Evelyn AnthonyRessenyes

I found it hard to like any of the book's characters.
The female lead is extremely naive and stupid, the male protagonist is a shifty character with hidden psychological disorders, and an alcoholic to boot.
Everyone smokes like chimneys. I don't know, the villain and the horse were the only genuine characters.
A very flat book indeed, some information value about horse-racing.

I have the massmarket paperback version.

Good, tense plotting. "Love story" gets in the way sometimes or maybe it's the weakness of the female protagonist.

I believe the 1st time that I read a novel by Evelyn Anthony I was in high school and I've never forgotten her name as this author was my introduction to reading spine-tingling thrillers of intrigue and espionage. I haven't read a novel by Evelyn Anthony in several years so it felt like a treat to myself to purchase another title. I didn't realize until 2012, when I read "The Janus Imperative" that Evelyn Anthony was the pen name of Evelyn Ward Thomas, a British female writer. Her pen name is derived from the name of St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of lost things. I was also fascinated at that time to learn that one of my all-time favorite movies was actually written by Evelyn Anthony the year I graduated from high school. WoW! "...1971 The Tamarind Seed was adapted for film in 1974, starring Julie Andrews as Judith Farrow, a British Home Office functionary and Omar Sharif as Feodor, a Soviet air attaché- lovers involved in Cold War intrigue."

"Stranger at the Gates" is a story written about post-WWII. On an ordinary day in the de Bernard household there is a woman at the property gates that widow Louise de Bernard never expected to meet let alone invite her into her home. The stranger is the wife of a former SS Officer that is now on trial in Germany for wartime atrocities when he was billeted with the de Bernard family in Paris in 1944.

There are many secrets in wartime not only held by the military but also by civilians that live to preserve as much normalcy as possible for themselves but more importantly for their children. But sooner or later, everyone must decide what side they wish to follow, what side should prevail, what actions should they take during wartime so their consciences will allow them peace in all the days thereafter. This is one such riveting and page-turning story.

Not the most interesting novel about Anne Boleyn that I have read.

This 1958 biographical novel was one of the earliest books by the British author Evelyn Anthony. It fictionalizes the life of Queen Victoria of Great Britain, from her accession to the throne in 1837, to the death of her beloved husband Prince Albert in 1861, focusing on their marriage. It reads like it could have been the screenplay for the recent PBS Masterpiece series about the queen½

Not as good as the film.

This novel, published first in 1961, focuses on the relationship of Charles I and his wife Henrietta Maria, and the English Civil War. The author does a good job of making these historical figures both realistic and empathetic. (Cromwell and the Roundheads don't come off as well, but I guess that's to be expected.) At times, as the war continues, I felt a bit bogged down by the details of the battles, negotiations, etc. The heart of the story is the royal family. Two characters that were particularly memorable were the king's nephew, Prince Rupert, a soldier who came to England to help his uncle hold the throne, and Lady Fairfax, wife of the Puritan general, who burst out in anger at the king's trial. Her complaint was, first, that these appointed Puritan judges had no authority to try the king, and second, that Charles was not given the right to speak in his own defense. For her eruption, she was almost shot on the spot.

While I liked this novel well enough, I'm not sure that I will seek out others by Evelyn Anthony.

Cold war suspense story in which a tightly wrapped British civil servant becomes the reluctant friend then conduit for a Russian defector. Judith Farrow and Sverdlov meet while both are on vacation in Barbados, then part. He decides to defect and contacts her, driven by the expectation of imminent arrest. His asylum is contingent on his revelation of a highly-placed spy, code name Blue, and the negotiations are conducted with the parties trying to stay one step ahead of their respective governments and the machinations of said spy. Much more of a thriller than romance, but characterizations are excellent and the plotting compelling. A favorite.

Historical fiction which posits a blackmailed sexual relationship between Anne of Austria, Queen of France and Cardinal Richelieu resulting in the 2 offspring attributed to Louis XII. Their relationship is set against and driven by actual historical events. This is/was historical romantic fiction at its finest (circa 1968.) Loved this book.

I love Evelyn Anthony titles. I discovered this author a long time ago but only discovered today that Evelyn Anthony is the pen name of Evelyn Ward-Thomas, a British female writer. I also discovered that one of my all-time favorite movies was actually written by Evelyn Anthony the year I graduated from high school. WoW! "...1971 The Tamarind Seed was adapted for film in 1974, starring Julie Andrews as Judith Farrow, a British Home Office functionary and Omar Sharif as Feodor, a Soviet air attaché- lovers involved in Cold War intrigue."
The Janus Imperative is a book that proves you don't have to write a 2" thick title to tell a riveting, thrilling tale of suspense and espionage with an international flavor. I was happy to obtain this c1981 Signet printing but I understand that the title was released again in 2002 as Codeword Janus with a new foreword by the author. Now I need to locate that title so I can read the foreword.

