Rating: 
Summary: good but slow
Review: Poetic, beautifully written, but much more dependant on atmosphere than character development. Not a whole lot of action or dialogue. Still good though.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Stuff!
Review: Short on plot, this book follows the title character as he leaves his normal life as an army cartographer behind to become a spy and resistance fighter in Nazi-occupied Europe. The book unfolds in a series of acts, starting with his unit's dissolution in late 1939 and his subsequent underground work in Poland. The bulk of the book then describes his work in occupied France before a final brief action in Ukraine. Furst is outstanding at portraying individual assignments and actions, making them come alive with outstanding period detail. Wisely, he doesn't try too hard to link the various acts into a larger story, other than that of the title character. The ending is left open for continuation, which might bother some readers, but seemed to me highly appropriate. Furst's description of spycraft, and life behind the lines is highly entertaining and informative, and I'll definitely be looking for other of his books. If you like Philip Kerr's Berlin Noir trilogy, you'll probably dig this.
Rating:
Summary: Adventure Tale for the Thinking Reader
Review: The protagonist is a military intelligence cartographer in the summer of 1939; in the fall he must get $11 million in bullion from Warsaw to Romania to save it from the Nazis coming from the west and the Red Army from the east. He takes over a train, filled with as many people pleading to flee as will fit.
But that's just the beginning of the book, despite enough action for a movie. The captain then is assigned to increasingly complex intelligence-gathering, liaison, and sabotage duties, all of which is beautifully written and believable. I won't give away the plot.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect balance of character and history
Review: The protagonist of this WW II spy novel is Captain de Milja, a Polish officer who is recruited as part of the Polish underground resistance following the fall of Warsaw to the Nazis in 1939. De Milja is a man of few words, perceptive, hard, unafraid of danger, and able to adjust to new situations. He also has no difficulty in attracting women and has several lovers, of varying duration, to accompany him through his adventures. His wife, to whom he is devoted, dies midway through the book. This novel tells the stories of de Milja's experiences as a spy in Warsaw, Paris and the Ukraine. It is episodic in character with each unit of the story essentially self-contained. The writing is fast-paced and hard-boiled as befitting a spy story. There were times when I thought the story flagged and lost my interest. Alan Furst knows has subject matter and depicts well the fall of Warsaw and Paris and the activities of the Partisans in the Ukraine. The Nazi's failed invasions of Britain and the U.S.S.R. form the backdrop of the book and they are well-conveyed. I found the middle sections of the book the most interesting with good depictions of people and places, particularly low life in Paris. The book is good to read because of the perspective it brings to WW II which is both unusual and realistic. The book is somewhat more than a spy novel due to Furst's attempt to develop and show growth in the character of his hero. This development occurs in the final section of the book which explores the confusing world of conflicting partisan resistance movements in the Ukraine. Oddly enough, the plotting and spying in this section are, to me, the weakest in the book. De Milja changes in this way. In the prior sections of the story, Furst establishes him as a lover and a ladies man. There are occasions when De Milja takes a mistress in part to save his cover and many other occasions where he takes a lover only because he wants to do so. The connection between spying and amorous activities is an established one. There are tensions and risks in this line of work, and surely a feeling that one must enjoy what one can. In the final chapter of the book, de Milja meets a young woman refuge named Sasha. She is not particularly beautiful or talented, but she is fleeing for her life, she is vulnerable, and she is available. De Milja saves her life, through great peril. Sasha lets it be known that she would be willing to, perhaps even interested in, sex with De Milja as they weave their way through danger. Furst makes a great deal of de Milja not availaing himself of this opportunity. (Even though de Milja and Sasha need to bundle together in a car to keep warm at night.) I think this shows a development in de Milja's character from the rather free-wheeling womanizer he is in the earlier sections of the book. It also shows that he has developed some sense of looking at his female companion as an individual rather than as a pawn in a global game of war. I think we are meant to see de Milja as developing a quality of compassion in this portion of the story and a sense of connectedness to another person. He is willing to forgo sex, even when it is offered, welcome, and not even illicit in order to bring Sasha and himself to safety. It is buried in lots of war detail and not really prepared for during the body of the novel, but Furst shows development in the character of his hero. This is why the book is slightly more than a spy story.
