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Young Philby: A Novel Audiobook
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(2.22) - 9 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
An elegant, twisty spy story by a true master of the craft Bestselling novelist Robert Littell employs all his considerable skills in telling the story of Kim Philby through the eyes of more than twenty true-life characters. As each layer is revealed, the question arises: Who really was this man? When Kim Philby fled to Moscow in 1963, he became the most infamous double agent in history. A member of Britain's intelligence service since World War II, he had risen to become their chief officer in Washington, D.C. after the war. The exposure of other members of the group of double agents known as the Cambridge Five led to the revelation that he had been working for Russia for even longer than he had been part of MI6. Yet he escaped, and spent the last twenty-five years of his life in Moscow. In Young Philby, Robert Littell tells the story of the spy's early years. In the words of his friends, lovers, and Soviet handlers we see the development of a fascinating, flawed man who kept people guessing about his ideals and allegiances until the very end.
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"Interesting premiss that Kim Philby was a double agent, really in the employ of the British, but "escaped" to the Soviet Union as a plant. Goes through his life and weaves a great tale."
— Leonard (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Arguably, along with le Carré and Alan Furst, one of the best three or four espionage writers alive.…Thanks to the narrative gifts and psychological insights of Robert Littell we come away from the novel with a dramatically inventive and utterly entertaining portrait of a deceptive young genius in a confusing and murderous time.”
— Boston Globe -
“For readers who savor both history and absurdity, this fascinating novel is not to be missed, and I persist in my belief that Littell is one of the most underrated of American novelists.”
— Washington Post -
“One of the most original and authoritative writers of spy fiction of our time.”
— London Literary Review -
“A dizzying, ‘what if’ take on (in)famous British spy Kim Philby…Littell shows particular skill at recreating pulse-quickening epic scenes of conflict—the Russian-backed uprising against Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss, the war against fascist dictator Francisco Franco, and the horrors of Stalin’s kangaroo courts and of Moscow prisons.…A Cold-War spy novel for the top shelf.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“A riveting read.”
— Frederick Forsyth, New York Times bestselling author -
“There are many incidental pleasures to be had, not least the way Littell combines deep knowledge of spycraft with jovial levity.”
— Guardian (London) -
“The American master of literary espionage.”
— Independent (London) -
“A fascinating story…Those who enjoy cold war espionage, spy tradecraft, World War II history, or plain old-fashioned good writing will appreciate this novel.”
— Washington Independent Review of Books -
“John Lee makes this novel based on the true story of one of the twentieth century’s most notorious spies, ‘Kim’ Philby, as riveting an account as a listener could wish for…Lee’s performance brings credible insights into the early techniques of spycraft during WWII and the Cold War as well as offering fascinating character portraits of some of those who influenced the young agent.”
— AudioFile -
“John Lee gives each character an authentic accent, German, Russian, upper-crust Brit, even Philby’s ever-present stutter, as he skillfully moves the narration along.”
— BookPage -
“John Lee makes this novel based on the true story of one of the twentieth century's most notorious spies, "Kim" Philby, as riveting an account as a listener could wish for...Lee's performance brings credible insights into the early techniques of spycraft during WWII and the Cold War as well as offering fascinating character portraits of some of those who influenced the young agent.
— AudioFile Magazine -
John Lee gives each character an authentic accent, German, Russian, upper-crust Brit, even Philby's ever-present stutter, as he skillfully moves the narration along.
— BookPage
Awards
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A 2012 Kansas City Star Top 100 Book for Mystery/Suspense
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One of the 2012 Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books: Thrillers
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Among longlisted titles for Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year, 2012
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About Robert Littell
Robert Littell has written over twenty novels, including A Plague on Both Your Houses. A former naval officer and later a Newsweek journalist specializing in the Soviet Union, he also wrote For the Future of Israel (in collaboration with Shimon Peres), The Revolutionist, and Mother Russia. His novel The Amateur was made into a feature film, his novel Legends became a television series, and his New York Times bestselling novel The Company was adapted into a miniseries. He has been awarded the UK’s prestigious Gold Dagger and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for his fiction. Littell makes his home in France.
About John Lee
John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays. He is an accomplished stage actor and has written and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit. He played Alydon in the 1963–64 Doctor Who serial The Daleks.