Schama's greatest gift is a sure eye for an extraordinary story...This isn't what you get from conventional historians or conventional art writers, more's the pity...Schama has written books which will still be bought and talked about a century from now and he hasn't lost an ounce of zest or intelligence. Damn him...

He knows the history, the biography, and the art history...he made me look and learn. He is a great storyteller and we learn something new on every page.

All of these lives rendered with an acuity of detail that could rival the best of portraitists ... describing Lawrence's portrait of Wilberforce, Schama calls the painting a work of "transforming empathy". That phrase could be true of his storytelling throughout this book.

Schama has a masterly ability to conjure up character and vivify conflict

With Schama you look at a picture and see it as you hadn't before

Splendid, spirited, immensely enjoyable and wide-ranging

Shows Schama at his best . . . as full of memorable incident as a Bellow novel and wittier than a Woody Allen movie

Schama writes with grace and wit, and his enthusiasms are contagious

Dazzling, beyond praise

Beautifully crafted and scrupulously researched… The Zhivago Affair is a prime example of hard work and fidelity to a good story

As gripping as any spy thriller

Fascinating...With a delightful eye for detail

Finn and Couvée deal objectively with the characters involved and tell the story with exceptional vivacity

A thrilling literary espionage yarn...sheds new light on the Cold War struggle for the hearts and minds of millions of people

A fascinating tale that sheds new light on the literary front of the Cold War

High dudgeon, high stakes, high art

A wonderful book

A fast-paced political thriller about a book that terrified a nation

Brisk and thrilling...expertly told...a triumphant reminder that truth is sometimes gloriously stranger than fiction

Groundbreaking reporting and character-rich storytelling... Passionately written...almost makes one nostalgic for a time when novels were so important that even the CIA cared about them

A sparkling and fascinating account

Well-paced narrative...of great relevance today, when such conflicts seem (but only seem) to have disappeared.

Immensely compelling

Meticulously researched

The true strength of this meticulously researched book is the placing of the revelations into the context of a compelling human drama

Engrossing

[An] outstanding treasure of literature

Impeccably researched, and moving, this book breaks new ground