Rating: 
Summary: More than a Spy Story
Review: The protagonist of this WW II spy novel is Captain de Milja, a Polish officer who is recruited as part of the Polish underground resistance following the fall of Warsaw to the Nazis in 1939. De Milja is a man of few words, perceptive, hard, unafraid of danger, and able to adjust to new situations. He also has no difficulty in attracting women and has several lovers, of varying duration, to accompany him through his adventures. His wife, to whom he is devoted, dies midway through the book. This novel tells the stories of de Milja's experiences as a spy in Warsaw, Paris and the Ukraine. It is episodic in character with each unit of the story essentially self-contained. The writing is fast-paced and hard-boiled as befitting a spy story. There were times when I thought the story flagged and lost my interest. Alan Furst knows has subject matter and depicts well the fall of Warsaw and Paris and the activities of the Partisans in the Ukraine. The Nazi's failed invasions of Britain and the U.S.S.R. form the backdrop of the book and they are well-conveyed. I found the middle sections of the book the most interesting with good depictions of people and places, particularly low life in Paris. The book is good to read because of the perspective it brings to WW II which is both unusual and realistic. The book is somewhat more than a spy novel due to Furst's attempt to develop and show growth in the character of his hero. This development occurs in the final section of the book which explores the confusing world of conflicting partisan resistance movements in the Ukraine. Oddly enough, the plotting and spying in this section are, to me, the weakest in the book. De Milja changes in this way. In the prior sections of the story, Furst establishes him as a lover and a ladies man. There are occasions when De Milja takes a mistress in part to save his cover and many other occasions where he takes a lover only because he wants to do so. The connection between spying and amorous activities is an established one. There are tensions and risks in this line of work, and surely a feeling that one must enjoy what one can. In the final chapter of the book, de Milja meets a young woman refuge named Sasha. She is not particularly beautiful or talented, but she is fleeing for her life, she is vulnerable, and she is available. De Milja saves her life, through great peril. Sasha lets it be known that she would be willing to, perhaps even interested in, sex with De Milja as they weave their way through danger. Furst makes a great deal of de Milja not availaing himself of this opportunity. (Even though de Milja and Sasha need to bundle together in a car to keep warm at night.) I think this shows a development in de Milja's character from the rather free-wheeling womanizer he is in the earlier sections of the book. It also shows that he has developed some sense of looking at his female companion as an individual rather than as a pawn in a global game of war. I think we are meant to see de Milja as developing a quality of compassion in this portion of the story and a sense of connectedness to another person. He is willing to forgo sex, even when it is offered, welcome, and not even illicit in order to bring Sasha and himself to safety. It is buried in lots of war detail and not really prepared for during the body of the novel, but Furst shows development in the character of his hero. This is why the book is slightly more than a spy story.
Rating:
Summary: Intriguing, Authentic Description of Occupied Europe
Review: The reader new to Alan Furst may not immediately recognize that the plot is subordinate to the setting and character development. The Polish Officer, like his other novels, ends somewhat abruptly; the war continues unabated and the fate of his protagonist remains unresolved. Furst sees WWII as a large canvas. This novel, a detailed painting by Alan Furst, only covers a minute spot.
Poland is under coordinated attacks by Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia. The story begins as Captain Alexander de Milja is assigned the task of transporting by train Poland's national gold reserves to a location out of reach of Hitler's forces. Not much later, despite fierce fighting by Polish forces, Poland is overwhelmed and de Milja joins the Polish resistance. The setting moves from Poland to Romania to France to the Ukraine as de Milja's situation becomes increasingly insecure. The Polish officer himself no longer has rank, nor an army, nor a country. He does not expect to survive.
