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OPERATION STEINBOCK 1944: The Luftwaffe's disastrous last Blitz over England by Chris Goss
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I have had a curiosity about this late war night bombing campaign the Luftwaffe staged over England for a few years. This curiosity was stoked by the experience my late father told me about of being caught as a young GI in a night bombing raid in Liverpool in 1944. He sought to enter an air raid shelter but was denied entry. So, my Dad took to walking the streets of the city, hoping that no bombs would fall in his path. He looked up at the sky, lit by searchlights, occasionally glimpsing a German bomber. While doing so, he chanced upon a buddy from his unit. Thankfully, both got through that experience together without a scratch - though my Dad admitted to me shortly before his death in March 2019 (by then, he was 93 years old) that he hadn't thought he would survive the bombing.
OPERATION STEINBOCK 1944: The Luftwaffe's disastrous last Blitz over England provides a concise, thorough history of this bombing campaign concocted by Hermann Goering and the Luftwaffe high command to show the British that Germany was still capable of causing serious damage to London and several other vital, strategic areas in Southern England.
But the Luftwaffe bomber force in the West at this stage of the war (late 1943) was a shadow of its former self, which between September 1940 and May 1941, besieged London and England itself nightly on a regular basis for weeks non-stop. The bomber units were understrength and not all the crews were adequately trained for this type of undertaking Yet, between December 1943 and May 1944, the Luftwaffe carried out a variety of bombing raids with mixed results. The following quote, I think, best sums up what Steinbock amounted to: "It showed just how low the German bomber force's operational proficiency had sunk despite employing the full gamut of their electronic aids. It also shows how the technological superiority of the western Allies decided the outcome of Steinbock. Bravery, heroism, flying expertise, stubbornness, despair or suicide did not really help but at least it saved the lives of many British citizens."
Like other books in the Air Campaign series, Operation Steinbock 1944 offers the reader maps and 3D diagrams showing how some of the raiders were played out over England, lots of photos, and eyewitness accounts from both the German and Allied airmen involved in this campaign. Any aviation aficionado or anyone with an interest in World War II will love this book.
OPERATION STEINBOCK 1944: The Luftwaffe's disastrous last Blitz over England provides a concise, thorough history of this bombing campaign concocted by Hermann Goering and the Luftwaffe high command to show the British that Germany was still capable of causing serious damage to London and several other vital, strategic areas in Southern England.
But the Luftwaffe bomber force in the West at this stage of the war (late 1943) was a shadow of its former self, which between September 1940 and May 1941, besieged London and England itself nightly on a regular basis for weeks non-stop. The bomber units were understrength and not all the crews were adequately trained for this type of undertaking Yet, between December 1943 and May 1944, the Luftwaffe carried out a variety of bombing raids with mixed results. The following quote, I think, best sums up what Steinbock amounted to: "It showed just how low the German bomber force's operational proficiency had sunk despite employing the full gamut of their electronic aids. It also shows how the technological superiority of the western Allies decided the outcome of Steinbock. Bravery, heroism, flying expertise, stubbornness, despair or suicide did not really help but at least it saved the lives of many British citizens."
Like other books in the Air Campaign series, Operation Steinbock 1944 offers the reader maps and 3D diagrams showing how some of the raiders were played out over England, lots of photos, and eyewitness accounts from both the German and Allied airmen involved in this campaign. Any aviation aficionado or anyone with an interest in World War II will love this book.
The Seeker by S.G. MacLean
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
The novel is set in England during November 1654. One of the most trusted aides of the country's Lord Protector (Oliver Cromwell), has been murdered in the night under mysterious circumstances near his wife's bedchambers. Damian Seeker, one of the Lord Protector's most trusted agents, much feared across the land, is detailed to bring the murderer to justice.
For all apparent purposes, it looks like an open and shut case because a young lawyer known for having views critical of the Protectorate and putting those views in pamphlet form for public distribution, is found by Seeker holding the murder weapon, in company with the victim's wife (Lady Anne Winter) who appears distraught. But there is more to the drama as it slowly unfolds in this novel than meets the eye, taking the reader from Whitehall (the national seat of government), the various public establishments and neighborhoods in London, to Oxford (where there is strong Royalist sentiment), and back to London. Seeker is very methodical, thorough, crafty, and discerning when it comes to doing his job.
