Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook

This had the potential to be a really good book. First and foremost, the story was very convoluted and the narrative was written in a way that left this reader exhausted. Perhaps it was the British vernacular that threw me off, but I felt I had to read between the lines as the story zig zagged along often asking myself what just happened? Edith, a British citizen, is drafted into becoming a spy to find a Nazi doctor, and former lover, guilty of the worst crimes. But the British dont really want to bring him to justice, they want his expertise, as do the Americans. Read other reviews for more story details but I felt the author tried to do too much and at 480 pages it started to become a tedious read. There were a lot of characters and redundant descriptions. Where have all the editors gone?

As a lover of historical fiction, I really was hoping this was going to be a really good read, I was disappointed. The story centers around post war Germany when a former schoolteacher, Edith, joins Britain\’s Control Commission to help repair the education infrastructure. Before her posting she is recruited by her cousin, Leo, and also by a friend, Dori, for one mission with two separate outcomes. Leo is requesting she find an old lover, Kurt, who is now a Nazi in hiding so Britain can used his medical expertise. Dori is asking the same thing but her wish is to eliminate Kurt entirely. And, by the way, the Americans also want him. The story has some good points – interesting history with historical accuracy, for one, but the plot is so convoluted that it is difficult to follow at times and ultimately becomes tedious. There was a little twist at the end but sadly, no redemption for any of the characters. There are so many other good historical fiction books of that time period out there, I would not waste my time on this one.

Descriptive horrors of Nazi concentration camps…a bit unnerving and not expected. Read on for tales of lives woven among the aftermath of WW2, love and intrigue, really need to have your wits about you to keep everyone sorted out. The ending was spot on. Well done, I will probably read this again and perhaps pay a bit more to the details. Good book, buy it, read it and be glad we are living in the USA.

Impossible to set aside, I could not wait for the next turn of events. Early in the plot, I wanted to reach out to Edith and warn her to leave the coincidences, intrigue, and sordid characters and their lies and deceit and rush to Palestine/Isreal and make a new reality for herself and her devoted lover…but had she left the excitement behind, it would have lessened the truth of the horror that was Natizism and the heartless true believers, lessened the depth and breadth of their own self-deception and arrogance in their evil. All needed to be revealed to the reader and naive, innocent, unsuspecting Edith was the perfect vehicle for the author\’s research-based revelations. Hopefully Miss Graham\’s Cold War Cookbook will be just the first of many riveting novels to come.

This seems to reference factual information. If you saw the movie A Call to Spy you will know some characters. It kept my attention and. I read every word ( which I seldom do). The recipes are a treasure.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member