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wormz's review against another edition
2.0
dnf at ~2/3 of the way through but counting it anyway
maybe this was a bad book to start with as an intro to alan furst but i just found this to be so boring. the characters had no personality and the plot just seemed kind of random. like another reviewer said, there were no stakes at all for anyone. a guy gets arrested by the SS, but there’s no hurry to rescue him bc he ends up being fine. no tension or intrigue whatsoever.
maybe this was a bad book to start with as an intro to alan furst but i just found this to be so boring. the characters had no personality and the plot just seemed kind of random. like another reviewer said, there were no stakes at all for anyone. a guy gets arrested by the SS, but there’s no hurry to rescue him bc he ends up being fine. no tension or intrigue whatsoever.
flogigyahoo's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to write a rave review about Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst, probably one of my favorite authors, but I could only give this one 3 stars although perhaps it deserves more because he delivers exactly what I had hoped and expected and yet this is not one of his better novels.
Christian Ferrar, a Spanish lawyer living in Paris in the years before World War II, is asked by the Spanish Embassy to help the Republican forces in Spain against Franco's fascist army in its bid to take over Spain. He agrees a little reluctantly, but he's a good, straightforward man and feels he must agree. He's paired with Max de Lyon, apparently an experienced spy and they go off to Europe to arrange shipments of munitions, arms, etc. But there's no real reason for the Spanish Embassy needing Mr. Ferrar at all. He has no experience, Max de Lyon seems to do all the talking, he's more of an interesting character than Ferrar. It seemed to me a little silly, and that Furst needed a likable heroic figure and created Ferrar, handsome, smart--but that's all. Also, Furst likes to include a love story in each of his novels, but this one seems forced. There is no real passion felt between Ferrar and his lady love. Actually, one wishes she would just leave so he can get back to being a sometime spy.
That said, the writing is wonderful, Europe--especially Paris, Odessa, Danzig, etc are described so beautifully...some of the best writing of Furst's career. The opening lines are superb and put you right there at once: "On a soft winter evening in Manhattan, the fifteenth of December, 1937, it started to snow; big flakes spun lazily in the sky, danced in the lights of the office buildings, then melted as they hit the pavement..." So despite the 3 stars I give it, this is a beautiful read. It doesn't come up to the standard of his earlier novels, but it's still Alan Furst and he's the best.
Christian Ferrar, a Spanish lawyer living in Paris in the years before World War II, is asked by the Spanish Embassy to help the Republican forces in Spain against Franco's fascist army in its bid to take over Spain. He agrees a little reluctantly, but he's a good, straightforward man and feels he must agree. He's paired with Max de Lyon, apparently an experienced spy and they go off to Europe to arrange shipments of munitions, arms, etc. But there's no real reason for the Spanish Embassy needing Mr. Ferrar at all. He has no experience, Max de Lyon seems to do all the talking, he's more of an interesting character than Ferrar. It seemed to me a little silly, and that Furst needed a likable heroic figure and created Ferrar, handsome, smart--but that's all. Also, Furst likes to include a love story in each of his novels, but this one seems forced. There is no real passion felt between Ferrar and his lady love. Actually, one wishes she would just leave so he can get back to being a sometime spy.
That said, the writing is wonderful, Europe--especially Paris, Odessa, Danzig, etc are described so beautifully...some of the best writing of Furst's career. The opening lines are superb and put you right there at once: "On a soft winter evening in Manhattan, the fifteenth of December, 1937, it started to snow; big flakes spun lazily in the sky, danced in the lights of the office buildings, then melted as they hit the pavement..." So despite the 3 stars I give it, this is a beautiful read. It doesn't come up to the standard of his earlier novels, but it's still Alan Furst and he's the best.
husk's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. Just meh. Lazy writing, lazy plot. Remarkably there are continuation errors in the plot within two pages on two occasions – simple evidence of this being phoned in and the publishers just churning it out with little editorial concern. Furst is a cash cow for the publishers and they're milking poor plots and cardboard caricatures. (And a pool cue used by the barman in a fight in a 1938 Gdansk bar?It is _possible_, I guess).
canadianbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is set in the months just before World War II. Cristián Ferrar is a Spaniard living in France. He came as a young boy with his family, and has done well for himself, becoming a senior partner with the international law firm Coudert Frères. The increasing aggression of Germany and the direction of the civil war in Spain, both have Ferrar worried.
When he is approached by the Spanish government to assist them in obtaining arms, he agrees, but makes sure his firm is aware of his involvement in this agreeing to do it outside of his official work. This agreement leads him into many interesting relationships, and calls on his quick thinking and air of authority to take command of difficult situations. This involvement may also increase the danger to himself and his family and he must think about making plans for them should Europe become involved in a larger war.
Ferrar also realizes that a irregular relationship he has developed with an American woman may mean more to him that he realized, and his love life is something that he has to think more seriously about than he has until now.
This is a story of spies, danger, and intrigue that will have you turning the pages to find out what Ferrar gets into next. A great read.
When he is approached by the Spanish government to assist them in obtaining arms, he agrees, but makes sure his firm is aware of his involvement in this agreeing to do it outside of his official work. This agreement leads him into many interesting relationships, and calls on his quick thinking and air of authority to take command of difficult situations. This involvement may also increase the danger to himself and his family and he must think about making plans for them should Europe become involved in a larger war.
Ferrar also realizes that a irregular relationship he has developed with an American woman may mean more to him that he realized, and his love life is something that he has to think more seriously about than he has until now.