I very much savored this novel, which has made me curious to learn more about what life was like in England when it was temporarily shorn of the monarchy (i.e. from 1649 to 1660).
This is the first novel in a series centered around Damian Seeker.
For all apparent purposes, it looks like an open and shut case because a young lawyer known for having views critical of the Protectorate and putting those views in pamphlet form for public distribution, is found by Seeker holding the murder weapon, in company with the victim's wife (Lady Anne Winter) who appears distraught. But there is more to the drama as it slowly unfolds in this novel than meets the eye, taking the reader from Whitehall (the national seat of government), the various public establishments and neighborhoods in London, to Oxford (where there is strong Royalist sentiment), and back to London. Seeker is very methodical, thorough, crafty, and discerning when it comes to doing his job.
I very much savored this novel, which has made me curious to learn more about what life was like in England when it was temporarily shorn of the monarchy (i.e. from 1649 to 1660).
This is the first novel in a series centered around Damian Seeker.
The Mountbattens: Their Lives & Loves by Andrew Lownie
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
The Mountbattens: Their Lives & Loves is a well-researched, comprehensive dual biography of Lord and Lady Louis and Edwina Mountbatten, who were among the most prominent figures of the 20th century by virtue of their roles during World War II and in the partitioning and establishment of Pakistan and an independent India in August 1947.
Louis Mountbatten (1900-1979), a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and the uncle of Prince Philip (Queen Elizabeth II's husband), joined the Royal Navy shortly before World War I and went on to have a long career in government service, at sea and ashore. After having his ship, the destroyer HMS Kelly, sunk by German dive bombers during the Battle of Crete in May 1941, Mountbatten was placed in charge of Combined Operations in the UK through which the Allies mounted a raid on Dieppe, France, in August 1942, from which lessons were hard learned in staging a future seaborne invasion of Western Europe (as evidenced by the successful landings at Normandy on June 6, 1944), and devising various strategies and devices for use against Germany.
Subsequently, Mountbatten would take up the post of Supreme Commander of Southeast Asia Command in late 1943, through which he played a key role of strengthening British military power and resources in that theater of war through which the British would defeat Japanese forces in Burma, Borneo, and Malaya.
Yet, while Mountbatten had his strengths, Andrew Lownie makes clear that he was also "a man full of contradictions. Self-confident in public life, he was insecure when it came to his private life and relations with his wife. Able to think outside the box and see the big picture, he was obsessed with trivial detail - often to do with his own personal appearance or prestige."
Edwina Mountbatten (1901-1960) was one of the world's richest women at the time she married her husband in 1922. Within a few years of marriage, both felt somewhat ill-matched for while Mountbatten prided himself on being meticulous and detail-oriented to the nth degree, his wife was one who loved to be spontaneous and enjoy life. She and her husband would agree on having an open marriage because of her tendency to engage in affairs with men who caught her fancy. (Both would have discreet and sometimes not-so-discreet affairs throughout their marriage.)
But once World War II broke out in September 1939, Edwina was determined to carve out a meaningful role for herself in service to Britain. And so it was that she developed considerable organizational and administrative talents in a variety of humanitarian endeavors. Edwina became a "universally admired and loved" figure because of the reputation she earned for herself, both during the war and afterward on the Indian subcontinent. What was "[a]n aimless youth was transformed into a middle age of lasting accomplishments as a humanitarian. Difficult, complex, determined to emerge from the shadow of her husband, she proved herself more than his equal in intellect and achievement, and her influence on him in public life has been underrated."
I learned so much about both Mountbattens and recommend this biography highly to everyone.
Louis Mountbatten (1900-1979), a great-grandson of Queen Victoria and the uncle of Prince Philip (Queen Elizabeth II's husband), joined the Royal Navy shortly before World War I and went on to have a long career in government service, at sea and ashore. After having his ship, the destroyer HMS Kelly, sunk by German dive bombers during the Battle of Crete in May 1941, Mountbatten was placed in charge of Combined Operations in the UK through which the Allies mounted a raid on Dieppe, France, in August 1942, from which lessons were hard learned in staging a future seaborne invasion of Western Europe (as evidenced by the successful landings at Normandy on June 6, 1944), and devising various strategies and devices for use against Germany.
