Customer Reviews

The Woman From Bratislava (Eurocrime)

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Davidsen must be ranked alongside Mankell, Fossum, Nesbo, Indridason and the other Nordic notables. This is an effort that sheds insight into wartime, post-war, and modern Europe, as well as the radical waves of the 1970's. It particularly illustrates the striking differences that exist between bordering and nearby nations of the continent as opposed to, say, the homogenic states of the United States. The reader realizes the chasms that exist between the national entities of Europe forged by centuries of wars, alliances, ethnic hatreds and long memories. The events take place in 1999 as the Balkins once again implode and a recently expanded NATO finds itself politically and morally required to respond. The story is multi-faceted in both its cast of characters and subject matter. The characters include two brothers, a sister, and a foreign half-sister, all diverse in politics,age and temperament; all sired by a Danish father who served as a Nazi SS officer during the war. The other principle is a Danish Secret Service agent whose simplistic black and white moral outlook and sense of duty drive his actions. The agent, Toftlund, is surrounded by colleagues, contemporaries, and acquaintences who do not share his idealism and are far more guided by pragmatism in their outlook. Double and triple agents and duplicitous governments prevail and Toftlund must deal with the results. Leif Davidsen does a remarkable job in addition to creating a novel of suspense and enjoyment. He accomplishes two things that are typical of the really fine writers; he explains the national schizophrenia that afflicted many nations of Europe when faced with both the German war machine and its vision of a super continent. Collaboration, resistance and neutrality pulled the populations apart, and decades later were choices that the people wished to forget. Lastly, Davidsen has the unique and uncanny ability, along with his peers, to make the reader see, smell andfeel the atmosphere of the locales where events are occuring. I would be remiss if I were not to repeat my favorite quote in the book--one that warmed my old radical soul. The character,Irma, on page 251, says "You and I know that the conservative press is as easily bought as a Hamburg whore."

This book was very slow. Good story but it just took too long to get to it. The character who is constantly making titles for pictures in his head was hilarious though.