Restless

By: William Boyd

Narrated by: Rosamund Pike

Length: 10 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

What happens when everything you thought you knew about your mother turns out to be an elaborate lie? During the summer of 1976, Ruth Gilmartin discovers that her very English mother, Sally, is really Eva Delectorskaya, a Russian émigrée and one-time spy.

Recruited for the British Secret Service at the start of the Second World War by the mysterious Lucas Romer, Eva learns to become the perfect spy, to mask her emotions and trust no one. Since then, Eva has carefully rebuilt her life - but once a spy, always a spy. And now she must complete one final assignment. This time, though, she needs Ruth's help.

©2006 William Boyd (P)2006 Bloomsbury Publishing

Critic reviews

A Richard and Judy Book Club selection.

A worthwhile listen

'Restless' is an enjoyable listen that's fast paced, even gripping at times, although its 'final analysis' was somewhat unconvincing, and perhaps even shallow (for an award-winning novel). Nonetheless, I'd gladly recommend it to anyone, particularly those who enjoy spy novels. And, as others have noted elsewhere, Rosamund Pike has done an excellent job narrating the book!

By the way, I chose this version of 'Restless' over the other version by Macmillan Audio as it was a lot cheaper, and I have no regrets.

Very enjoyable listen

My friend recommended this book and she was right - it is excellent, and a “page turner”. I did want to keep listening to find out what happens. There are a few details about Ruth’s life that did not add much and could have been omitted. Maybe they were put in to be some false leads to possible plot twists, but I didn’t really see the point. But that is a minor quibble. Overall, it was a good spy story, and if you like spy stories, you should like this. (BTW, I have listened to some historical spy stories that are equally good - I do enjoy true spy stories I think even more, because there are real historical characters, often truly heroic.) I could draw a valuable lesson to be learned from Sally’s life, but it would be a spoiler. The narration was also excellent. Maybe a few of the accents were questionable, but, again, very enjoyable.

Feel 'restless'

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Simply the best audiobook I've 'read' so far.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Restless?

The escape through the parking lot in Europe after the 'double cross'.

What does Rosamund Pike bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She successfully alternates between past and present, clearly bringing out the flavour of the times. Her narration brings out the 'cold' and unforgiving nature of the events of the past as against the familiar present and finally brings out the uncertainty of the present that needs and leads to (unpleasant?) resolution. No doubt a large part of this is the authors skill, but I will always somehow connect this with the dramatic portrayal of the protagonist.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, though there's a contrary sentiment of wanting to savour it (familiar to every reader?).

Any additional comments?

Narration plays a huge roll in the appreciation of an audiobook, and Restless is a hands down winner on this account. It has also put me on to the talent of William Boyd who I had not read before.

A different kind of spy story..

What made the experience of listening to Restless the most enjoyable?

I'm not usually a reader of spy novels, but took the chance on this since I've loved everything else I've read by William Boyd so far. This story has all the elements of a traditional spy story, but there's depth and richness here as well as action and thrills. There's more emotion here, too. Of course there's a love story, and the two narrators of the story are a British spy during the second world war and her daughter, who slowly discovers that the mother she thought she knew has a secret, tragic and still dangerous history. As usual Boyd adds in plenty of historical detail. Rosamunde Pike's narration is beautiful. Perfect for the characters, the period and the tone of the book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Restless?

The part of the story where Eva begins to suspect she has been betrayed is nerve-wracking. And so are many others.

Any additional comments?

This version of Restless seems to be exactly the same as the more popular one selling at twice the price.