Subsequently, Mountbatten would take up the post of Supreme Commander of Southeast Asia Command in late 1943, through which he played a key role of strengthening British military power and resources in that theater of war through which the British would defeat Japanese forces in Burma, Borneo, and Malaya.
Yet, while Mountbatten had his strengths, Andrew Lownie makes clear that he was also "a man full of contradictions. Self-confident in public life, he was insecure when it came to his private life and relations with his wife. Able to think outside the box and see the big picture, he was obsessed with trivial detail - often to do with his own personal appearance or prestige."
Edwina Mountbatten (1901-1960) was one of the world's richest women at the time she married her husband in 1922. Within a few years of marriage, both felt somewhat ill-matched for while Mountbatten prided himself on being meticulous and detail-oriented to the nth degree, his wife was one who loved to be spontaneous and enjoy life. She and her husband would agree on having an open marriage because of her tendency to engage in affairs with men who caught her fancy. (Both would have discreet and sometimes not-so-discreet affairs throughout their marriage.)
But once World War II broke out in September 1939, Edwina was determined to carve out a meaningful role for herself in service to Britain. And so it was that she developed considerable organizational and administrative talents in a variety of humanitarian endeavors. Edwina became a "universally admired and loved" figure because of the reputation she earned for herself, both during the war and afterward on the Indian subcontinent. What was "[a]n aimless youth was transformed into a middle age of lasting accomplishments as a humanitarian. Difficult, complex, determined to emerge from the shadow of her husband, she proved herself more than his equal in intellect and achievement, and her influence on him in public life has been underrated."
I learned so much about both Mountbattens and recommend this biography highly to everyone.
Farewell Dinner for a Spy by Edward Wilson
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Farewell Dinner for a Spy was an utter delight to read. It was so nice to be able to renew my acquaintance with William Catesby, SIS agent, polyglot, connoisseur, and World War II combat veteran.
The novel begins in the summer of 1949. Catesby has been falsely accused of being a double agent and is recalled to England by the SIS (Secret Intelligence Service - aka MI6). There he is given two choices: (1) to resign or (2) to take on a special assignment for the SIS in Marseille, France and clear his name. Catesby opts for the latter and for the better part of a year, finds himself knee deep in intrigue, war, passion, drug trafficking, close calls, and brushes with elements of the mafia. During that time, he renews connections with an American wartime comrade (now serving as a zealous anti-communist CIA officer with ties to the mafia in Marseille and the ongoing drug trade operations running from Marseille to Indochina) and a shifty, duplicitous Frenchman (Henri Déricourt) whom Catesby knew during his time with the SOE (Special Operations Executive) during the war. (By the way, Henri Déricourt (1909-1962) was a real life character who, as a trained pilot, helped set up for the SOE fields in German-occupied France where spies could be stealthily flown in by night from the UK. It is also likely that he acted as a double agent, selling out some SOE agents to the Germans.)
There are also some time shifts in the novel, which shed light on Catesby's later years back in the UK.
William Catesby is such an utterly remarkable and fascinating figure. One of the best I think out of any spy series I've yet read. Which makes it hard to have to leave him because I've now read every novel in the Catesby series. At some point, I would like to reconnect with him.
The novel begins in the summer of 1949. Catesby has been falsely accused of being a double agent and is recalled to England by the SIS (Secret Intelligence Service - aka MI6). There he is given two choices: (1) to resign or (2) to take on a special assignment for the SIS in Marseille, France and clear his name. Catesby opts for the latter and for the better part of a year, finds himself knee deep in intrigue, war, passion, drug trafficking, close calls, and brushes with elements of the mafia. During that time, he renews connections with an American wartime comrade (now serving as a zealous anti-communist CIA officer with ties to the mafia in Marseille and the ongoing drug trade operations running from Marseille to Indochina) and a shifty, duplicitous Frenchman (Henri Déricourt) whom Catesby knew during his time with the SOE (Special Operations Executive) during the war. (By the way, Henri Déricourt (1909-1962) was a real life character who, as a trained pilot, helped set up for the SOE fields in German-occupied France where spies could be stealthily flown in by night from the UK. It is also likely that he acted as a double agent, selling out some SOE agents to the Germans.)