This is a story of spies, danger, and intrigue that will have you turning the pages to find out what Ferrar gets into next. A great read.
darwin8u's review against another edition
3.0
I'll review it tomorrow. It is late (not midnight in Europe, but midnight in AZ).
rosseroo's review against another edition
3.0
Furst's thirteenth espionage novel, while enjoyable as always, covers territory that is, by now, quite familiar in his work. Set during the first half of 1938, its plot revolves around the efforts to supply arms to the ragtag Nationalist army in Spain. Christian Ferrar is a suave and successful Parisian lawyer whose family left Spain for France when he was a child. He is recruited by the Nationalist embassy to assist with various clandestine efforts to procure anti-aircraft guns from Czechoslovakia, and then ammunition for them from the Soviet Union.
So we have a fairly typical Furst hero -- middle aged, decent, open to some risk, inclined to romance with the ladies, possessing sophisticated tastes, and with connections to a range of colorful characters who function as catalysts and guides to the world of pre-WWII espionage. All the usual suspects are there, from various emigres both high and low, with all kinds of networks across Europe, to mysterious doctors, garage mechanics, and tramp steamer crewmen. All of which make Furst's Europe is a rich melting pot of identities. I'm sure someone has done a criss-cross of his books to unravel repeating supporting characters -- I spotted one I definitely recall, but am sure there were others.
The story is anchored in Paris, a city that Furst knows inside and out, and as such, relies upon too heavily for my taste. The book is much more lively and engaging when it leaves Paris for trips to Berlin, New York, Poland, Romania, Istanbul, and Odessa. There's a sequence involving a train heist in Poland that's outstanding, and another heist in Odessa that's really good. Furst is good at what he does, but I wish he'd leave Paris behind and do more exploring in the rest of the world. It's a decent book, but not in his top tier of work.
So we have a fairly typical Furst hero -- middle aged, decent, open to some risk, inclined to romance with the ladies, possessing sophisticated tastes, and with connections to a range of colorful characters who function as catalysts and guides to the world of pre-WWII espionage. All the usual suspects are there, from various emigres both high and low, with all kinds of networks across Europe, to mysterious doctors, garage mechanics, and tramp steamer crewmen. All of which make Furst's Europe is a rich melting pot of identities. I'm sure someone has done a criss-cross of his books to unravel repeating supporting characters -- I spotted one I definitely recall, but am sure there were others.
The story is anchored in Paris, a city that Furst knows inside and out, and as such, relies upon too heavily for my taste. The book is much more lively and engaging when it leaves Paris for trips to Berlin, New York, Poland, Romania, Istanbul, and Odessa. There's a sequence involving a train heist in Poland that's outstanding, and another heist in Odessa that's really good. Furst is good at what he does, but I wish he'd leave Paris behind and do more exploring in the rest of the world. It's a decent book, but not in his top tier of work.
jlansner's review against another edition
3.0
I started writing a longer review, but Goodreads didn't save it, so here's the short version:
I've read every Alan Furst WWII novel, but after the last two, I'm probably done. I didn't care about the Cristian or Max, and didn't think anything they were doing mattered -- to me or to them. The supporting characters were completely forgettable -- which at least made it tolerable that Furst no longer seems to trust his readers to be able to remember what is happening or to understand anything that's going on. Furst's new "more is always better" writing philosophy (the opposite of what made his early books so good) reaches it's nadir when he tries to write about sex.
Furst hits all his usual beats -- cameos from Count Polanyi and S. Kolb, dinner at Brasserie Heininger -- but even he seems bored by them. At this point, I am too.
I've read every Alan Furst WWII novel, but after the last two, I'm probably done. I didn't care about the Cristian or Max, and didn't think anything they were doing mattered -- to me or to them. The supporting characters were completely forgettable -- which at least made it tolerable that Furst no longer seems to trust his readers to be able to remember what is happening or to understand anything that's going on. Furst's new "more is always better" writing philosophy (the opposite of what made his early books so good) reaches it's nadir when he tries to write about sex.
Furst hits all his usual beats -- cameos from Count Polanyi and S. Kolb, dinner at Brasserie Heininger -- but even he seems bored by them. At this point, I am too.
bukola's review against another edition
2.0
I got an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
War, spies, coups, bombs, seduction, gunshots and death in alleys...not exactly my cup of tea, but I was glad that Farrar and De Lyon made it out alive. The story is set in Europe, between December 1937 and September 1938. Christian Farrar and his family had to leave Spain when he was only 9 years old because of the war. Now they may have to leave Paris because the war is threatening to come there too. Farrar is a lawyer with an international firm and along the line, he gets asked to team up with an old rogue turned hero, Max De Lyon, to help the Spanish republic in ways that might not be safe.
The writing is good, and the characters are alive and real.
Filled with more history than adventure, Midnight in Europe will be found enjoyable by history lovers and those who care for historical spy novels.
War, spies, coups, bombs, seduction, gunshots and death in alleys...not exactly my cup of tea, but I was glad that Farrar and De Lyon made it out alive. The story is set in Europe, between December 1937 and September 1938. Christian Farrar and his family had to leave Spain when he was only 9 years old because of the war. Now they may have to leave Paris because the war is threatening to come there too. Farrar is a lawyer with an international firm and along the line, he gets asked to team up with an old rogue turned hero, Max De Lyon, to help the Spanish republic in ways that might not be safe.
The writing is good, and the characters are alive and real.
Filled with more history than adventure, Midnight in Europe will be found enjoyable by history lovers and those who care for historical spy novels.
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