Insight into WWII Spy Culture - Nuetral Country?

Who was your favorite character and why?

This was a fascinating book about a period of WWII that is not frequently covered. I really was able to get a good feel for what life was like in neutral Lisbon during that treacherous time. You are taken on a journey into the lives of European refugees seeking passage wandering through the pricey hotels to the various celebrities, spies and Nazi officers that occupy the casinos and restaurants. It’s an education of how all the earliest spy characters came into being, tracking both Ian Fleming and Graham Greene who were living there. There is also an interesting look into the balancing act that the Dictator Salazar had to perform between the alliance and the axis to serve Portuguese economic and national interests. The book portrays the dictator as a very shrewd and cool customer but does not go into the abuses that he is famous for. I would have loved to have learned more about why Portugal made the decisions it did and gotten a few more anecdotes into the adventures of some of these characters on the streets of Lisbon, but that just shows how much I enjoyed the book. Another helping please….

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A neglected sideshow in World War II

As a sometime student of Spanish history and politics, I have been aware for some time that Antonio Salazar, although a dictator, was far different from Francisco Franco. And Portugal is, as Portuguese always remind us, very different to Spain. The background to this book is the fact that Portugal is Britain's oldest European ally going back hundreds of years, and that did not totally change during World War II, even though for domestic and geostrategic reasons Salazar had to balance his private (and his country's historic) preferences with evolving military realities. As one of the few neutral countries in Europe during the war, its capital Lisbon became a nest of intrigue and espionage. It was also the gathering place of those unfortunates who could escape Nazi occupied Europe to liase with one of the few air links to the United States. Parts of the book read like a noir thriller, a kind of Joseph von Sternberg film. I must congratulate the narrator. His pronunciation of continental Portuguese is perfect, and it is not an easy language for a foreigner to master. Quite possibly he was brought up in the country.

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great story but the writing could be better

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The writer presented this too much like what I remember history books I read in school. Although the story is great and compelling, it could have been written much better

What did you like best about this story?

learning the story and role of Lisbon during the war; we had visited it this fall

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

If they could learn from Casablanca [good intro but couldn't sustain it]

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2 people found this helpful

Excellent telling of unknown history

The history of Portugal has fee sources in English. This fills a gap of a fascinating period in world history. Lisbon served as a”neutral” haven for spies and diplomats along with fleeing refugees and war profiteers. Who knew? I didn’t but now I do. Well recommended.

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great book

What did you love best about Lisbon?

book is easy to listen to. very interesting in its narrative. It portrayed Mr Salazar in a very interesting light, certainly an immensely smart man that dealt with both warring sides with great diplomacy and tact and was able to keep Portugal safe. He describes in a very entertainng way the intricacies of the relationships taking place during the war,

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2 people found this helpful

Wolfram?

I won’t give away any other details on the book, but to begin, I had never heard of Wolfram. Where have I been? 🤷🏻‍♂️ I had to stop the book and look it up. At first I thought the narrator was saying “wolfem.” Not so! He was saying, “Wolfram.”
For those in the same sad state of ignorance as me, “Wolfram” is “Tungsten.” For everyone else, please move on to the next review. According to the bottomless source if irrefutable facts, “The Internet,” the word “Tungsten” is used primarily in the US and Great Britain.

Aside from having no idea what wolfram was, I thought it was an interesting book with good narration, with the Portuguese supply of “wolfram” during WWII to both the Nazis and the British being a point of contention.

There does not seem to be much out there on recent Portuguese history, so this was a good find. The book is about way more than wolfram, so give it a go!

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Little known

I am a World War fan and thought I knew all about the first and second World Wars, that is until I read (heard) Lisbon. The story was fascinating. Portugal was lucky to escape the horrors of the 2nd world War, but could well have been entrapped into it. Its refusal to accept the fleeing Jews was indeed very sad and may have left a stigma on the nation. However a very good listen.

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3 people found this helpful

Not That Much Happened

This was short enough book that I made it to the end but the spies were bureaucrats and the spats were financial and diplomatic. I was hoping for more on MI6 personalities at least.

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WRONG TITLE NOT ABOUT LISBON

I got this book included in my subscription, if I had paid for it I would have sued under false description. The book opens likening it the story of Casablanca, it is not, it contains little of intrigue or glamor. It is a biography of an evil anti semetic Nazi sympathizing dictator, written by someone who viewed him through rose tinted glasses.

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2 people found this helpful

INTERESTING

This book is about politics and money to be made during a war and in this case WWII.
I started listening and eventually finishing the book hoping that it would be more about rescuing Jewish refugees.
I had read that Portugal was a safe haven for the Jews escaping the Nazis.
An interesting fact, not mentioned in this book, but I had read it elsewhere.
I am a lover of classical music.
Claude Frank was a Jewish pianist. When he was in his early teens his family tried to escape Hitler, via Portugal.
While in Lisbon, awaiting transport to the USA a Beethoven piano recital was scheduled for an official function. The pianist, who was designated to play, canceled. Claude was asked to fill in. He did and was a tremendous success.
The family eventually got passage on a ship to the USA, with a stop over in Cuba, where he and fellow Jews where put in a camp, awaiting papers to enter the USA. They were the lucky ones.
Claude Frank became a virtuoso.
I am lucky to have the few CDs available of his performances.
This whole story has nothing to do with the review of this book, but it is interesting and I was hoping that the author had addressed some “escape” stories.
I gave it 4 stars for the effort of all involved, JK

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1 person found this helpful