July 2016 Debut of the Month.
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.
| Primary Genre | Modern and Contemporary Fiction |
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Wife.Mother.Spy.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.
A Quiet Life features in the following genres: Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Books with reviews by our Reader Review Panel, Thriller and Suspense, Debut Books of the Month, Historical Fiction, eBooks of the Month, General Fiction, Fiction, Recommendations
Paperback, Hardback. Not Available.
A Quiet Life was written by Natasha Walter and published by The Borough Press an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
A Quiet Life has 442 pages