Furst's novels excel in two regards: their historical settings are authentic while simultaneously the stories provide unexpected, even unique, perspectives on WWII. In this story we readers experience life from inside an occupied Poland, inside an intimidated Romania, within a surrendered France, and in a brutalized Ukraine. His plots are suspenseful and well-crafted, and yet I recall his stories more for their detailed settings. It is unlikely that I will forget Furst's description of occupied Europe.
The WWII historical novels of Alan Furst offer a richness and authenticity seldom encountered. I highly recommend The Polish Officer. It is among his finest works and is a great introduction to a remarkable author.
Rating:
Summary: Really 3.5 Stars
Review: This is an above average spy thriller but not as good as Furst's earlier books, Dark Star and Night Soldiers. Furst is very good at depicting life in various portions of occupied Europe and is a talented writer. The character of the protagonist is not really well developed and the plotting is somewhat repetitive. Better than most books in this genre but hardly outstanding.
Rating:
Summary: Another Good Book
Review: This is the second book I have read by Mr. Alan Furst. Happily, Random House Publishing is going to backtrack and bring earlier novels by this talented writer to readers. To date, Mr. Furst confines his novels to a relatively brief period of history, from 1933-1945. It is also a period that continues to provide massive amounts of information for historians and writers of historically based fiction. What I particularly liked about this work is that it focused on a Polish Officer, and his work after Poland was attacked and partitioned by Russia and Germany, and then overrun once again by Russia. Poland lost 18% of its population during WWII, a higher percentage than any other nation. The damage Poland suffered, and the resistance movement it fought throughout the war is less well known than other stories, and less documented in historically based fiction. Mr. Furst explains at the end of the book the resources that he uses to bring his characters to life. He tells what are true stories or amalgams of true stories about those that never made a great name for themselves, and garnered the fame that accompanied such notoriety. His characters are often those who fought on after their countries had fallen, living a day-to-day existence that often ended in an unmarked grave, or a cellar with its attendant horrors. The risks they took were compounded by the methods they used to fight and survive. They wore no uniform, they had none of the protection, however scant, that a uniform would bring. If they went missing it was noted, and then only for a moment. My interest in the topic helped to overcome what shortcomings the book does have. The book begins on a fairly definitive note, and then reads as though the reader is occasionally checking in with Alexander de Milja. Just as he is forced to move from Poland to France, Spain, and then Poland again, and other locations, the book jumps as well. The problem is the reader does not always jump with Alexander, often it seems as if we bump into him by chance. The book is filled with character vignettes, some are so fleeting that they are barely made note of before they are gone. The character of Alexander is fairly well explained and detailed, however even his fate is truncated almost in mid sentence. The book reaches no conclusion, and unless there is to be a sequel, it never will. This is not the stronger of the two works I have read, however I will continue to read the books that are to come, for even when the author may not be writing at his best, he is still very, very good.
Rating:
Summary: Perfect balance of character and history
Review: This novel--the third in Furst's series of historical espionage thrillers--represents a significant shift in the author's style and approach to his material. Fine as the previous two (_Night Soldiers_ and _Dark Star_) are, their main characters often dissolve into the epic sweep of history as Furst moves them throughout Europe, striving to make them represent all of wartime experience. In _The Polish Officer_ Furst tightens his focus, taking his protagonist from the fall of Poland in 1939 to the end of the first push of the Russian Campaign in late 1942. In doing so Furst more effectively represents the experience of the spy--the constant terror, the uncertaintly, the ceaseless struggle with despair. Furst also boils his prose and plotting down to bare essentials. The result is a taut, exciting, and moving story of one man's effort to serve a country that effectively does not exist. A great read.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting Novel
Review: This was the best novel I've read this year, including a wide range of genres. Lucid prose, memorable images, and fascinating characters and situations: what more could you want? Several reviews have noted the episodic character of the plot, but I didn't mind that a bit; if anything, it added to the impression of chaos in a country disintegrating under invasion. This was my first Furst but won't be my last.
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