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lnatal's review
4.0
A quite enjoyable book on espionage during World War I.
4* Restless
3* Armadillo
2* Solo
3*A Haunting
4* Sweet Caress
4* Waiting for Sunrise
TR Any Human Heart
TR An Ice-Cream War
TR The New Confessions
4* Restless
3* Armadillo
2* Solo
3*A Haunting
4* Sweet Caress
4* Waiting for Sunrise
TR Any Human Heart
TR An Ice-Cream War
TR The New Confessions
andrewrobins's review
4.0
Excellent stuff from William Boyd.
He is particularly good when writing of an 'eve of war' or war setting, as per An Ice Cream War, and certain points in Any Human Heart, and also does "Englishman abroad" better than just about anyone.
Waiting for Sunrise is a combination of both of these genres, an engrossing spy thriller, which begins on the eve of the first world war in Vienna with a young English actor seeing a psychiatrist to cure his anorgasmia, and unfolds in a sequence of acts of derring-do across Europe - Vienna, Geneva, the front line in France, and London.
Reading this, I was thinking of another spy thriller I read recently, Ian McEwan's Sweet Tooth, and whilst McEwan's book was both hard to believe, and uninvolving, Boyd kept the interest going, with a believable story, right to the end.
He is particularly good when writing of an 'eve of war' or war setting, as per An Ice Cream War, and certain points in Any Human Heart, and also does "Englishman abroad" better than just about anyone.
Waiting for Sunrise is a combination of both of these genres, an engrossing spy thriller, which begins on the eve of the first world war in Vienna with a young English actor seeing a psychiatrist to cure his anorgasmia, and unfolds in a sequence of acts of derring-do across Europe - Vienna, Geneva, the front line in France, and London.
Reading this, I was thinking of another spy thriller I read recently, Ian McEwan's Sweet Tooth, and whilst McEwan's book was both hard to believe, and uninvolving, Boyd kept the interest going, with a believable story, right to the end.
janhicks's review
4.0
This was a feverish read, very cleverly done. The ending is wonderfully enigmatic, raising the possibility that everything else in the novel is a lie or a reimagining of the facts to make them sit more comfortably with the protagonist. At face value, it's a WW1 espionage thriller, and a ripping yarn at that. Simultaneously, it's an exploration of the psyche and whether it's ever possible to really locate the truth, because we all have our own version of what the truth is. Wonderful stuff as usual from William Boyd.
alzo79's review
2.0
Upper-middle class english gentleman, intelligent, artistic, dashing, becomes involved in the world of espionage. William Boyd has written this character too many times now, and I'm bored by it. This book was just plot plot plot with cardboard characters and story lines you could either see coming a mile off or were just utterly ludicrous. It's a rehash of one of the segments of Any Human Heart, only no where near as good, profound or poignant. It did have an interesting and slightly profound ending that did illuminate what Boyd was trying to achieve in the book, but you had to get to the end to understand this and by then it's too late. If you are thinking of reading this book and haven't read Any Human Heart yet, do yourself a favour and read AHH instead, otherwise this book might just spoil it for you.
Quiz:
Who said what?
Logan Mountstuart (Any Human Heart)
Lysander Rief (Waiting for Sunrise)
"The view backward showed you all the twists and turns your life had taken, all the contingencies and chances, the random elements of good luck and bad luck that made up one person's existence"
"That's all your life amounts to in the end: the aggregate of all the good luck and the bad luck you experience. Everything is explained by that simple formula"
Quiz:
Who said what?
Logan Mountstuart (Any Human Heart)
Lysander Rief (Waiting for Sunrise)
"The view backward showed you all the twists and turns your life had taken, all the contingencies and chances, the random elements of good luck and bad luck that made up one person's existence"
"That's all your life amounts to in the end: the aggregate of all the good luck and the bad luck you experience. Everything is explained by that simple formula"
stephend81d5's review
3.0
enjoyable spy thriller/analysis of the main character based in 1913/4 austria the main character blackmailed via a failed love affair to spy and get use tot he under world of sex, lies and acting lol , well written by william boyd took a little whle to get going though
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