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The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington Paperback – Illustrated, September 8, 2009

by Jennet Conant (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 316 ratings
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  1. Print length
    416 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 8, 2009
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 1.1 x 8.44 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0743294599
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0743294591
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Illustrated edition (September 8, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0743294599
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0743294591
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.44 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 316 ratings

About the author

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Jennet Conant

Jennet Conant

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Jennet Conant is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II;109 East Palace: Robert Oppenheimer and the Secret City of Los Alamos; and The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington. Her critically-acclaimed biography of her grandfather, one of the leaders of the Manhattan project, is Man of the Hour: James B. Conant, Warrior Scientist. She recently published The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster that Launched the War on Cancer. Her latest book is Fierce Ambition: The life and Legend of War Correspondent Maggie Higgins.

A former journalist, she has written for Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ, Newsweek, and The New York Times.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
316 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's subject interesting and well-presented. They describe it as an excellent, enjoyable read that provides a nice package of storytelling and research. The personalities and motivations of the characters are described as intriguing and extraordinary.

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InterestReadabilityPersonality
27 customers mention "Interest"27 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and informative. They appreciate the well-presented subject matter, intrigue, and fascinating stories about lesser-known people. The descriptions of British spies in the lead-up to WWII are intriguing. Readers also mention that the narrative is captivating.

"This is the third book I have read by Jennet Conant. Full of history and juicy gossip. The Irregulars entertains and informs...." Read more

"Listened to this in the car. It's fascinating. It's another fascinating true story from Jennet Conant...." Read more

"...It is an interesting account of Washington during WWII from a perspective seldom encountered...." Read more

"...a big fan of this author and so I had a sense that this would be well researched and the narrative would be captivating. I wasn't disappointed...." Read more

26 customers mention "Readability"26 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an engaging read with good storytelling and research. They describe it as a remarkable piece of journalism as well as literature. The subject is interesting and presented in a well-presented way, though not overly detailed.

"...A great and fascinating read. I'm surprised no one has made a movie from the book of Dahl's exploits during WWII...." Read more

"...Conant does a great job, not just telling us the facts of the situation, but of turning real people into fascinating .characters" Read more

"An amazing story of Bill Stephenson and the British spies in America" Read more

"...This is an engrossing and well-told look at Dahl's work as a covert operative--complete with debauchery and many cocktails--working for the Allied..." Read more

5 customers mention "Personality"4 positive1 negative

Customers find the book engaging. They describe the personalities as intriguing and extraordinary.

"...Their motivations and personalities come alive. I had some idea previously that the Brits had maneuvered the U.S. into being their allies...." Read more

"...This is an engrossing and well-told look at Dahl's work as a covert operative--complete with debauchery and many cocktails--working for the Allied..." Read more

"The best book on WWII and an extraordinary person I read last year." Read more

"...I did not finish the book. Dahl was not a nice character and rather egotistical...." Read more

Thank you for the insight into my aristocratic family history...
4 out of 5 stars
Thank you for the insight into my aristocratic family history...
I simply wish to thank Ms. Conant for revealing a completely different facet to my great-grandfather's personality (Charles Marsh) and his integral role during a pivotal era in anglo-american history. This was a welcome surprise in contrast to the sordid and unsavory accounts with which I was raised. Am quite sure most was revealed through my beloved great-aunt Toni, and I am appreciative of Ms. Conant's kind words concerning her and my family. Perhaps I should publish the other side ;)
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Amazon Customer Kathy Kingsbury Roessler
    5.0 out of 5 stars was like during WWII
    Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    If you fancy yourself as a student of WWII you must read this book. It is hard to imagine what Washington D.C. was like during WWII. You can guess what it must have been like and read all kinds of books about government contracts and who the major players were. Read this book and you'll have met the decision makers in a human way that you've probably not seen anywhere else. Its the D.C. we all have suspected but never seen from the inside. The real persons the author reveals to us in her word paintings are so much more than simply a recitation of facts. Their motivations and personalities come alive. I had some idea previously that the Brits had maneuvered the U.S. into being their allies. We know that Roosevelt and Churchill were instrumental in that effort. Previously unknown to me, was how involved British Intelligence was in manipulating American attitudes towards helping the Brits. I had no idea that Roald Dahl was part of British Intelligence and an ace pilot. The author leads us into Dahl's initial foray into writing. A great and fascinating read. I'm surprised no one has made a movie from the book of Dahl's exploits during WWII. The author has practically written the script.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Auntie
    4.0 out of 5 stars The British have a lot to answer for.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is the third book I have read by Jennet Conant. Full of history and juicy gossip. The Irregulars entertains and informs. What more can you ask of a book?
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  • Angelena
    5.0 out of 5 stars Real spies in WWII
    Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Listened to this in the car. It's fascinating. It's another fascinating true story from Jennet Conant. Conant is known for similar books that tell the little-known stories of important developments during WWII. She has chronicled the Manhattan Project, from idea to the bombing of Hiroshima in Tuxedo Park and 109 East Palace as well as the story of Julia and Paul Child's work for the OSS during the war.

