RESTLESS by William Boyd

Loved 'Restless' on TV and am loving reading the novel - even quite surprised how faithfully it appears to have been adapted.

A question for William Boyd:

As he has obviously very carefully researched WW2 and the real spies of that time - perhaps discovering much about the unassuming bravery of ordinary people - does he think that the James Bond films with all their ostentatious cloak and dagger give spies a bad name?

I am fascinated by how spy books from different generations reflect the different fears of the time - James Buchan's 39 Steps and Erskine Childers' Riddle of the Sands, for instance and the fear of German rearmament, or John le Carre and the Cold War, and also how differently "spies" act - whether they are full of derring do like James Bond (much more like SOE than SIS, really) or contemplative like George Smiley. 2 members of DH's family were SIS/MI6 and I know that Le Carre was highly regarded for authenticity as he also had a "service" background. I have just finished The Spy Who Came In From the Cold and it is so complex and totally engrossing.

I was very pleased to receive my copy of the book before Christmas. Really enjoyed the TV adaptation and am looking forward to reading the book and comparing the two. Hope to manage to read it soon, so that I can ask William Boyd a question, but have to finish the book I'm already reading first!

Are the characters based on people the author knows? They seem so real.
Thanks for the free book. Really enjoyed it.

thankyou for my copy of RESTLESS. what a great read and the TV adaptation was wonderfull.all my family were rivited to the screen. i have reccomended the book to my friends in America.i haven't read any of William Boyds books before but if they are all as good as this i will be reading them,and as i belong to a literature group we were asked to read over xmas a book of our choice to discuss so this is going to most certainly be my book choice.......i will be looking in on Wednesday to hear from William Boyd.......Lillian

GrandmaAnge the book differed quite a lot from the tv play, Oxford instead of Cambridge, Carl Heinz never visited UK, no mention of his brother. Ruth's tutor was not a German in the book, he was called Bobbie York.
I will not be reading any of Boyd's other novels.

I found the book very slow and boring to start with, then as it went on I enjoyed it more, but wouldn`t say that it was one of my best reads. Not really all that eager to try any other of William Boyd`s books.

Thank you GN for my copy. I enjoyed reading it. I did not see it on the TV over Christmas,would be intrested to know what the Author thought of the TV production

Can someone jog my memory please? I've read Restless - its somewhere in my piles of books in the spare bedroom because we've got the decorators in. I loved it but can't remember the plot !!!!!!! Ordinary Thunderstorms was the best for me though.

There's a short plot summary on wiki. I read the whole thing on a flight to NZ once and left it there with my sister. I agree about Ordinary Thunderstorms which has such an amazing plot. That's why I love Boyd's work. He does great plots, unlike too many 'literary' writers.

I missed the tv adaptation but from what's been said, it was no loss.
I too found it really difficult to get into this book. I couldn't get my head round the name Delectorskaya. Every time I came to it I had to stop and think how to say it in my head. It was irritating. I think things began to take off for me when Eva decides to seduce Romer and gets him to kiss her. From then on, the story gathered momentum and I couldn't leave it alone. I am the same age as the older Eva and in 1976 was a similar age to Ruth. That long, hot summer sticks in my memory. I was 25 and ran a summer playscheme so was outside a lot. Perhaps that added to my enjoyment of the book. I wore an embroidered cheesecloth shirt and owned a pair of clogs and high boots. We drank and smoked without restraint...happy days!!

Question for William Boyd then, as I got a free copy thankyou!
What gave you the idea for this complicated scenario? Is this story just coming out, like the Bletchely Park stuff? I loved the way it linked to other, now well known Russian spies. Is any of this remotely true?
Fascinating!

I never win anything so was delighted to receive a copy! Am on hol visiting family in US so no chance of catching the TV version, but the book is excellent and can hardly get myself away from it. But I put it down immediately when granddaughter wants to play! So far very thought-provoking & kept me awake last night thinking about plot, characters etc. so will be back again at it today testing out my theories of how it might develop. Beautifully crafted novel with insights into how espionage probably does work & set against historical backgrounds - it took me back instantly to the hot summer of 76! Will be back most likely to add more when I've finished it.

Now finished the book - couldn't put it down! It was excellent. Thank you.

Some questions for William Boyd:

1. Would love to know what inspired you to write this & what sources you drew upon for your research.

2. The device of describing the various things Eva has to learn as a spy, and the lengths she has to go to cover her traces, take on aliases & be sure she's not being tailed is very potent. I found I was paying close attention to what was written, as though "in training" myself, so was alerted when Ruth told friend Veronica about Eva's story. Wondered if this was a good idea/secure - who could be trusted?

3. Trust and the betrayal of trust is a strong theme - the atmosphere of the book conveyed this. Was this the issue you originally wished to explore in the book when you decided to write it?