How tastes differ! Like the other reviewer, I was an Evelyn Anthony fan back around 1970. Unlike the other reviewer, I loathed this one even then. Except for the terribly put upon heroine, most of the characters (including the heroine's beloved) are really, really nasty people. Ms. Anthony isn't usually Little Ms. Sunshine, but this one has no redeeming glints of suspense, interest, etc.

Compelling spy thriller from 1971, with a few major "buts" -- it's very dated and rather unpleasant, from a current day perspective. The beautiful, rich, young heroine falls for a hired assassin, and the plot not surprisingly thickens. What's disturbing is the passivity of the heroine, and the vaguely S&M overtones in her relationship with the hero. I thought this cliche -- helpless heroines who is sexually awakened by a masterful bad guy -- had faded into the past, but then I haven't read "50 Shades of Grey".

Awful, boring book. Spy thrillers aren't necessarily my thing, but unless you've read the first two books in the series, which I haven't, then you are completely missing a good chunk of the story, as there is much reference to past novels. The idea of a spy is exciting, but there really isn't that much at stake. The story makes little if no references to what will happen if the spy is not found. Will their be another Hiroshima? Will Russia overtake the English monarchy? No. Nothing like this. The worst that will happen is that Russia will have more information about Britain. Oh, the shame. I'm sure at publication time, when the Cold War, etc, were still major issues at the top of everyone's mind, this was an excellent read. However, from a current standpoint, and not having a background involving the Cold War, I found it exceedingly dull.

The second book in Anthony’s Romanov Trilogy (also published as Royal Intrigue) covering the reign of Catherine the Great and her son Paul. Published in the 1950’s and out of print, I really liked this one and thought it was well written even if somewhat melodramatic at times.

It's easy to read, and still a good read. Anne was an interesting woman...and you have to feel for her, and for Catherine.

Incidentally, you also encounter some other interesting people on the side, such as (soon-to-be-Bloody) Mary and (soon-to-be-martyred) Thomas Cranmer....and, not-so-incidentally, also the Cardinal, the Pope, and all the other functionaries who played such a large part in making and breaking marriages.

I'll admit, though, that the main pleasure and point of reading is to see the courtesan conquer the king, like a woman closing the jaws of a lion.

But whatever episode the authoress touches on--the attitude of the country, Thomas Cromwell's plan for the monasteries, Anne's intimate & understanding conversations with her brother, her ups and down on the path to power, the glimpses we catch of the infant Elizabeth, as well as of her father, the king-- she touches on with skill.

(9/10)½

Crónica puntual de un atentado que se gesta en las altas esferas, una conjura diabólica cuya accion apasionante empieza a desarrollarse en el Cercano Oriente y continua luego en Nueva York.

The Soviets who fought for the Germans were sent back to Russia at the Yalta Conference. Now, years later, a kidnap plot is hatched for revenge in Paris by Nicholas Yurovsky and friends, but his fiance Anna Martin didn't intend to get involved. She ends up in the middle of it, though.

I was captivated by this passionate but tragic love story

Incredibly moving book. I decided to not keep this book because I knew I would never be able to reread it - one of the most sad books I have ever read. Evelyn Anthony was a favorite author of mine in the late 1960s and into the '70s. A very fine author.

Reviewed August 2000 This book begins with Anne as a teenager and promised to marry Henry Percy - Henry VIII visits her parents home and falls in love with her. The novel hits on all the main areas of Anne and Henry’s relationship and is told from many viewpoints. In order for it to be a novel much is made about her hatred of Mary and Catherine as well as her love of Percy. What is not done well is the passage of time, you really don’t know how old she is at various stages, nor can you feel the time spent in the courtship. Novels at this type are very helpful as it helps to sum up relationships and work out motivations. One must always remember that this is still a novel - well researched - but still a historical novel. 19-2000

She was Katherine Fraser, the stunning, flame-haired daugter of the mighty Fraser clan, masters of the great castle of lClandara. He was James MacDonald, a nobleman notorious for his lurid past, and the scion of the family whom the Frasers had fought for centuries. She was as proud as she was beautiful. He was as violent as he was handsome. They broke every taboo to come together-and not even a conflict that tore all Scotland in tow could keep them apart.

"For years Katharine Alfurd had lived alone. but after a few gins and tonic at the village pub she liked to talk about the past...
Forty years before, when she was young and beautiful, Katharine Alfurd had been sent into Occupied France, to join the Resistance in their deadly struggle against the Nazis, and to help prepare for the Normandy landings.
There she had fallen in love with Jean Dulac, the dashing leader of a small underground group. And there too, she had encountered Standartenfuhrer Christine Eilenburg...
Now Katharine must confront her most painful memories, and decide whether to expose the treachery that threatened her Resistance comrades all those years ago." - jacket notes
Not bad, rather like a classic Helen MacInnes espionage thriller.

Great Book! kept me guessing until the end, good page-turner

A Nazi general, living secretly in Spain, decides to lead his daughter to a priceless inheritance.