Summary from the back of the Melville House edition:
One of the biggest bestsellers of all time, and one of the first and most influential spy novels of the twentieth century, this delightful romp is now back in print after fifty years.
Taking place after the Russian Revolution shook Europe to its core, it tells the story of Lady Diana Wynham, who relishes trampling on the sensibilities of British Society, and her secretary, Prince Gerard Séliman, the perfect gentleman, equally at home in an Istanbul bazaar or a London charity matinée.
Faced with the prospect of financial ruin, Lady Diana launches a plan to regain control of her inheritance, a field of oil wells seized by the Soviets. She dispatches Gerard on the Orient Express to take care of the matter.
I want to start out by saying that this is not a bad book; it is fun and entertaining at times, and at only 250 pages it was a fast read. However, it did not live up to my expectations at all.
My thoughts:
- The novel is billed as a spy novel but seems much more like an adventure story to me. There is a good bit of political intrigue, and the part that was set in Russia was interesting, but I have no idea how accurate it was.
- It was less realistic than the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming (which have a lot of variation within the series so that a few are realistic and several are more on the fluffy side). The Madonna of the Sleeping Cars was published in 1925, was very successful at that time, and was exploring issues such as women's roles in society. I would have been more impressed with that if everyone in the book had not been rich or had a title.
- Just the fact that a woman is in charge and directing her male secretary to make the dangerous trip into Soviet Russia makes this an unusual novel for the time it was written. And the main villain among the Soviets is a beautiful female spy, Irina Mouravieff.
- A minor point: the title was misleading. The implication is that there is much traveling on trains; if so, I missed it, and Lady Diana stays behind in any case.
- I did not have any problem finishing the book, it is very readable, but I did not care for any of the characters. Most were rich and entitled.
I will point you to a more favorable review at A Work in Progress.
-----------------------------
Publisher: Melville House, 2012 (orig. pub. 1925)
Translator: Neal Wainwright
Length: 320 pages
Format: Trade Paper
Setting: London, Soviet Russia
Genre: Thriller
Source: Purchased in 2013.
1 comment:
I see what you mean, Tracy, about not living up to your expectations. There's a lot to be said for a certain amount of realism in a novel, even one where you have to let go of your disbelief a little. Still, the premise is interesting.
Post a Comment