I’m rereading The Foreign Correspondent by Alan Furst. I’m usually not one to reread books, but with Furst I find myself anxious to submit to the craving.
I have 12 of his books and by the time I get around to rereading, my memory has faded past the remote details. A wonderful book, read months ago becomes a door with a new coat of paint. Yes, I remember the door, but only bits and pieces of the exquisite details that lie behind it.
Good authors bring great entertainment. Great authors bring tears and pain and love and joy. They also teach you how to write. In Furst novels, he has you living and walking through the little known pages of history and feeling the suffering of human struggles.
So, what's the book about? It's 1938 and fascism is bludgining its way across the face of Europe. Spain is already in flames, with Italy and Germany dipping their toes into the waves of war. Blazing trails for what is to rapidly sally forth.
Carlo Weisz has been tossed this way and that, ending up as a war correspondent. With Spain's Civil War winding down, and Franco crushing his Republican opponents, Weisz moves on to Paris, only to find terror, intrigue, and various levels of spies.
With Furst, the plot is tense and characters clear cut. Whether you are a history buff, or just a lover of intense intrigue, you will love all of Furst's books, and The Foreign Correspondent is a superb example.