There are also some time shifts in the novel, which shed light on Catesby's later years back in the UK.
William Catesby is such an utterly remarkable and fascinating figure. One of the best I think out of any spy series I've yet read. Which makes it hard to have to leave him because I've now read every novel in the Catesby series. At some point, I would like to reconnect with him.
We'll Meet Again by Bartle Bull
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
WE'LL MEET AGAIN brings back many of the principal characters from The Devil's Oasis. Yet it is an epic novel that, upon reading it, has 2 parallel stories in which the author seeks to have the reader believe, are set in the same time period. One story is firmly centered on the latter stages of the North African campaign, spanning from the Anglo-American invasion of Algeria in French North Africa in November 1942 to the battles in Tunisia in early 1943 that brought closure to the campaign. The other story concerns Anton Rider and the experiences he had in Yugoslavia, where he had been parachuted in with 2 other soldiers to join up with Marshal Tito's partisans in the mountains and support them in their fight against the Germans and their Ustashe allies. Rider's time in Yugoslavia seems to have taken place later in the fall of 1943 after the conclusion of the North African campaign. And yet, the author places both that campaign and Rider's stint in Yugoslavia as taking place concurrently, which doesn't make any sense.
Prior to taking on the assignment in Yugoslavia, the extent of Rider's wounds from his stint with the Long Range Desert Group precluded him from further combat. That was something Rider, by now in his early 40s, did not want to accept. He pestered his superiors for a combat assignment and in that assignment was trained by Alistair Treitel, a British intelligence officer (in his civilian life, Treitel had been a professor of archeology and an Egyptologist). Treitel, a vain, greedy, and insecure man, had made the acquaintance of Rider's estranged wife and was in a relationship with her. He felt himself to be in competition with Rider and once he was in Yugoslavia, sought to ensure that this would be Rider's last mission, from which he would not return.
While We'll Meet Again embodies much of the elements that made the other novels in the series interesting and engaging, the editing in certain sections was shoddy, detracting from the novel's robustness. (There was also the insertion of a character who had been killed off in a previous novel in the series.) Simply put, I didn't enjoy this book as I did the others. Nevertheless, I'm glad to have read it. I will be donating it to my local used bookstore.
Prior to taking on the assignment in Yugoslavia, the extent of Rider's wounds from his stint with the Long Range Desert Group precluded him from further combat. That was something Rider, by now in his early 40s, did not want to accept. He pestered his superiors for a combat assignment and in that assignment was trained by Alistair Treitel, a British intelligence officer (in his civilian life, Treitel had been a professor of archeology and an Egyptologist). Treitel, a vain, greedy, and insecure man, had made the acquaintance of Rider's estranged wife and was in a relationship with her. He felt himself to be in competition with Rider and once he was in Yugoslavia, sought to ensure that this would be Rider's last mission, from which he would not return.
While We'll Meet Again embodies much of the elements that made the other novels in the series interesting and engaging, the editing in certain sections was shoddy, detracting from the novel's robustness. (There was also the insertion of a character who had been killed off in a previous novel in the series.) Simply put, I didn't enjoy this book as I did the others. Nevertheless, I'm glad to have read it. I will be donating it to my local used bookstore.
SPITFIRE: A Fighter Pilot's Story of World War II by H. Ray Warren, Jr.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.25
SPITFIRE: A Fighter Pilot's Story of World War II is made up of Captain Warren's diary entries reflecting his combat experiences during 1942-43, photos, and transcripts from a series of radio broadcasts which he participated in during his stint as a flight instructor at Craig Field (Selma, Alabama) during 1944.
In December 1940, Warren had passed the required exam for pilot training and was admitted into the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) as an Aviation Cadet. He graduated from flight school in September 1941 (Class 41G) and was assigned to the 52nd Pursuit Group (after May 1942, it was renamed the 52nd Fighter Group).
