Intelligent, warm and witty

Love William Boyd's way of writing, no words are superfluous, he is challenging and it takes my full attention to follow the plotline, but then I was also rewarded by noticing when he refers to the title, about which another reviewer had remarked that she had no idea where came from.
I also love that this takes place in the 1970s with references to the Baader-Meinhof group (though this ends up being a bit of a distraction, I kept expecting more about this) and the Shah in Iran and the possible treatment of exile-Iranians. The spy story itself is plausible, interesting and much better than most spy thrillers.
Did not exactly love Rosamund Pike's narration, as other reviewers have pointed out, she is not good at men's voices, I think I like her better as an actress.

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Brilliant

Spying during the second war, equal to La Carre at his best. Beautifully written, well constructed plot, well drawn interesting characters and a super reading.
My first Boyd and it certainly won't be my last.

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Great listen

I have read many of William Boyd’s books but this one stands out as it’s my favourite time period - WW11 and involves espionage! The characters were believable and my only criticism was the expected ending. Having said that when you feel disappointed at the end of a novel because it’s ended and you seek something to fill the void - you know you have read a good novel.

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A spy story- extraordinary

I really enjoyed this audiobook! Rosamund Pike is a great narrator and I had wanted another book narrated by her. William Boyd is an author I haven’t read before but would like to explore more of his work after this fantastic story. The characters were brilliantly built up in his world of espionage. Some nice twists and turns and I really enjoyed the dual narrators of mother and daughter. Overall a fantastic book with amazing intricacies that I thoroughly recommend.

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Astoundingly good.

I was sad to finish this as I cannot believe that I will find another as interesting, spellbinding and so well written. The switches between the decades of mother and daughter were seamless. The narration by Rosamund Pike was perfect, with the careful enunciation of wartime speech used by some. What a story - the imagination of William Boyd knows no bounds of the twists and turns of wartime espionage. I wonder if the Foreign Office could use him or, indeed, worried by him! I recommend this book without reservation

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A real gem

Don’t be put off by Eva Delectorskaya’s rather contrived name - yes she does share her surname with (in real life) Russian model and emigré Lydia who collaborated with Henri Matisse rather than Britain’s secret service and throughout the book I couldn’t help but wonder if that seductive choice was somehow no literary accident. The book is beautifully read far better than the average spy story.

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A surprisingly enjoyable book

Interesting and engaging, really excellent narration. I shall read more of his work and look out for her narration

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Loved the story, the narration

brilliant story
taking an old adage of WW2 espionage and making it from a women's perspective
also contemporary jumps between relatable present day and the romance and history of cities around the world.
I loved it, will listen again. So much detail and perfectly performed by Pike. loved it!

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Restless in every sense

The narration was superb . I found myself walking in Ava's shoes , becoming quite taken with it all . Well written . Definitely recommended.

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Surprisingly good

Not the sort of look I usually listen to, I gave it a go and I was pleasantly surprised.
It's about a young woman finding herself recruited into the British spy network early during WW2. The story covers her training, work and personal life during this time. Interspersed with this story we also hear the story of how she is getting on in 1976 and how her spy work affected her life long after the war was over.

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