But it is as the author of upmarket thrillers – a genre often looked down on by the literati – that he has really come into his own and received the commercial success his talent deserves. Mind you, I'd be happy to watch Charlotte Rampling reading a gearbox repair manual.īoyd has written everything from brilliantly funny comic novels to very hit-and-miss serious fiction. And no less enjoyable for it, unless you missed Downton's comedy value. Restless (BBC1), William Boyd's adaptation of his own 2006 novel, was everything Downton isn't: well-acted, well-written, well-paced and well-filmed. A very worthwhile and highly recommended audio experience.A fter her, by now traditional, pantomime dame performance as Lady Mary in the Downton Abbey Christmas special, Michelle Dockery was back two days later as Charlotte Rampling's daughter in another period drama, one that flitted between the 1970s and the second world war. The narration is outstanding, the story is well constructed, the plot ripples and the characters are deeply absorbing. There is action, intrigue, romance a clich? free plot and finally an unexpected and satisfying resolution for all concerned. It is insightful study of two young woman, both strong and intelligent, struggling to make a place for themselves in a world from which they are both slightly dislocated. It is an exploration of the art of spy-craft, manipulation and deceit. Genre transcending, this story takes us on an absorbing journey through the early years of WW2, from Europe to Britain to the U.S.A to Canada and back to London.
This novel is three stories, Eva’s story as wartime spy, Ruth’s story as a single mother in 1970’s Britain and finally the story of both woman united by the secret that has kept them apart.
What secrets do we hold in our hearts? What bitterness and anger do we nurse, anticipating if not revenge, then at least resolution? When Eva reveals her past as a British spy to her incredulous daughter Ruth, a door is opened into the lives of two formidable women.
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