4. How early on in the story did you expect the reader to suspect Romer as a Svengali figure?

5. Going back to the reader identifying with being a potential spy in training, I noticed in the description of the Prenslo incident that you as the writer describe Joos as thinking a bit before answering Eva's question about where she could buy French cigarettes, then saying "Amsterdam?" as a question in response (p.85). Yet when Eva is questioned by the committee of big guns, she describes Joos as saying "Amsterdam" instantly and confidently (p.114). Was this anomaly deliberate, and if so, why? That one has puzzled me.

Enjoyed the TV version and am half way through the book.I am unsure as to why this book is titled Restless.Is it because Eva is constantly watching for the next attempt on her life ? Or am I missing something obvious in the plot?

I received my free copy (thanks) a few days before it was shown on TV, I'm now about a third of the way through it & I'm really enjoying it.

I did not get a copy, feel should watched it on tv really.

Thanks for the Boyd book really thrilled. Started it and then the TV programme came on which I recorded. In the end couldn't resist it when I was three quarters of the way through and thought it was fantastic. Am now finishing the book and my viewing hasn't spoiled it
A question for William Boyd is how did he handle the time changes? Did he do all the early time at once before the later or did he write it as we read it?
Once again many thanks for sending this book to me . Much appreciated.
Nanaval

Thanks GN for my copy of the book,I am a quarter through it but have just watched the TV drama. It kept me on the edge of my seat especially at the end I really thought Eva's daughter was going to find her dead when she returned to get her son's jacket ,it was the scary music that did it. I enjoy stories set during the war and loved this one.
I'd like to ask William if he has any say in who is cast for the TV drama? Lucas was a handsome man but the years were not kind to him and I didn't expect him to look the way he did. Also how do you feel when the scriptwriter changes places and other parts of your story?
I look forward to reading more of your books as this is my first one.

I am about half-way through the book and am gripped by the story. I was going to watch the BBC adaptation on iplayer but after reading some of the comments above, am not sure whether to or not! It's made me want to read other novels by him though.
Question for William Boyd - which is your favourite of your own novels?

I received my book before Christmas so recorded the TV version so I could watch it after I had finished the book. I'll watch it later this week.
I enjoyed the book very much- I have been very interested in spies & WW2 since visiting Bletchley Park last year- I knew very little about the subject until then. Very interesting that Ian Fleming was an spy so not a surprise he wrote James Bond later. Pretty obviously his alter ego!
I really did not know that we had covert organisations trying to get USA into the war- I can see it made sense but my generation know very little about the war as our parents were involved & did not much want to talk about it afterwards- my Mum was a school girl but my Father was a Japanese POW in Changai Jail & on Burma Railway so naturally did not want to re-live any of those memories.
I'd like to ask William Boyd if in his research he discovered roughly how many secret organisations were working in 'friendly' countries & if UK government were fully in the picture or if they were controlled by other factions.
Also - when a book gets chosen for a TV series or a film, how much input do you get in the making of it? I have so often seen a book I really enjoyed totally ruined by film makers- Captain Corelli's Mandolin was a travesty- it broke my heart to see that sensitive, beautiful ending commercialised into a 'Hollywood Happy Ending'. Do you get any say in what they do or do you have to sign over the rights & let them do their worst? I do so hope I will not be disappointed with the TV version of Restless when I get round to watching it-I never do it the other way round if I can help it. The book is always better!

Hello, I am great admirer of your work especially Any Human Heart which I have read several times but I love Restless too. These two books are wholly or partly set in one or both of the two World Wars and their aftermath as is An Ice Cream War. The way you write about these periods and the people in them feels very real. What triggered your interest in these periods in history and did you have to do a lot of research for the background?

Thank you so much for my copy of "Restless"; it took me a couple of days to work out who had sent it to me. Unfortunately I did not see the BBC programme - too busy with my family - and have only just started to read the book. It is fascinating...

Question for William Boyd:

Both your protagonists in RESTLESS are female. How far do you feel male and female narrative voices differ? How easy do you find it, as a writer, to inhabit a female persona?

Hi, William, thanks for coming here. I was interested to know that our British spies worked in the States, New York (?) during the war. Was this rare? it made a good story.
And the apparent suicides --- was this based on fact, meaning had this really happened to our British Spies during the war?
I am always keen to know what is fact and what is fiction -- apologies if this wish of mine produces a strange question.
However, I loved the atmosphere of this book. and found it to be a new 'take' on 2WW stories, and very interesting as as result.
Kind regards Jane Lewis

having read "Restless" and watched the tv adaptation i loved them both and intend to read more of William Boyd's books.......however i have a freind who insists that the story ending is indication that it is all the wanderings of a elderly lady with dementia,re-reading the last part of the book i can see how she is seeing this but my version was that it is all true...does anyone one else see it this way....Lillian