Author:Richard Cobb
An extraordinary history of French lives under occupation in the First and Second World Wars, this is an intimate, unforgettable meditation on the strange mixture of compromise and betrayal, collaboration and resistance that marks defeat, written by one of the greatest historians of France.
'A splendid book for comprehending human kind ... Cobb has a strong sense of how ordinary life has to go on, even through disasters, and a sensitivity for what it was like at the time, matched by a gift for the telling phrase' Economist
'Prophet of the past, Richard Cobb is a visionary' New York Review of Books
'His France - urban, northern, provincial, pedestrian, noisy, unpuritanical, festive - was in contrast to, and predicated upon, another France: bureaucratic, official, suburban, safe' Julian Barnes
Richard Cobb is a visionary. His books will take you on an extraordinary intellectual and emotional journey.
—— The New York Review of BooksHis France - urban, northern, provincial, pedestrian, noisy, unpuritanical, festive - was in contrast to, and predicated upon, another France: bureaucratic, official, suburban, safe, rule - crazy, scared.
—— Julian BarnesCobb was a true historian of life 'from below', using archival evidence to bring alive the reality - and the suffering - of ordinary people's existence.
—— Geoffrey Wheatcroft , New StatesmanOutstanding heroism...compelling. Kershaw's writing gives you a sense of "being there"
—— Daily ExpressFascinating, remarkable, riveting, terrifying. Kershaw does justice to the veterans and makes accessible their amazing story
—— Big IssueUtterly extraordinary - I have had few reading experiences like it - it's as if one is unravelling a terrible yet irresistible secret, the secret of death
—— Claire-Louise Bennett, author of 'Pond'The greatest contemporary Catalan novelist and possibly the best Mediterranean woman author since Sappho
—— David H RosenthalA heartbreaking, unforgettable read. One of the most important literary works from the second half of the 20th century
—— El CulturalIt is a total mystery to me why [Rodoreda] isn't widely worshipped. . . . She's on my list of authors whose works I intend to have read all of before I die. Tremendous, tremendous writer
—— John Darnielle, author of 'Wolf in White Van'One of the most radical works from the past century
—— El PaisThe novel is suspenseful, pushing the reader through the images, memories, and voices that flow within the protagonist's often confused mind as he develops into manhood. Just as the unnamed protagonist must navigate a world of contradictions, the novel reflects Rodoreda's own political, social, and literary exile while speaking of a tyranny that feels almost uncanny in its incantation
—— Bomb MagazineMercè Rodoreda is not just one of the most accomplished post-war Catalan authors; she is also widely considered, notably by Gabriel García Márquez, to be the greatest Spanish writer of the 20th century
—— Culture TripWe must be grateful to the Penguin European Writers series, a precious venture in these dark times
—— John BanvilleThe Czech nation will surely feel that he has done [Lata Brandisova] justice.
—— Robin Oakley , Literary ReviewFew historians could be better placed to investigate this subject than Keith Lowe . . . riveting
—— Evening StandardMagisterial. The biography of Maclean we have all been waiting for
—— Charles Cumming, author of the Thomas Kell seriesAdmirable… [a] compassionate, absorbing book
—— Miranda Carter , The Oldie[A] persuasive and polished biography
—— Sunday TimesRoland Philipps illuminates, in both broad and subtle strokes
—— John Lloyd , Financial TimesPhilipps does an admirable job of piecing together the spy’s tale
—— Mary Jo Murphy , Washington Post SundayPhilipps’s telling of the tale is masterly. He weaves a complex web of professional, psychological and marital themes into a wonderful fluent, coherent and compelling narrative
—— Xan Smiley , StandpointElegant, thorough and surprisingly exciting
—— Marcus Berkman , Daily Mail[A] superbly told tale
—— Daily Mail , Daily Mail, **Books of the Year**In A Spy Named Orphan Roland Philipps’s description of Donald Maclean’s psychological make-up chimes with what I have always felt about the Cambridge spies (Philby excepted) – namely, that their romance with the Soviet Union partook of patriotism as much as it did of espionage… Philipps makes the story and the slow uncovering of his treachery a gripping narrative and an overwhelmingly sad one
—— Alan Bennett , London Review of Books