War-weary Berlin has much to offer Leonard Markham, a young, naive postal engineer: first the arts of sophisticated intrigue, then the delights of sexual pleasure. But Leonard’s new knowledge carries a heavy price, dragging him into a life that is exhaustively suspenseful and utterly irresistible.
Download and start listening now!
"His first ever book and it shows; part romance, war time spy thiller and human drama its never quite sure what it wants to be. No such thing as a bad Ian McEwan book though and excellent characters and the mounting tension keep you turning the pages. Set in Cold War Berlin its well worth a read."
— John (4 out of 5 stars)
“So exhaustively suspenseful…it should be devoured at one sitting.”
— Newsweek" Not as enjoyable to read as his later works. A little stilted. Although it does inspire an urge to go to German beer gardens alone. "
— William, 1/23/2014" Disappointing. I really wanted to like this book. The subject matter seemed so interesting. But, for me, the book was just flat and uninteresting, and left me not caring about the characters at all. "
— Derrick, 1/20/2014" Thrilling, well-paced, well-researched, with another poignant ending. I really understood the conversion from innocence to horrorified veteran, and breathed the atmosphere of 50's Berlin. Well worth it. "
— Stephen, 1/14/2014" Takes a while to get going, but well worth the effort. Can't say too much more without revealing all the twists. "
— George, 12/26/2013" I enjoyed this historical fiction tale of post large wars, ...it was not guns and shooting, but about the spying that took place after all was 'said and done.' Well written, of course, and has a cool twist, which is classic McEwan. I recommend it if you like modern historical fiction :) "
— Rachael, 12/23/2013" Like Saturday and Atonement, this novel creates a haunting atmosphere that lingers, keeps you thinking about the text, the characters, the decisions those characters made... "
— Meredith, 12/15/2013" Interesting story! Extra nice because I just visited Berlin and find the history of the city really fascinating. "
— Kismeth, 12/7/2013" While waiting on the list for his current book, Sweet Tooth, I looked for others that I had not read. Not a disappointment - as always, great characters, some government hoopla and a wierd ending. "
— Maureen, 12/2/2013" I really enjoyed it, very descriptive and original. "
— Mauro, 11/23/2013" A British secret agent falls in love with a divorced German woman in Berlin in 1955. A gruesome manslaughter with bizarre twists forms the crux of this tight psychological suspense thriller/romance by McEwan. Worth a read for the style! "
— Manish, 9/9/2013" I became totally obsessed with McEwan for a while...actually maybe I should pick one of his books soon. "
— Rachel, 8/12/2013Ian McEwan is the author of more than a dozen books, including either New York Times bestsellers. His novel Amsterdam won the 1998 Book Prize; Atonement, won the National Book Critics Circle Award and the W. H. Smith Literary Award; and The Child in Time won the Whitbread Award. His story collection, First Love, Last Rites, won the Somerset Maugham Award.
John Franklyn-Robbins (1924–2009) was an English character actor of stage and screen. A prolific Shakespearean actor, he trained at RADA and proceeded to work at the Manchester Library Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic early in his career. He played a diverse number of roles ranging from Ariel in The Tempest to Macduff in Macbeth. His prestigious stage career included stints in both the West End and Broadway. He also worked for both the BBC and ITV in their early formative years and went on to appear in such classic television series as The Avengers, The Baron, Z-Cars, Callan, I, Claudius, Doctor Who and Star Trek: The Next Generation.