Throughout Europe, people and their countries struggle against the Nazis, including the wife of a German submarine commander, an American Naval Intelligence officer, and his wife, an influential journalist. Reprint. NYT.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Elaborately plotted and meticulously researched, this sprawling saga of World War II offers some new political insights but ultimately succumbs to a combination of melodramatic prose, flat characters and abundant cliches. Bestselling author Fleming ( Time and Tide , etc.) builds his story around the fate of two military couples, one American and one German. Jonathan "Zeke" Talbot is a straight-shooting Navy captain who meets his U-boat counterpart, Ernst von Hoffman, after being captured in the North Atlantic shortly before the U.S. declares war on Germany. Released by his rival, Talbot winds up in Spain on an espionage mission, where he promptly beds Hoffman's wife, Berthe, a member of the German resistance movement. Talbot's wife, Annie, responds to this infidelity by going to work for her brother, a powerful Washington journalist. The convergent plots funnel the two couples toward a final climax in Berlin that focuses on Talbot's efforts to end the war early by helping to assassinate Hitler and convince Roosevelt to abandon his "unconditional surrender" policy. Fleming's history may be credible, but the far-fetched drama he hangs on it, as well as a surfeit of mawkish sentimentality, make for a sluggish read, and only the period detail and cogent exploration of policy issues keep the story from going off the rails.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Two families, one German and one American, confront the meaning of loyalty and betrayal during World War II. In fall 1941, Ernst von Hoffman mistakes an American destroyer for a British one and torpedoes it. But he saves the life of the ship's skipper, Jonathan Talbot. Back in Berlin, Ernst's wife, Berthe, has joined religious leaders like Dietrich Bonhoeffer in open criticism of Hitler and has also joined a more covert opposition group of prominent aristocrats and military leaders. As an agent for this group, she is sent to Spain with her husband, where she is to contact and seduce an American agent named Talbot whose naval career and marriage are in ruins. Both a thrilling story of espionage and a morality tale about people forced to make critical choices between their perceptions of good and evil, this is not just a rehash of history sugarcoated as fiction but a compelling novel examining the demands and personal costs of loyalty to one's country, people, family, and even one's vision of the future. The result has all the powerful reading punch of a Winds of War, and more.
Charles Michaud, Turner Free Lib., Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Charles Michaud, Turner Free Lib., Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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More About the Author
"How do you write a book?" 24 year old Thomas Fleming asked bestselling writer Fulton Oursler in 1951. "Write four pages a day," Oursler said. "Every day except Sunday. Whether you feel like it or not. Inspiration consists of putting the seat of your pants on the chair at your desk." Fleming has followed this advice to good effect. His latest effort, "The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers," is his 50th published book. Twenty three of them have been novels. He is the only writer in the history of the Book of the Month Club to have main selections in fiction and in nonfiction. Many have won prizes. Recently he received the Burack Prize from Boston University for lifetime achievement. In nonfiction he has specialized in the American Revolution. He sees Intimate Lives as a perfect combination of his double talent as a novelist and historian. "Novelists focus on the imtimate side of life. This is the first time anyone has looked at the intimate side of the lives of these famous Americans, with an historian's eyes." Fleming was born in Jersey City, the son of a powerful local politician. He has had a lifetime interest in American politics. He also wrote a history of West Point which the New York Times called "the best...ever written." Military history is another strong interest. He lives in New York with his wife, Alice Fleming, who is a gifted writer of books for young readers.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
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Loyalties in Conflict,
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This review is from: Loyalties: A Novel of World War II (Hardcover)
Two couples lives are drastically effected by World War II; Americans Anna and Jonathan Talbot and Germans Ernst and Berthe von Hoffmann, are conflicted by intense emotions and loyalties. Each of the four represents a different outlook. Anna supports the Roosevelt administration whereas Jonathan sees FDR dragging America into an unnecessary war. Berthe is horrified by Nazi excesses while married to a loyal German submarine commander who becomes more and more hardened as the war drags on. Their lives become entwined against a background of world events set in Washington DC, Spain and Germany. Fleming uses this drama to explore the allies insistence on unconditional surrender and the effect on the course of the war. It is a very readable sprawling drama of politics, love, and war that delves into the daunting question of the effects of President Roosevelt's diplomatic policy with Germany and Russia.
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