Warren initially flew P-39 Airacobra fighters until his unit was shipped to the UK, where the 52nd was re-equipped with Spitfire Mk Vs, one of the best fighters of World War II. Warren was given extensive training in flying Spitfires from the Royal Air Force (RAF) and flew briefly on operations over Europe until the 52nd Fighter Group was shipped over to Gibraltar, wherefrom it flew into Algeria as part of the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa in November 1942.
Warren's diary entries convey the fatigue, perils, fears, and hazards of wartime flying, as well as the lack of amenities on base that were typical during that phase of the North African campaign.
By the time, Warren was sent stateside in April 1943, he had taken part in 71 combat sorties and been credited with shooting down 2 Luftwaffe fighters in aerial combat.
In December 1940, Warren had passed the required exam for pilot training and was admitted into the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) as an Aviation Cadet. He graduated from flight school in September 1941 (Class 41G) and was assigned to the 52nd Pursuit Group (after May 1942, it was renamed the 52nd Fighter Group).
Warren initially flew P-39 Airacobra fighters until his unit was shipped to the UK, where the 52nd was re-equipped with Spitfire Mk Vs, one of the best fighters of World War II. Warren was given extensive training in flying Spitfires from the Royal Air Force (RAF) and flew briefly on operations over Europe until the 52nd Fighter Group was shipped over to Gibraltar, wherefrom it flew into Algeria as part of the Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa in November 1942.
Warren's diary entries convey the fatigue, perils, fears, and hazards of wartime flying, as well as the lack of amenities on base that were typical during that phase of the North African campaign.
By the time, Warren was sent stateside in April 1943, he had taken part in 71 combat sorties and been credited with shooting down 2 Luftwaffe fighters in aerial combat.
Lucy by Ellen Feldman
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Lucy is the second novel from Ellen Feldman that I have read. And like the first, it was a delight to read. It tells the story of the relationship between Franklin Roosevelt and Lucy Mercer. This was a relationship that began around the time of the U.S. entry into World War I when Lucy Mercer was working as the social secretary for Eleanor Roosevelt, Franklin's wife. At this time, Franklin Roosevelt was a young politician on the rise, serving as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Woodrow Wilson. Franklin was by nature affable, outgoing, and full of bonhomie. He and Lucy became friends through her close association with Mrs. Roosevelt. And by degrees, a deep and passionate love developed between Franklin and Lucy Mercer.
What makes the novel come alive is in the way it conveys to the reader the nature of the relationship between Franklin and Lucy Mercer and how it impacted both of them throughout their lives, as well as on Franklin's relationship with his wife. The story is partially conveyed in the voice of Lucy Mercer herself and is also very much shaped by the known history of her relationship with Franklin spanning almost 3 decades.
Before coming to Lucy, I had some awareness of this relationship. One book I would recommend to any reader with an interest in gaining some insight into the Franklin Roosevelt-Lucy Mercer relationship is FDR's LAST YEAR: April 1944-April 1945 by Jim Bishop.
So, reading this novel rounded out my understanding of the relationship. As well as the following exchange between Franklin and Lucy Mercer (Rutherfurd) provided by the author during one of Franklin's wartime discreet meetings with Mrs. Rutherfurd (now a widow) during the summer of 1944:
Lucy: "Having me at the Place or Hobcaw or even the White House was one thing; detaining the presidential train and keeping scores of people waiting seemed to be asking for trouble, or at least public notice. His trips were off the record, but three reporters traveled with him. They were bound to ask questions. I knew how scandal could spread. I was a widow of no importance. His position was more lofty, and vulnerable."
FDR: "I'll tell them I'm stopping to visit an old friend."
Lucy: "Won't they ask whom?"
"They're hardened reporters, Lucy. They want war news, or political dope, or scandals that cost the taxpayers money. The sort of thing the Truman Committee's been after. Even if they knew about us, they wouldn't print it. It's an unwritten rule. A gentleman's agreement. Personal matters are off the record. ... Think of it, Lucy, in years to come when historians are poring over my every move, someone will notice that while most trips from Washington to Hyde Park left at night and arrived first thing the next morning, on August thirty-first, 1944, the president left at the usual time, but didn't arrive at Hyde Park until the evening of September first. Can you imagine the speculation? Engine trouble? A sabotage threat? The poor devils will never figure it out."
