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A review by nadia
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre
informative
tense
slow-paced
5.0
This is one of the best nonfiction books I've ever read! Rich detail combined with page-turning action. Another one of those books where if it were fiction you'd say the plot was unbelievable. Ben Macintyre is a great writer and I'm looking forward to reading more of his books.
I didn't know much about the spy world, though I've always been intrigued, and this book makes me want to read more books on the subject, both nonfiction and fiction.
If you know nothing about Oleg Gordievsky but you're curious about this world and want to read this book, don't read the blurb or Google him, and if your edition has photo sections, leave them until the end.
Just go straight in and — after getting through a slightly slow, dense beginning — prepare to be captivated!
This isn't one to read if you're not feeling alert or switched on though — there are a lot of characters, organisations, codenames, etc., to keep track of, but Macintyre does a decent job of periodically reminding you who's who and what's what.
I didn't know much about the spy world, though I've always been intrigued, and this book makes me want to read more books on the subject, both nonfiction and fiction.
If you know nothing about Oleg Gordievsky but you're curious about this world and want to read this book, don't read the blurb or Google him, and if your edition has photo sections, leave them until the end.
Just go straight in and — after getting through a slightly slow, dense beginning — prepare to be captivated!
This isn't one to read if you're not feeling alert or switched on though — there are a lot of characters, organisations, codenames, etc., to keep track of, but Macintyre does a decent job of periodically reminding you who's who and what's what.