    Dahl (author of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate, inter alia) was an RAF pilot in the early part of WWII. He was badly injured in a plane crash and could no longer fly. He went to work as the air attache at the British Embassy in Washington, but he was really sent there to help convince America to join the war as a member of the British Security Coordination.

    His overseers at the Embassy did not always know what or why he was doing something for the BSC. They were none too happy with this situation and periodically tried to have Dahl reassigned back to England. The same was not true for the social and political elites in DC. The work required him to work his way into the elite social scene in DC which meant that he was rubbing elbows with, and building relationships with, many of the most important people in the country. In fact, he became friends with the Roosevelts, the Vice President, numerous Congressmen, wealthy businessmen who supported election campaigns, and the doyennes who gave the parties that one just couldn't say no to. He had access to the people that mattered, and he knew how to constructively use that access to influence American policy toward Britain and the war.

    Dahl also began his career as a writer at this time. He wrote essays about his war time experiences for magazines and began writing children's story books. His book, The Gremlins, attracted the attention of Walt Disney who wanted to make a movie of the book. That didn't work out, but Dahl went on to write for the movies as well. This led him to some of Hollywood's most influential actors, writers, producers and studio heads.

    Conant does a great job, not just telling us the facts of the situation, but of turning real people into fascinating .characters
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Neil C. Gest
    5.0 out of 5 stars A little known chapter in American-British relation leading to and during WW II
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    An amazing story of Bill Stephenson and the British spies in America
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  • Joan Kron
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, hard to read
    Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Type is pale and small. Wish I had bought the hard cover. I like this author.
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  • GrannyBooks
    5.0 out of 5 stars Roald Dahl before the children's books
    Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    If you have kids or grandkids you probably know Roald Dahl as the writer of children's books. Among his best known are James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda, all of which have been made into movies of varying quality. The books, however, all hold to a high standard.

    But this book is not about Roald Dahl, the writer of children's books and silly poems. This is about Roald Dahl before he found that talent within himself. In WWII, after he was invalided out of the RAF, he was assigned to the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., where he was recruited by British Intelligence to spy on the U.S.

    Did you think all the spies in the U.S. during WWII were German or Japanese or Italian? Well, they weren't. Britain was concerned that the U.S. would wait the war out -- sentiment was strong in the U.S. to stay out of the war. Churchill wanted to know who in our government supported helping England and who didn't. So a group of "friendly" spies, Dahl among them, gathered information that was forwarded to England.

    It is an interesting account of Washington during WWII from a perspective seldom encountered. I enjoyed it both as history and as a side I didn't know of an author I have long appreciated.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Dahl (and Others) in America
    Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    This was a very entertaining book. As a childhood fan of Dahl (and especially his two autobiographies) I decided to read this well-reviewed book. I have no idea what I was in for. It came as a complete shock to me the number of people Dahl interacted with while in DC. He knew everyone who was anyone in the political world during and after WWII. Though Dahl is the main focus, the book also looks at other famous members of this group of spies (William Stephenson, David Oglivy, Ian Fleming, to name a few). This is an engrossing and well-told look at Dahl's work as a covert operative--complete with debauchery and many cocktails--working for the Allied cause during WWII.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Fred Houpt
    5.0 out of 5 stars What an amazing story
    Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I am a big fan of this author and so I had a sense that this would be well researched and the narrative would be captivating. I wasn't disappointed. I knew very little about the secret side of Roald Dahl and his buddies working for British Intelligence inside the USA during the war. I highly recommend this book. You will learn much and your perspective on how Churchill and "C" (head of MI5) managed to push their agenda along even though its client was F.D.R.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Achim
    5.0 out of 5 stars Artikel wie beschrieben, etwas teuer, und Lieferzeit sehr lang da Import aus USA.
    Reviewed in Germany on December 6, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Artikel wie beschrieben, etwas teuer, und Lieferzeit sehr lang da Import aus USA.
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  • Gregory E.
    5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing look into history.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Just sensational what went on on the spy front during the war.
    Just a great read from front to back.
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  • kskpkrl
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on June 10, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Well written
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  • しんたろ
    4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing.
    Reviewed in Japan on October 14, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    A very interesting history of the British espionage ring in Washington during WWII. Who would have thought that the writer of Charlie and the Chocolate factory would have had such an interesting life before he became a children's book writer.
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  • Readwell
    1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
    Reviewed in Canada on January 23, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    garbage
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