Red Gold: A Novel
by Alan Furst
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Book Summary Information
Author: Alan FurstEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-01-08
ISBN: 0375758593
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Book Reviews of Red Gold: A Novel
Book Review: Furst's Tale of Jean Casson and the French Resistance Continued
Summary: 4 Stars
For the second time in his well crafted series of espionage novels set amid the interwar years and opening acts of WW2 taking place in Eastern Europe, Furst departs from his usual stomping grounds in "Red Gold". Firstly, the story takes place in France, and its main character, Jean Casson, is French. Secondly, the timeline is from the invasion of France into World War 2- often occurring only in the final chapters of Furst's other novels. And in addition to this, "Red Gold" is Furst's only direct sequel in his novels of espionage.
Jean Casson returns in this novel, and must chose between the Resistance and the Communist guerrillas while committing full time to active opposition to Nazi rule in France. Casson faces danger on all sides as he avoids both the Gestapo and the internecine conflicts within France's resistance movements. Furst continues to excel in his suspense, and this story contains some really great scenes; one in particular involving a covert radio transmitter being hunted by German counter intelligence. In its entirety- take with "The World at Night", I think Furst brings the story back to his previous heights that the first book alone failed to achieve.
Unlike his other novels, this novel should probably not be read as a stand-alone book. If this is your first Furst book, I highly recommend beginning your foray into Furst's world with "Night Soldiers", his original and possibly best spy novel. "Night Soldiers" introduces several characters who make appearances throughout Furst's other novels set in the same period of time and general geographical local. However, if you are set on novels set in France, then start with "The World at Night", as this novel begins the story that "Red Gold" continues.
What makes Furst's loosely structured series so compelling is that 1; they are very well researched and historical very accurate, especially with regard to spy craft - as I understand it through academic experience only. 2; the characters are extremely flawed, very believable and interesting to empathize with - all of the characters and their adventures provoke much thought. 3; the novels do not attempt to achieve a false sense of conclusion at their end - they always allow the reader to decide for him/herself what happens, and they rarely resolve the feeling of tension that pervades Furst's works. 4; the secondary characters are always very well developed and much more interesting than their sometimes small roles would have the reader believe- so one is always off balance (who will live, who will die - who can be trusted, who cannot?). 5; Furst does an excellent job of setting the atmosphere of terror that resulted from the conflict between fascism and the resistance in France during the Second World War.
You cannot go wrong with this novel. While not Furst's best spy novel, for anyone interested in reading and enjoying spy stories, or stories of world war two, this book is a must read.
Summary of Red Gold: A Novel
Autumn 1941: In a shabby hotel off the place Clichy, the course of the war is about to change. German tanks are rolling toward Moscow. Stalin has issued a decree: All partisan operatives are to strike behind enemy lines?from Kiev to Brittany. Set in the back streets of Paris and deep in occupied France, Red Gold moves with quiet menace as predators from the dark edge of war?arms dealers, lawyers, spies, and assassins?emerge from the shadows of the Parisian underworld. In their midst is Jean Casson, once a well-to-do film producer, now a target of the Gestapo living on a few francs a day. As the occupation tightens, Casson is drawn into an ill-fated mission: running guns to combat units of the French Communist Party. Reprisals are brutal. At last the real resistance has begun. Red Gold masterfully re-creates the shadow world of French resistance in the darkest days of World War II.If you enjoy mysteries set against the rich background of World War II Europe (Philip Kerr's Berlin Noir trilogy and the fine French series by J. Robert Janes are prime examples), you should also know about Alan Furst. He began by writing such excellent, original books as Dark Star and Night Soldiers, all set in Eastern Europe. The locale then moved to Paris for The World at Night, where we first met the enigmatic film producer and reluctant Resistance hero Jean Casson.
Casson returns in fascinating form in Red Gold, washing up broke and depressed in his home city, now totally ground down by its German occupiers. Recruited by a sympathetic cop, Casson joins a group of officers working undercover inside the Vichy government to help de Gaulle. Casson's job is to convince justifiably skeptical French communists to cooperate; to do so he must organize a complicated, extremely dangerous transfer of weapons. There's nothing glamorous about the work or its result, but Furst is such a persuasive writer that we come to realize what a success it is for Casson just to stay alive. This innovative and gripping novel eloquently transports us back to a different era and a different world. --Dick Adler
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