Wife. Mother. Spy. The publisher’s blurb tells us. Now Laura just wants a ‘a quiet life’ and so we follow her to that conclusion. As a young American woman just before World War II she meets a working-class English communist on the boat to London and somewhat hero-worships her, absorbing her beliefs. Laura’s privileged English cousins with whom she stays also influence her as they are set on a good time even into the early war years. Part of this set is Edward, who works for the Foreign Office. He is both our love interest and our spy. The fabric around the story is the pressure of living a lie, of always dissembling, of playing a role and always being on your guard. Edward drinks to cope, Laura lives as a totally false person, an empty-headed socialite which is how she is eventually perceived. This is a very interesting slant on the Cold War, a fascinating read.
Eighteen-year-old Laura Leverett arrives from America for a new life in England. At the side-lines of her cousin's glamorous gatherings, Laura hungers for someone with whom she can discuss the new political ideas sweeping through London.
Edward Last is the kindred spirit Laura has been waiting for. But the secret he is carrying will test Laura's ideals to their limits and take them across oceans before tearing them apart…
'A tour de force. Walter has taken us inside a life in hiding, in a novel about love, about political ideals and about the entrapment both create Linda Grant
Praise for Natasha Walter's non-fiction:
'A must-read' Guardian
'Spare and spirited elegance' Independent
'Potent' The New Statesman
'Wonderfully written' Observer
'Elegant and thought-provoking' The Times
'Excellent' Allison Pearson, The Daily Mail
Author
About Natasha Walter
Natasha Walter has worked as a journalist, columnist and reviewer for Vogue, the Guardian, the Observer and the Independent, has judged the Booker Prize, and is the founder of the charity Women for Refugee Women.