What makes the novel come alive is in the way it conveys to the reader the nature of the relationship between Franklin and Lucy Mercer and how it impacted both of them throughout their lives, as well as on Franklin's relationship with his wife. The story is partially conveyed in the voice of Lucy Mercer herself and is also very much shaped by the known history of her relationship with Franklin spanning almost 3 decades.
Before coming to Lucy, I had some awareness of this relationship. One book I would recommend to any reader with an interest in gaining some insight into the Franklin Roosevelt-Lucy Mercer relationship is FDR's LAST YEAR: April 1944-April 1945 by Jim Bishop.
So, reading this novel rounded out my understanding of the relationship. As well as the following exchange between Franklin and Lucy Mercer (Rutherfurd) provided by the author during one of Franklin's wartime discreet meetings with Mrs. Rutherfurd (now a widow) during the summer of 1944:
Lucy: "Having me at the Place or Hobcaw or even the White House was one thing; detaining the presidential train and keeping scores of people waiting seemed to be asking for trouble, or at least public notice. His trips were off the record, but three reporters traveled with him. They were bound to ask questions. I knew how scandal could spread. I was a widow of no importance. His position was more lofty, and vulnerable."
FDR: "I'll tell them I'm stopping to visit an old friend."
Lucy: "Won't they ask whom?"
"They're hardened reporters, Lucy. They want war news, or political dope, or scandals that cost the taxpayers money. The sort of thing the Truman Committee's been after. Even if they knew about us, they wouldn't print it. It's an unwritten rule. A gentleman's agreement. Personal matters are off the record. ... Think of it, Lucy, in years to come when historians are poring over my every move, someone will notice that while most trips from Washington to Hyde Park left at night and arrived first thing the next morning, on August thirty-first, 1944, the president left at the usual time, but didn't arrive at Hyde Park until the evening of September first. Can you imagine the speculation? Engine trouble? A sabotage threat? The poor devils will never figure it out."
Spitfire Attack by William T Rolls
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
SPITFIRE ATTACK begins with the author's account of his receiving his wings as a newly minted Sergeant Pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF) on June 14th, 1940 (the same day the Germans entered Paris, after it had been declared an open city by the French government) and his subsequent posting to a fighter squadron. He would later see action during the Battle of Britain and on the Mediterranean island of Malta when it was under siege by the Axis Powers during a critical period of the war when Britain maintained a precarious hold in North Africa and the Mediterranean.
This is the kind of book any aviation enthusiast will enjoy reading, complete with photos.
This is the kind of book any aviation enthusiast will enjoy reading, complete with photos.
The Devil's Oasis by Bartle Bull
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
The Devil's Oasis is the third novel in the Anton Rider series in which many of the characters from the earlier novels, along with some new ones, are given voice and form.
The story begins in Egypt in September 1939, when the news of Britain's declaration of war on Nazi Germany reaches Olivio Fonseca Alavedo. He's the diminutive and enterprising Goan, proprietor of the Cataract Cafe in Cairo, and a proud father of several daughters and a son. He is concerned for his longtime friends Anton Rider and his estranged wife Gwenn, who has taken up with a wily and arrogant French archeologist (Giscard de Neuville). Anton, who makes his living organizing and staging safaris for wealthy Westerners eager to experience the thrill of the hunt in the open spaces of Africa, has always had a bit of a nomadic spirit. While he continues to harbor a deep affection for his wife and is devoted to their 2 sons, Wellington and Denby, Anton has always been a rolling stone. Which is why he and Gwenn (now a practicing physician) have led largely separate lives for more than a decade. It seems that their shared love for each other and their sons isn't enough to make Anton settle for a more ordered existence with Gwenn.
The war figures prominently in the novel, spanning the years 1939 to 1942. Wellington, impatient to be a part of the action, forgoes university, to enlist in the Army. After receiving his training in England, he returns as part of a distinguished unit which later goes into action against the Italians in Libya and Western Egypt. Anton also finds himself caught up in the conflict after having been sought out by British officers in Cairo to join their ranks and use his considerable trekking and hunting skills to train and lead men on nocturnal missions deep inside enemy territory. During one of these actions, Anton encounters his old friend Ernst von Decken, who is now on the enemy side, wishing to settle scores with the British.
