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The Grand Prix Saboteurs: The Grand Prix Drivers Who Became British Secret Agents During World War II
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terrific SOE information
Review date: 2008-03-20 Rating: 8 out of 10
I am not a huge fan of motor racing, but despite this I enjoyed the first chapters of the book which is mostly about the early lives and racing careers of the saboteurs. The author really brings the people to life and makes the reader care about them.
Once he starts writing about their SOE activities the book comes to life. He must have done an enormous amount of research, because, despite reading many, many books on the SOE, I found a lot of new information.
Excellently researched.
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Reviews
Very Impressive
Review date: 2007-07-19 Rating: 10 out of 10
Representing eighteen years of thorough research which could not be verified until 2003 when certain war time documents were declassified, this is a fascinating piece of work and a glimpse into another murky backdrop of WW2. Saward is actually a professional motor racing journalist and author, his prose really comes to life when the story allows him back into his area of considerable expertise but he does a fine job of unpicking the strands of people and events which weave into this amazing account of intrigue in the face of oppression. There is a fictional version of this story, 'Early One Morning' by Robert Ryan which is a superb read in itself, all the more so because it is largely faithful to the facts uncovered by Saward though there is no acknowledgement of joint research, Ryan recommends Saward's book in his bibliography at the end of his novel.
Grand Prix agents
Review date: 2007-06-12 Rating: 8 out of 10
The author freely admits this work has taken many years to research and the staggering detail of not only early 20th century motor racing but the clandestine world of espionage in Paris and France bears this out a truly fascinating book that will work not only for fans of motor racing from the classic era also fans of a ripping wartime yarn will not be disappointed
Great story - shame about the lack of proof-reading
Review date: 2007-03-25 Rating: 8 out of 10
A great and fascinating story - it's just a shame that nobody bothered to proof-read it before going to print.
Errors such as duplicated, missing or incorrect words appear with frustrating frequency.
With such a detailed account of the complexities of war-time undercover operations, these errors are an unwanted and unnecessary diversion.
The good news is that a second edition has been released apparently correcting the printing errors and adding even more to the story.
Make sure you get the second edition.
A Must for 20th Century History and Motor Racing Fans
Review date: 2007-03-16 Rating: 10 out of 10
I first heard of the "characters" of this book in the mid 70's when I first started getting interested and going to GP races including Monaca won by Williams, and the Le Mans 24 Heures, where grandstands were named after Benoist and Wimille. A few weeks ago I found Robert Ryan's novel on the subject and was gripped and intrigued. Then I read about Joe Saward's book in the Telegraph and thought I'd better order it. Absolutely fascinating - I learned a lot about the French Resistance that I'd not previously known - or cared about - before. I'm glad I read these books this way round as fiction is always an easier read and whets the appetite for the sometimes unpalatable truth. The only trouble is, one of my favourite TV programmes, Hallo Hallo, is no longer funny ...
Product Details/Specifications
Authors:
Joe Saward
Recording label: Morienval Press
Manufacturer: Morienval Press
EAN: 9780955486807
Binding: Paperback
Dewey decimal number: 940
ISBN: 0955486807
Number of items: 1
Number of pages: 364
Publication date: 2006-12-31
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Unknown)
Language: English (Published)