Title: My first Furst book: hope the second is better
Review: This is the first Furst book I have read. He has a lot of fans, and many acknowledge in these reviews that it is not his best book. I hope it is his worst, and so I will give him a second chance. The positive element in the book is the detailed historical setting. The characters, plot and much of the writing are weak. Unlike more literary authors, like John Le Carre, Furst attempts to give his characters substance by making them as exotic as possible. Thus Serebin and the rest are sophisticated caricatures, not people. This is good in airport paperbacks, but sits uneasily with the thoroughly intellectual tone of the novel. Hope for better next time.
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