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Title	:	Spies
Author	:	Michael Frayn
Book Format	:	Paperback
Book Edition	:	Anniversary Edition
Pages	:	Pages: 234 pages
Published	:	2003 by Faber and Faber (first published 2002)
Categories	:	Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. War. Mystery. European Literature. British Literature

Spies

Michael Frayn

Paperback | Pages: 234 pages

Rating: 3.54 | 4835 Users | 378 Reviews

Relation During Books Spies

In the 1940s, some boys played Cops & Robbers, some played Cowboys & Indians. But Stephen and Keith, English boys and neighbours during WWII, played Spies. Sure, it's a less well known game, but it is just as engrossing, and involves a hideout and a logbook, lots of sneaking around, and monitoring the movements and whereabouts of... Keith's mother, who the boys are certain is a German spy. This coming-of-age story is told by Stephen, an elderly, grandfatherly Stephen, who is remembering a pivotal time in his childhood. He returns to his childhood neighbourhood and it all comes back to him in a series of nostalgic waves. Memory is not reliable, and neither is this narrative, but it IS deliciously satisfying and continues to unfold and reveal up until the very last page. The dynamic between the boys is fascinating - Stephen, who feels lucky Keith pays him any attention, and who is aware that there's something shameful about his own family, and Keith, who lives in a perfect house filled with perfect toys and a regularly maintained bicycle, and who calls the shots in their friendship. The idea of a pair of children acting as amateur sleuths in a mystery that is far over their heads reminded me a bit of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, though this was far more literary and memorable for me. It's also much more suspenseful, as the game of Spies gradually shifts from a charming, childish fantasy to something dangerous. The street in this quiet English town is full of secrets, and nothing is as it seems. The whistle of a father working in the garden has never been so sinister. It took me a little time to get into the story, but once in, I was turning pages feverishly. I worried, as in other spy stories, will this one be obtuse and more confusing than anything else? I needn't have worried, though. Frayn doesn't leave us hanging in a maze of double agents and hazy memories. He leads us through, having left a trail of breadcrumbs that we can now see in the clear, 20/20 vision that retrospect affords. Elegant, captivating storytelling. 4.5 stars

Point Books In Pursuance Of Spies

Original Title:	Spies
ISBN:	0571212964 (ISBN13: 9780571212965)
Edition Language:	English
Literary Awards:	Booker Prize Nominee for Longlist (2002), Whitbread Award for Novel (2002), Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction (2002), Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best Book in South Asia and Europe (2003)

Rating About Books Spies

Ratings: 3.54 From 4835 Users | 378 Reviews

Weigh Up About Books Spies

If I hadn't had to read this book for English I never would have finished it. The concept for the book was interesting, the actual story however was really slow and I just couldn't get into it. In the last chapter it was like the writer suddenly decided that he needed to add in some thing to shock the audience, however it was delivered in such away that there was no real shock value to it.

In the 1940s, some boys played Cops & Robbers, some played Cowboys & Indians. But Stephen and Keith, English boys and neighbours during WWII, played Spies. Sure, it's a less well known game, but it is just as engrossing, and involves a hideout and a logbook, lots of sneaking around, and monitoring the movements and whereabouts of... Keith's mother, who the boys are certain is a German spy.This coming-of-age story is told by Stephen, an elderly, grandfatherly Stephen, who is remembering a

Another from the 2002 Booker longlist, this one is a quiet revelation and a masterly piece of storytelling.The action is narrated by an old man revisiting the scene and remembering his childhood adventures in suburban England during the Second World War. The story is narrated from the childhood Stephen's perspective, with occasional interludes in which the older man reflects on the story, the nature of childhood memories and what he did and didn't know when.Stephen is a follower, not a leader, a

The World From Under a HedgeThere is nothing lacking in Spies. Character, plot and pace are about as close to perfect as it gets. Frayns understanding of the juvenile mind is formidable. His intellectual subtlety is enviable. His ethical sense is acute. He knows how to tell a story. Proust was inspired by the scent of fresh madeleines; the memory of Frayns narrator is provoked by the sickly stink of a privet hedge in Summer under which he spends his time in spying on the neighbourhood. The

This lovely, thoughtful book is like a dip in cool, clear water. It revolves around a mystery which the narrator, now an old man, is trying to solve. What did he really know as a boy ? Who was leader, who follower? How could he not see? When did everything suddenly change? It is World War II and everything is put on hold for the Duration. German Spies and Juice people the boys imagination. The narrator and his best friend set out to investigate the suspicious actions of the best friends mother.

I can't decide whether to give this book four stars or five. The language was a lot more straightforward than the dense, breathless wordplay I usually love, but the further I got into the book the more I came to see this as another mark of Frayn's genius, because the language picks up and becomes more urgent and complex as the plot does.The plot is brilliant; no question about it. I couldn't put this book down, and those of you who know my distractible self will know that this says a LOT. I put

"Spies" is a coming of age story, a mystery, a war novel, and a big leap into childhood from adolescence - and back. I can't say much more beacuse I'm at a loss for words - and it's all Michael Frayn's fault. The guy is brilliant - and so is the book.