The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville by
Clare Mulley
My rating:
4 of 5 stars
This book was a hard read for me.
I classify it as a thoroughly presented biography and a number of times I wondered whether it was a proper way for presentation of such a haphazard life.
Christine Granville, real name Krystyna Skarbek, was born into Polish aristocratic family.
Her father, Jerzy Skarbek, to rescue family finances, married a daughter of Jewish bankers. It looks like he was not suitable for family life.
They had 2 children, but after the end of Great War, Jerzy realised that the times of great Polish untamed landlords ended so he spent the rest of his life in casinos all over Europe.
Krystyna looks to me like a copy of her father.
Never decided for a stable career path, tried few temporary jobs and when her finances took a bad turn followed steps of her father - married a rich Jew.
The marriage did not last long and then it looked that she met a match - Jerzy Gizycki, equally untamed Polish gentleman.
Unfortunately a breakout of the II WW did not give them a chance to try to share life. Jerzy enrolled to Polish army in France, Krystyna to British intelligence, which sent her to the post in Hungary where she could cooperate closely with Polish Resistance.
Here it came a diffilult time for Krystyna and for the author.
The nature of working as a spy close to the frontier, is not to be noticed.
So, how to wear off boiling energy?
So what to write about?
Clare Mulley chose to mention many, many, fragmented reports about Kristina's activities.
Reading them was frustrating and tiresome for me, but I appreciate honesty of the author. I appreciate also her insight into quite complicated history of Poland and of it's resistance network in the early stage of German occupation.
Long list of minor facts is punctuated with some dramatic events like crossing border to Poland, being arrested by Germans, escape from Hungary and landing in Middle East.
And there is a parallel story - contacts with men on whom Kristyna has a magic influence.
Again, Clare Mulley chose a tactfull and honest way of reporting this side of Krystyna's life.
Stay in Middle East lasted almost 3 years and it was extremely frustrating time for Krystyna who was boiling with energy and will to help her country. On the other hand it was time when world leaders had to make decisions on which life of millions peoples depended and unfortunately these decisions were devastating for Poland.
In 1944 Krystyna eventually is send on the front line - south of France, where she shines as the most effective secret agent.
And then the war ends and she becomes a troublesome person for all parties involved.
France under general de Gaulle wants to forget about years of its weakness, all British agents are requested to leave within 24 hours.
Poland, free Poland, does not exist.
England has to bring its life to normality, Krystyna with her checkered life becomes a trouble.
On the personal front it goes even worse.
Krystyna is in touch with a number of men, who dream of spending the rest of life taking care of her, but it looks like she instinctively knows, that she will not fit into regular family life.
And so her life ends abruptly.
It left me, the reader, extremely sad and disappointed.
I can imagine a book which would dramatise Krystyna; story in a way, which could satisfy the reader, but I appreciate honesty of the author, who chose the hard but true way.
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A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
