slight criticisms against this book they would be that sometimes the chapters jump around time periods and locations slightly too frequently (and that some may find it hard to keep up) however it does not detract from the main story. Additionally, I wish that Michael and Yulia were given slightly more time to develop as characters however this is not a major criticism as they still worked well in the way that they were written. I got this book right when Waterstones had it for sale, a bit earlier than elsewhere. It had sounded quite promising with strong female characters, espionage, chess and international politics set during the WWII and Cold War eras. Two young prodigies from either side of the Iron Curtain, Yulia and Michael, meet at a chess tournament in London. They don't know it, but they are about to compete in the deadliest game ever played. There is tenderness and youthfulness romance in the chess parts of the story. An English boy named Michael meets a Russian damsel named Yulia during a tournament in London. Yulia is the daughter of Sergei, a person important to the government with military secrets. Her mother, Anna, was among the first women to join Politburo, so Yulia is keenly guided throughout. If she needs to attend a chess tournament, she is often escorted by two masculine men who also sleep in her suite at the hotel.
Het gerucht ging dat de naam de indruk moest wekken dat er een netwerk van geheim agenten bestond, allemaal genoemd naar schaakstukken’ There’s money in there. The same as last time. You’ll recognise my uncle’s handwriting. His memory failed him when it came to Lithuanians who joined the SS, but he was good on other nationalities. I want you to confirm all the names he wrote down and add as many others as you can…every name you add helps keep yours off the list.”
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