Pretty good. Zweig is at his best when describing a scene and conveying the atmosphere of the times. Characterization, well, not so much.

Unbelievable. The stories of a handful of defectors from North Korea: the weirdest, scariest place on Earth.

My wife Beth introduced me to this dark and deeply affecting novel liberally laced with comic relief. The writing voice is quite unique as well. Plus some bonus nostalgia for anyone who has spent a lot of time in Davis, CA. Highly recommended.

The writing in this biography is not always engaging, but the raw facts of the matter more than makes up for that. The story of this remarkable woman, a Polish Jew who spied for Britain during WWII, has to be read to be believed.

This is the second book by Hecht I have thoroughly enjoyed. This one traces the history of religious doubt through the ages.

Really enjoyed this short novel about some folks doing their best to get by as barge dwellers on the Thames in post-WW2 London. A great example of why good stories don’t have to have much in the way of a plot.