Rating: 
Summary: A Witty Cinderella Romance And Spy-Thriller = A Great Read!
Review: Linda Voss, our heroine in "Shining Through," is a smart, savvy, sassy gal from a shabby neighborhood in Queens, NY, & a proud graduate of Grover Cleveland High School. She is also partially Jewish. Having been raised with her paternal grandmother, a Jewess who longed to return to her beloved Berlin, Linda speaks German like a Berliner. This is crucial to the plot. Though quite lovely, Linda is still single at 31, because she had yet to meet a man she loved enough to marry. She works, by day, as the bilingual secretary for gorgeous, super-smart Yale lawyer, John Berringer. By night, Linda fantasizes of romance with her boss, the Wall Street Lawyer. But can a high school grad, from a lower-middle class Queens neighborhood, find happiness with a handsome Ivy League professional, and live the life of a blue-blooded, to-the-manor-born lady? Linda's other primary extracurricular activity, besides John watching, is her voracious interest in Germany's war with Europe and the Jewish People. Susan Isaacs juxtaposes, with much wit, Linda's banal commentaries about her everyday existence with the earthshaking events that are unfolding worldwide. "On the last normal day, Hitler sent endless cables to his generals, Mussolini had several recorded temper tantrums, Neville Chamberlain took a long silent walk, and the secretaries of Blair, VanderGraff and Wadley ate lunch." And, while arguing with a friend, "What's the percentage in turning to mush under a little pressure? Like that British boob who gave away Czechoslovakia." Ms. Isaacs chronicles Linda's rapid ascent from lonely secretary with a crush to Cinderella-wife, married to the man of her dreams, with humor and style. Or is she...married to the man of her dreams? Life moves on and so does the War. Linda and her new husband, Mr. Berringer, move to Washington, as he becomes involved in the workings of the infant OSS. The now, Mrs. Berringer, also goes to work for the OSS, as her language skills are needed even more than her secretarial skills. The fact that she easily passes FBI scrutiny doesn't hurt her employment opportunities either. She becomes the secretary of the head of the Organization, an older man she respects and admires. And for the first time in her life, she is truly intellectually stimulated, as she finally gets an opportunity to work against the Nazis - even though it's from behind a desk in Washington. As the international tension increases, so does the tension in Linda's marriage. Ms. Isaacs develops Linda's character well, allowing the reader to see her emotional growth, along with a growing cynicism and a determination to wean herself away from a destructive relationship. When she makes her decision to enter Germany and spy for Washington, she is a far different woman than the one we met originally, although the potential was noticeably there. And her observations about espionage inside Germany are insightful and fascinating. This is the story of a woman's great courage under dire circumstances. It is also a surprisingly beautiful love
story. A wonderful read! I highly recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Isaacs At Her Best and Set During WWII
Review: My parents met and married during this era so it has always been one that fascinated me. Also, it is one of the few times in the USA when its citizens were wholly united on an issue: fighting and winning WWII after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is an exciting era to read about Americans. I was surprised to discover Isaacs writing a historical when she had started out with a contemporary romance-mystery in "Compromising Positions," a novel which has much been copied by other authors. I've read most of Issacs' novels but "Shining Through" stands out from the rest, probably because Isaacs is "painting" on a bigger canvas. We start out with our heroine in the Washington DC area in her role as a legal secretary. She is the usual funny, Jewish, attractive heroine that is Isaacs' trademark, along with the heroine's having flaws that make her realistic. What sets this heroine really apart though is that she also speaks flawless German and thus is one of the few women who can be sent undercover as a spy to Nazi Germany. That she is Jewish and undertakes this is extraordinary. This is also a love story and can be enjoyed for that aspect as well. I'd have to say that this novel and "Lily White" remain my favorites of this author. Unfortunately, her recent "Red, White and Blue" is the novel of hers I've liked least. I couldn't even finish it because Isaacs got so carried away with familial past history. "Shining Through" was also made into a good but not great movie with Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith. So having a great book and a good movie of the same work to choose from, I'd recommend you read the book before seeing the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Isaacs At Her Best and Set During WWII
