I took long to read this book, abandoned it the 1st time I tried and then came back to it later. And I'm glad I did! It's one of those stories that is skillfully plotted but it takes time to unfurl. At times I liked the slow pace, other times I found my attention wandering. This is not a high action/adventure story. What holds your interest is the deception and cunning that these characters demonstrate in their personal relationships and in espionage. We meet Joan Stanley as an old woman in her apartment when MI5 agents show up to let her know that her cover as a spy has been blown--many decades after her last assignment and just when she thought she had gotten away with it. The story then flashes back to her days as a student at Cambridge studying science. The metamorphosis from a fresh-faced innocent undergrad to a worldly wise woman evolves slowly but steadily. The other characters were also well developed and held my interest. There is Leo Galich, a communist radical but who is also a spy who seems to end up almost a victim of this secretive world he is mired in. The lovely Sonya, who is beautiful and somewhat glamourous but who I found unlikable. The relationship between Joan and son Nick is tender but also fraught with tension. He does not want to believe that his mother is capable of the things she is accused of doing. He wavers between feeling betrayed and wanting to reject her but at the same time wanting to protect her. And I couldn't help but like Max, the smart Professor who unwittingly finds himself entangled in a dangerous plot but yet he does not even know it. The shift between the present day (in the story) and the past was so seamless that at times I didn't realise the switch had happened until I had read a few lines. This, I liked. This novel may not have your pulse pounding but you will want to keep the pages turning. The ending was fitting and satisfying enough for me. Would definitely recommend, a good book! As her modern day story unfolded under the glaring lights of MI5, we were treated to the fully fleshed out - though at times maddeningly naive - character of Joan, a bright-eyed student at Cambridge turned lovesick young adult who finds herself attached to the wrong crowd but ingtrigued by their passion and fortitude nonetheless. At once bashful and brash, you see the world through Joan's eyes, while also wanting to shake her shoulders and wake her up to the true goings-on around her. I found myself thoroughly engrossed in the world of Joan, Leo, Sonya and Max, and while I can't say I relate to or approve of all of her choices, one can't help but respond with understanding when it comes to being swept away by idealised young love and the dreams of changing the world. Joan remains a sympathetic character even amidst terrible, misguided actions. One minor quibble: Rooney overuses and misuses the term "giddy" nearly a dozen times. Surely there were other, more apt adjectives she could have utilized.
What do You think about Rode Liefde (2014)?
Took me a little while to get into this book but once I was in-it was very interesting.
—SimoneStrawberry
difficult to put down - my family is happy to have me back now :)
—bookwormsarecool
I enjoyed this book, however I found some areas to just drag.
—erica1277
An interesting novel about the power of persuasion and love
—steve2120000
