Restless: Amazon.co.uk: William Boyd: Books

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Review
'Boyd is English fiction's master storyteller Restless is that rare thing: a spy thriller from a first-rate narrative intelligence' Independent on Sunday 'Fast moving, densely plotted, beautifully observed and probably one of the best things Boyd has done' Esquire 'A good, rollicking read pulls you deep in to the obscure, forgotten intricacies of wartime espionage will keep you turning pages until the end' Observer 'Heart-stoppingly exciting a riveting tale of wartime derring-do' Time Out

Independent on Sunday
`Boyd is English fiction's master storyteller ... Restless is that
rare thing: a spy thriller from a first-rate narrative intelligence'

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Customer Reviews

105 Reviews

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

3.7 out of 5 stars (105 customer reviews)

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A new genre for Boyd - and he masters it well, 31 May 2007

By	BookWorm "BookWorm" (UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Although a fan of Boyd's writing, I was quite pleased to see his latest novel, Restless, was something of a departure from his usual storyline centring on a bumbling Englishman plauged with absurd misfortune, usually in some exotic setting. It's always a test of a good writer to see if they can pull off a story in a different genre to their staple area - and Boyd passes the test.

Restless is a spy thriller, with two strong and interesting central characters, fast paced, well plotted, and with a couple of good, original twists. The story is told in alternating first and third person chapters; the first person narrator being Ruth, a single mother in 1970s Britain; the third person narrative telling the story of Eva, a young woman recruited into the murky world of British spying/propaganda in Europe and America during WWII. The lives of the two overlap in modern times as Eva turns out to be Ruth's mother - now living an apparently ordinary life as an English widow - and has decided the time has come to settle some old scores.

Boyd's writing style is always a pleasure to read, and lends itself surprisingly well to this genre. His attention to detail and ability to make the mundane seem interesting, as well as bringing out the absurdities of life, are ideal for creating atmosphere and setting the scene, and it seemed somehow much more plausible than many spy stories.

The idea of combining the war era with peace times isn't entirely original, but it did work quite well here and brought home the story's central point of how spy work changed the mindset of a person forever.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it very gripping - one of those it's difficult to put down. Maybe not a book that would stay with me forever, but certainly a good read whilst it lasts. I would place Boyd up there along with masters like Le Carre, and would look forward to reading anything else he writes in this genre.

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31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, but not his best, 29 Mar 2007

By	M. J. Mooney "villafan82" (Leeds, West Yorkshire) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a fan of both Boyd (An Ice Cream War & Any Human Heart, especially) and WWII spy fiction (Alan Furst being the master) I looked forward to this. And it is indeed a page turner, the 1940s part of the narrative being particularly gripping.

It's the 1970s stuff with the daughter that lets it down. Too many pointless characters and dead ends (the Iranian protesters, the German hippies, etc.). I wasn't around in the 40s, so I can't speak for its authenticity there, but some of the 70s scenes are simply anachronistic - a history prof with a computer on his desk in 1976? No way. And I can only assume that Boyd has no children, because I have NEVER heard a pre-school aged kid speak the way that "Jochen" does - he sounds like a very well-educated 40-year old!

Worth reading, but it won't go down as one of his best.

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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars tough but tremendously readable, 4 Mar 2007

By	Robert Machin (Hampshire, UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

'Restless' is a confident, pacey novel by a brilliantly mature writer. Switching between seventies Oxford, pre-war Europe and a US on the point of entering the second world war, it builds and maintains an impressive, page-turning momentum. Much has been made of Boyd writing as a woman but it doesn't seem to matter; there is little sex or eroticism in the novel (for which much thanks), but much passion and longing, and maybe this serves to illustrate that, at the emotional level, there is less difference between the sexes than we like to imagine. More problematic is the sketchiness of much of the characterization (though personally I had no difficulty fleshing out the characters for myself) and the oddness of the structure - Eva's story is presented as the manuscript of a memoir which she has been writing, but really doesn't read as such. Ruth (Eva's daughter) doesn't add much to the overall story and it's hard to see why it couldn't have been written straight, as a first person narrative... or as a simple memoir, a form for which Boyd has shown fondness in the past. In the end though, the novel is easily strong enough to overcome such problems, creating an almost tangible sense of gnawing unease, paranoia and often nameless terror which begins almost as a game for Eva but ends by almost choking the lives of both her and her daughter. Better than I'm making it sound, a tough but tremendously readable novel.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Restless
I found this book very involving and engaging. Engaging from the point of the actual story and plot, and involving because as I read each page I was anxious to find out 'what... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Mr. M. P. Telford

5.0 out of 5 stars Restless
This was a real "page turner". The excitement was maintained troughout the book with unxpected turns in the plot

Published 1 month ago by B. Quilliam

4.0 out of 5 stars restless
I have recved the book and it is in good condision but I have not read it at the time of writing.

Published 1 month ago by Mr. A. L. Thomas

3.0 out of 5 stars The Plot Misfires?
So much is made of a character with a grim-sounding foreign name (Lucas Romer) insisting that Eva should trust no-one. "No one! NO ONE! Are you listening Eva, trust no one"! Read more

Published 2 months ago by Yellow Duck

4.0 out of 5 stars I love reading reviews on here but enjoyed this book rather more!
Some of them are so very serious!

So, Restless - to me reading a book is about the enjoyment I derive from the process of reading. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Gallen

5.0 out of 5 stars Do you really know your mother?
It is 1976 and Ruth Gilmartin is a single mother living in Oxford with five-year-old son Jochen and getting by teaching English to foreign students. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Mick Read

4.0 out of 5 stars Restless
One of those books that, once it has caught you in its story, never lets you go again - and it is an intriguing story. Combines real pace with a deeper point. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Martin Gorham

3.0 out of 5 stars Loose Ends: 3 & 1/2 Stars
I purchased this book a couple of years ago but never got around to reading it until the "Woman's Hour" on BBC 4 began to serialize it. Read more

Published 3 months ago by F. S. L'hoir

3.0 out of 5 stars A flawed but gripping read
I really enjoyed this book, but I am inclined to agree with a previous reviewer who commented that the 1970's scenes are a bit pointless and drawn out. Read more

Published 5 months ago by R. Swanton

2.0 out of 5 stars Motion movie fodder
It is alarming that this book is many peoples' first introduction to William Boyd.It is nothing more than up market Mills & Boon written with a screenplay in mind starring Helen... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Roger J. Pettitt

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