The tension at times in The Devil's Oasis is hot, often boiling over. The hazards and perils of Anton's work behind the lines is well told, as is Wellington's service alongside the Free French and French Foreign Legion in the defense of the fort Bir Hakeim during May and June 1942 when it seemed likely that Italo-German forces under the able leadership of General Erwin Rommel would triumph over British and Commonwealth Forces and succeed in moving into Egypt and gaining control of the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean. All the while Olivio Alavedo has been involved in a number of intrigues centered around a rare archeological find he made in secret and the efforts of Gwen's lover, to claim Alavedo's find for his own and destroy him .
Simply put, this novel has all the hallmarks of a ripping yarn, with adventure, shifting alliances, romance, and high stakes espionage. And now, onward to the fourth (and final) novel of the series.
The story begins in Egypt in September 1939, when the news of Britain's declaration of war on Nazi Germany reaches Olivio Fonseca Alavedo. He's the diminutive and enterprising Goan, proprietor of the Cataract Cafe in Cairo, and a proud father of several daughters and a son. He is concerned for his longtime friends Anton Rider and his estranged wife Gwenn, who has taken up with a wily and arrogant French archeologist (Giscard de Neuville). Anton, who makes his living organizing and staging safaris for wealthy Westerners eager to experience the thrill of the hunt in the open spaces of Africa, has always had a bit of a nomadic spirit. While he continues to harbor a deep affection for his wife and is devoted to their 2 sons, Wellington and Denby, Anton has always been a rolling stone. Which is why he and Gwenn (now a practicing physician) have led largely separate lives for more than a decade. It seems that their shared love for each other and their sons isn't enough to make Anton settle for a more ordered existence with Gwenn.
The war figures prominently in the novel, spanning the years 1939 to 1942. Wellington, impatient to be a part of the action, forgoes university, to enlist in the Army. After receiving his training in England, he returns as part of a distinguished unit which later goes into action against the Italians in Libya and Western Egypt. Anton also finds himself caught up in the conflict after having been sought out by British officers in Cairo to join their ranks and use his considerable trekking and hunting skills to train and lead men on nocturnal missions deep inside enemy territory. During one of these actions, Anton encounters his old friend Ernst von Decken, who is now on the enemy side, wishing to settle scores with the British.
The tension at times in The Devil's Oasis is hot, often boiling over. The hazards and perils of Anton's work behind the lines is well told, as is Wellington's service alongside the Free French and French Foreign Legion in the defense of the fort Bir Hakeim during May and June 1942 when it seemed likely that Italo-German forces under the able leadership of General Erwin Rommel would triumph over British and Commonwealth Forces and succeed in moving into Egypt and gaining control of the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean. All the while Olivio Alavedo has been involved in a number of intrigues centered around a rare archeological find he made in secret and the efforts of Gwen's lover, to claim Alavedo's find for his own and destroy him .
Simply put, this novel has all the hallmarks of a ripping yarn, with adventure, shifting alliances, romance, and high stakes espionage. And now, onward to the fourth (and final) novel of the series.
The Emancipator's Wife by Barbara Hambly
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
5.0
The Emancipator's Wife: A Novel of Mary Todd Lincoln is one of the most engaging and enjoyable novels that I have read for some time. While its focus is on the life of Mary Todd Lincoln - from her childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood in a large Kentucky family with a beloved father who figured prominently in local politics -- there are other characters who serve to round out and enrich the novel by virtue of the roles they played - both directly and indirectly - in Mary Todd Lincoln's life. They are:
1. Mary Todd Lincoln's stepmother Betsy whom she resented and hated.
2. Abraham Lincoln, her beloved husband, with whom she had at times a turbulent marriage given her own highly strung disposition and the demands of his career in the law, his one term in Congress, political ambitions, and on to his tenure as President striving mightily to win a bloody, civil war and reunify the nation.
3. The Lincoln sons: the eldest Robert (with whom Mary Todd would have a difficult relationship as he grew to adulthood), Edward, Willie, and Tad. Of the 4 sons, only Robert would live a long life.
4. John Wilamet, an escaped slave with whom Mary Todd Lincoln became acquainted during the Civil War, when Wilamet and his family were staying in a camp for escaped slaves in Washington DC.
