RESTLESS by William Boyd

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.

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

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

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.

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?

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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!

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.

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?

Saw the TV adaptation. Thought it was 'much ado about nothing'. The acting was good though.

William Boyd is one of my favourite novelists. I have read everything he has written and don't intend to watch it on TV.
In our family we started with Brazzavile Beach as DD2 was studying Biology at that time. Everything he stated in that book about Primates being so near to humans genetically, and that they could be aggressive has now been proved.

Restless is such a well constructed novel. As I reached the end I still didn't know which side she was really on. You can't get that amount of soulsearching and suspense in a modern film, where nobody ever gets to talk for longer than a sentence or two.

Haven't read the book, but found the TV version a bit mixed. I thought the first episode was very good, but it fell away in the second one and I thought the ending was unsatisfactory. I didn't understand why she would put her family at risk for some vague fears about being watched. The acting was good, though I couldn't quite get Michael Gambon as an older Rufus Sewell.
The best thing on tele over Christmas, but that is not saying much...

Have just read the book and watched the TV series, TV was better than the book. I don't reckon much to Boyd as an author.

Thanks maggie I've set the machine to record it, will watch when the house is back to normal!

yogagran its on December 27th on BBC1