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Edith and Kim
- Author
- Charlotte Philby
- Narrator
- Sofia Engstrand
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 31 March 2022
- Run Time
- 9 hours 50 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- Espionage and spy thriller, Historical fiction, Biographical fiction / autobiographical fiction, Narrative theme: politics / economics, Narrative theme: interior life / psychological fiction
- Rating
- 5.0 (1 review)
What to expect
To betray, you must first belong…
In June 1934, Kim Philby met his Soviet handler, the spy Arnold Deutsch. The woman who introduced them was called Edith Tudor-Hart. She changed the course of 20th century history.
Then she was written out of it.
Drawing on the Secret Intelligence Files on Edith Tudor-Hart, along with the private archive letters of Kim Philby, this finely worked, evocative and beautifully tense novel – by the granddaughter of Kim Philby – tells the story of the woman behind the Third Man.
A future classic:
‘A fine achievement’ THE TIMES
‘Completely fascinating. A sophisticated and brilliantly constructed fictional retelling of a crucial relationship in 20th century espionage history. A tremendous achievement’ WILLIAM BOYD
‘Atmospheric and rigorously researched’ Sunday Times
‘Persuasive… involving… impressive’ LITERARY REVIEW
‘A fascinating contribution to the literature of the Cambridge spies by a clever, nimble writer with some genuine skin in the game’ CHARLES CUMMING
‘Complex and powerfully written… a persuasive repurposing of the lives of real-life figures’ i NEWSPAPER
‘A dextrous writer who gives her tale a quickening, thrillerish propulsion’ NEW STATESMAN
‘Mother, lover, revolutionary, spy… Philby’s stunning fourth novel thrusts this former bit-player in the Cambridge Spy scandal to the centre stage where she belongs… Her best book yet’ ERIN KELLY
‘Blending SIS files and imagined letters from her grandfather, Philby shines a spotlight on Edith Tudor-Hart as activist, spy and often desperate single, working mother’ SARAH VAUGHAN
‘Completely absorbing’ MICK HERRON
‘A tense and brilliantly structured story of power and intrigue’ JANE SHEMILT
‘Unforgettable… a fascinating exploration of a key moment in history and a stunning piece of fiction’ HOLLY WATT
Critics Review
-
‘A fine achievement’ THE TIMES
‘Behold the new Golden Age of Spy Kings’ Sunday Times
‘A dextrous writer who gives her tale a quickening, thrillerish propulsion’ NEW STATESMAN
‘Completely fascinating. A sophisticated and brilliantly constructed fictional retelling of a crucial relationship in 20th century espionage history. A tremendous achievement’ WILLIAM BOYD
‘Persuasive… involving… impressive’ LITERARY REVIEW
‘Atmospheric and rigorously researched… we’re slyly induced to fear that Edith (who is also juggling roles as a single mother and photographer) could be arrested or prevented from working, before realising that we’re rooting for a Stalinist enemy of Britain’ Sunday Times
‘A fascinating contribution to the literature of the Cambridge spies by a clever, nimble writer with some genuine skin in the game’ CHARLES CUMMING
‘Complex and powerfully written… a persuasive repurposing of the lives of real-life figures’ i NEWSPAPER
‘In Edith and Kim, Charlotte Philby brings to life a dangerous game of shadows that kept me reading late into the night. A dark, atmospheric and addictive novel’ CHRIS POWER, AUTHOR OF A LONELY MAN
‘I was most impressed… completely absorbing’ MICK HERRON
‘A tense and brilliantly structured story of power and intrigue… I couldn’t put it down’ JANE SHEMILT
‘Philby’s stunning fourth novel thrusts this former bit-player in the Cambridge Spy scandal to the centre stage where she belongs. Edith and Kim combines the authenticity of your favourite true crime podcast, the intrigue of a spy novel and the page-turning grip of a psychological thriller – all wrapped up in beautiful, evocative prose that transports the reader to shady corners of 1930s London and Vienna. Her best book yet’ ERIN KELLY
‘Impeccably researched and atmospheric’ Daily Mail
User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
-
5.0 5.0
A very different take on this. Fascinating. Very good original writing. Convincing as well - maybe to be expected from someone who knew some of the characters. What different times they were.
hallwiton 2025-05-04
Details
- Author
- Charlotte Philby
- Narrator
- Sofia Engstrand
- Duration
- 9 hours 50 minutes
- Release Date
- 31 March 2022
- ISBN
- 9780008466404
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Espionage and spy thriller, Historical fiction, Biographical fiction / autobiographical fiction, Narrative theme: politics / economics, Narrative theme: interior life / psychological fiction
- Rating
- 5.0(1 review)
- Narration
- 5.0(1 review)
Synopsis
One of ‘the heirs to John le Carré’ The Times ‘A tremendous achievement’ WILLIAM BOYD ‘Behold the new Golden Age of Spy Kings’ Sunday Times To betray, you must first belong… In June 1934, Kim Philby met his Soviet handler, the spy Arnold Deutsch. The woman who introduced them was called Edith Tudor-Hart. She changed the course of 20th century history. Then she was written out of it. Drawing on the Secret Intelligence Files on Edith Tudor-Hart, along with the private archive letters of Kim Philby, this finely worked, evocative and beautifully tense novel – by the granddaughter of Kim Philby – tells the story of the woman behind the Third Man. A future classic: ‘A fine achievement’ THE TIMES ‘Completely fascinating. A sophisticated and brilliantly constructed fictional retelling of a crucial relationship in 20th century espionage history. A tremendous achievement’ WILLIAM BOYD ‘Atmospheric and rigorously researched’ Sunday Times ‘Persuasive… involving… impressive’ LITERARY REVIEW ‘A fascinating contribution to the literature of the Cambridge spies by a clever, nimble writer with some genuine skin in the game’ CHARLES CUMMING ‘Complex and powerfully written… a persuasive repurposing of the lives of real-life figures’ i NEWSPAPER ‘A dextrous writer who gives her tale a quickening, thrillerish propulsion’ NEW STATESMAN ‘Mother, lover, revolutionary, spy… Philby’s stunning fourth novel thrusts this former bit-player in the Cambridge Spy scandal to the centre stage where she belongs… Her best book yet’ ERIN KELLY ‘Blending SIS files and imagined letters from her grandfather, Philby shines a spotlight on Edith Tudor-Hart as activist, spy and often desperate single, working mother’ SARAH VAUGHAN ‘Completely absorbing’ MICK HERRON ‘A tense and brilliantly structured story of power and intrigue’ JANE SHEMILT ‘Unforgettable… a fascinating exploration of a key moment in history and a stunning piece of fiction’ HOLLY WATT
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