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1.4k reviews for:
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
Ben Macintyre
4.47 AVERAGE
1.4k reviews for:
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
Ben Macintyre
4.47 AVERAGE
Vastly overrated. Just interesting, not a page turner (particularly in the first half). Obviously unbalanced. I'm sure that the Soviets were paranoid, I'm not convinced that the Brits and Americans were as reasonable as illustrated in this book during the cold war. The Russian traitor betrayed his country for ideology and freedom while the American for the money. Also his breath was stinking! Come oooon... 2.5 stars.
informative
One of my faves! At times my heart was racing, it was that exciting. I am truly always amazed by the incredible stories of real life. Reads better than many fictional works.
Spy vs. Traitor
Review of the Random House Audio audiobook (Sept. 2018) released simultaneously with the original hardcover edition
The Spy and the Traitor is the story of KGB defector Oleg Gordievsky and American CIA traitor Aldrich Ames. The tie-in is that it was Ames' betrayals that led to the KGB being suspicious of Gordievsky and thus initiating British MI-6's exfiltration plan for Gordievsky and his family from the Soviet Union.
Macintyre tells an excellent story and the dramatic suspense built into the recounting of Gordievsky's escape is worthy of a novel in itself. Gordievsky was sentenced to death in absentia and that sentence has never been rescinded. The fact that it was associates of Vladimir Putin who were blamed for the bungling of the spy catching is all the more chilling in the present day climate (2010-2020s) where rivals and foes of Putin, whether in politics, business or journalism are regularly murdered, poisoned or imprisoned.
Review of the Random House Audio audiobook (Sept. 2018) released simultaneously with the original hardcover edition
The Spy and the Traitor is the story of KGB defector Oleg Gordievsky and American CIA traitor Aldrich Ames. The tie-in is that it was Ames' betrayals that led to the KGB being suspicious of Gordievsky and thus initiating British MI-6's exfiltration plan for Gordievsky and his family from the Soviet Union.
Macintyre tells an excellent story and the dramatic suspense built into the recounting of Gordievsky's escape is worthy of a novel in itself. Gordievsky was sentenced to death in absentia and that sentence has never been rescinded. The fact that it was associates of Vladimir Putin who were blamed for the bungling of the spy catching is all the more chilling in the present day climate (2010-2020s) where rivals and foes of Putin, whether in politics, business or journalism are regularly murdered, poisoned or imprisoned.
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
A great telling of the mythic story of deception. There are still mysteries but I think the most telling line was Philby's 'I thought it was the best way forward.' with his characteristic bland take on what he did and why. Philby was chilling in all of this. Sociopath, perhaps. But the why is really never articulated because I think in his arrogance he thought he'd never get caught.
The middle third of this book was SO painstakingly slow but the end made up for it - I couldn't put it down. I learned a lot about the cold war and secret intelligence. A gr8 nonfic. Yelp 4 stars
Great read about the high ranking KGB operative who spied for MI6 in the 70s and 80s, providing invaluable intelligence and may have contributed to saving the world from paranoid Soviet apparatchiks who were convinced Reagan was out to WWIII. Burned by the CIA's Aldrich Ames, he made a harrowing escape from Moscow. Puts Margaret Thatcher is a good light as she forcefully overruled diplomatic concerns about facilitating the escape.
The whole book was very interesting. The escape scenes were riveting.