Welcome to Litsy!

Espionage is at its best in this dual time line novel (1944; 1962). Celia (1962) lives in Southwark, a district in Central London.The specter of Nuclear annihilation & war is a political reality,one she & a friend attend rallies in protest. She works at to her,a dead end job at a nearby Antiquarian bookstore. She yearns for more: an education,a real career, a flat of her own.One day she meets an American at the shop who works at the UK Embassy ⬇️

Poe seems to want my attention….#catsoflitsy

My tiny house wren chirped at a rapid high volume when I sat on the porch with my book and coffee. Mom flew out of her birdhouse but I think they are getting use to my quiet presence- Mom is back & dad‘s chirp is now normal.

There is a wonderful cool breeze today which I want to enjoy out here because extremely hot humid weather is coming. #porchlife #birdsong

This book seemed like it was trying to be too many things, which probably explained why I did not connect to it as strongly as I would have liked. That being said, I did still enjoy it and it was certainly worth reading. The Cuba & Cold War aspects were especially interesting. I particularly liked the strong women characters, especially Celia, and the acknowledgment of the underestimation of them by the male characters. 3.75/5 stars.

When I read a historical book I always expect to learn something. With this one I learned quite a bit. It's the first book I've read about The Cold War/The Cuban Missile Crisis... No that it goes into great detail about nuclear war or threats of war but about the prospect of it possibly happening. Also about a family secret that you may figure out before it's revealed. I'm sure the author intended that happen though.
I loved it.
5 stars

Happy Publication Day to Louise Fein! Read all about her and her new book in our interview on The Book's Delight. See it here: https://thebookdelight.com/2024/01/interview-with-louise-fein-author-of.html