And there was also ---
5. Myra Bradwell, a lawyer by training (but not profession because in that time, women were not permitted to become lawyers) with whom Mary Todd Lincoln struck up a close relationship during the Civil War through their mutual interest in spiritualism and attendance at seances in Washington (which Mary Todd Lincoln regularly attended, seeking re-connections with her beloved son Willie whose death at age 12 in 1862 from typhoid fever nigh well shattered her. She would grieve for her lost sons for the rest of her life.
The chapters that deal with Mary Todd Lincoln's postwar life and her being declared in court insane which led to her being placed in an Illinois asylum for several months in 1875 were especially moving. They also highlighted for me the increasingly bitter and acrimonious relationship she had with Robert, who didn't think his mother capable of caring for herself, and was therefore better off in an asylum. Robert didn't seem to have the balanced temperament of his father and was avidly ambitious, a young husband and parent intent on carving out a successful career in the law.
I also enjoyed learning about John Wilamet's postwar life in which he worked as an aide in the Illinois asylum in which he renewed his acquaintance with Mary Todd Lincoln. He, like many African Americans of his time who were struggling to gain recognition and respect as citizens from their fellow white Americans (many of whom held very low opinions of African Americans and sought to keep them in marginalized positions in society), had a very challenging life, living in one of the most impoverished Chicago neighborhoods near the stockyards (where hogs were slaughtered and quartered for the local and national meat markets), saloons, and high crime areas of the city.
Though Wilamet was a fictional character in the novel, his life typified what was often the lot of African American men in the early decades after the Civil War.
The Emancipator's Wife I could read again and again, because it's richly layered and tells a fascinating story that makes history LIVE. I recommend it to anyone with a love for history and compelling human interest stories.
1. Mary Todd Lincoln's stepmother Betsy whom she resented and hated.
2. Abraham Lincoln, her beloved husband, with whom she had at times a turbulent marriage given her own highly strung disposition and the demands of his career in the law, his one term in Congress, political ambitions, and on to his tenure as President striving mightily to win a bloody, civil war and reunify the nation.
3. The Lincoln sons: the eldest Robert (with whom Mary Todd would have a difficult relationship as he grew to adulthood), Edward, Willie, and Tad. Of the 4 sons, only Robert would live a long life.
4. John Wilamet, an escaped slave with whom Mary Todd Lincoln became acquainted during the Civil War, when Wilamet and his family were staying in a camp for escaped slaves in Washington DC.
And there was also ---
5. Myra Bradwell, a lawyer by training (but not profession because in that time, women were not permitted to become lawyers) with whom Mary Todd Lincoln struck up a close relationship during the Civil War through their mutual interest in spiritualism and attendance at seances in Washington (which Mary Todd Lincoln regularly attended, seeking re-connections with her beloved son Willie whose death at age 12 in 1862 from typhoid fever nigh well shattered her. She would grieve for her lost sons for the rest of her life.
The chapters that deal with Mary Todd Lincoln's postwar life and her being declared in court insane which led to her being placed in an Illinois asylum for several months in 1875 were especially moving. They also highlighted for me the increasingly bitter and acrimonious relationship she had with Robert, who didn't think his mother capable of caring for herself, and was therefore better off in an asylum. Robert didn't seem to have the balanced temperament of his father and was avidly ambitious, a young husband and parent intent on carving out a successful career in the law.
I also enjoyed learning about John Wilamet's postwar life in which he worked as an aide in the Illinois asylum in which he renewed his acquaintance with Mary Todd Lincoln. He, like many African Americans of his time who were struggling to gain recognition and respect as citizens from their fellow white Americans (many of whom held very low opinions of African Americans and sought to keep them in marginalized positions in society), had a very challenging life, living in one of the most impoverished Chicago neighborhoods near the stockyards (where hogs were slaughtered and quartered for the local and national meat markets), saloons, and high crime areas of the city.
Though Wilamet was a fictional character in the novel, his life typified what was often the lot of African American men in the early decades after the Civil War.
The Emancipator's Wife I could read again and again, because it's richly layered and tells a fascinating story that makes history LIVE. I recommend it to anyone with a love for history and compelling human interest stories.