Review: My parents met and married during this era so it has always been one that fascinated me. Also, it is one of the few times in the USA when its citizens were wholly united on an issue: fighting and winning WWII after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is an exciting era to read about Americans. I was surprised to discover Isaacs writing a historical when she had started out with a contemporary romance-mystery in "Compromising Positions," a novel which has much been copied by other authors. I've read most of Issacs' novels but "Shining Through" stands out from the rest, probably because Isaacs is "painting" on a bigger canvas. We start out with our heroine in the Washington DC area in her role as a legal secretary. She is the usual funny, Jewish, attractive heroine that is Isaacs' trademark, along with the heroine's having flaws that make her realistic. What sets this heroine really apart though is that she also speaks flawless German and thus is one of the few women who can be sent undercover as a spy to Nazi Germany. That she is Jewish and undertakes this is extraordinary. This is also a love story and can be enjoyed for that aspect as well. I'd have to say that this novel and "Lily White" remain my favorites of this author. Unfortunately, her recent "Red, White and Blue" is the novel of hers I've liked least. I couldn't even finish it because Isaacs got so carried away with familial past history. "Shining Through" was also made into a good but not great movie with Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith. So having a great book and a good movie of the same work to choose from, I'd recommend you read the book before seeing the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Very different from the movie
Review: Not in a bad way, though. In the book, the main character, Linda, is a little more flawed (gets pregnant out of wedlock), but the story is more interesting for it. Part of the movie that was so cute was Linda's love for war movies - that's not in the book. Instead, she has a realistic view on the world and has an alcoholic mother to take care of. I would recommend seeing the movie before reading the book (if you're like me and have to do both) - I can see being very disappointed in the film if you're already invested in the Linda from the book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Romance, and Spy Novel
Review: The life of Legal Secretary Extraordinaire during WWII is seen through the eyes of Linda Voss. Her story is told with warm and witty humor, she becomes a pal you would invite to lunch. Made into a good film in the mid-90's with Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith it did not caputre all the humor of the novel, but the romance and wartime tension are definitley there. So, relax in a hot tub and enjoy this lovely book!
Rating:
Summary: Great Romance, and Spy Novel
Review: The life of Legal Secretary Extraordinaire during WWII is seen through the eyes of Linda Voss. Her story is told with warm and witty humor, she becomes a pal you would invite to lunch. Made into a good film in the mid-90's with Michael Douglas and Melanie Griffith it did not caputre all the humor of the novel, but the romance and wartime tension are definitley there. So, relax in a hot tub and enjoy this lovely book!
Rating:
Summary: Were I to be stranded on a desert island . . .
Review: Were I to be stranded on a desert island with only three books to sustain me . . . Susan Isaacs' "Shining Through" would definitely be one of those books! Come to think of it, were I to be stranded with only one person for companionship, Linda Voss -- Isaacs' heroine -- would be my top choice. (A pity she exists only in the pages of "Shining Through" . . . or does she?) A simple (oh, yeah?) Bronx secretary in a 1940 topnotch Manhattan lawfirm presumes to aspire "far beyond her station," as the old saying goes. More than that, she dares to THINK. And, when war comes, her sense of moral outrage (as well as the pull of her family roots) impels her to act. That's the bare-bones synopsis of "Shining Through," which is at once a brilliantly-executed depiction of time and place as well as a totally satisfying celebration of the heroism which, hopefully, lies dormant and subject to call in most people even today. Wise-cracking and irreverent, wryly self-deprecating in her rejection of self-pity, Linda Voss is alternately vulnerable and nail-hard tough, when needs be, as the world's events unfold and lead her to her destiny. And that ultimate destiny -- at least to the point with which the book concludes -- is one which should make the reader shout, "Hooray!" (I always do, anyway, at the end of each rereading.) Author Susan Isaacs is regarded, for the most part, as a "woman's writer." This is a pity, and -- especially in the case of "Shining Through" -- a loss to male readers. Guys, a lot of us are missing something here!
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