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.
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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.
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.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I think the problem for me was that the novel was praised so highly, especially in the description from the Melville House edition. If I had gone into it with less knowledge of the book, maybe it would have worked for me. Like you say, the premise is interesting and also the background of the book and how well it succeeded for the author and started his successful writing career.
DeleteAlways love stories set on trains. Wish this had been better.
ReplyDeleteMe too, Patti. If any component of the plot had been satisfying, such as actually having some train travel in it, I might have found it a better read, but it just jumped from genre to genre too much for me.
DeleteI've never even heard of this one. It's always a little disappointing when the book isn't what you were expecting...or when you don't like any of the characters. But at least it read fast.
ReplyDeleteLark, it was a strange experience. I kept reading because I wanted to know where the story was going, and towards the end, to see if it was going to redeem itself. But still, overall, it was a light, sometimes funny, story and I wasn't sure why I wasn't liking it. So, if the characters had been likable, I probably would have been happier.
DeleteI'm not really tempted by this since spy novels are not really my thing (I've never read Ian Fleming OR watched an entire James Bond movie!), but I find the difference in covers intriguing. The first is fun and campy, but I really like the map aspect of the second!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely don't judge all espionage novels by Bond films or novels!
DeleteKelly, if you have not ever run into spy fiction that you like, I say go for what you do like, and leave spy fiction behind. This one is more fantasy / romance / adventure version of spy fiction anyway.
DeleteAs Todd says, the James Bond books and movies are not much like other spy fiction, and especially today's spy fiction. But this book has been described as a predecessor to the James Bond books and it is true it was written at least 2 decades earlier, but it isn't truly centered around espionage, and the Bond books are.
This definitely seems like it was seen as An Entertainment by publishers and presumably the writer, hence little if any attempt to track to reality and, My Goodness, even a pair of powerful women in key roles (can you Believe it?). Len Deighton, much less le Carre nor Kate Atkinson nor Helen MacInnes this wouldn't be...
ReplyDeleteTodd, the use of two powerful women in this book was impressive and admirable for the time, but much more time is spent with the two men that are being manipulated by the two women, which lessens the impact. A lot of readers noted the problems that bothered me but enjoyed the story anyway.
DeleteI will be holding onto my copies anyway, they are both very nice, and maybe I will discover more that I like on a reread.