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Red Joan Paperback – July 1, 2014

by Jennie Rooney (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,150 ratings
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Inspired by the true story of a female spy, this is “an infectious page-turner, as crafty and nuanced and impassioned as any classic thriller” (The National).

Inspired by the true story of Melita Norwood, unmasked as the KGB’s longest-serving British spy in 1999, at age eighty-seven, Red Joan centers on the deeply conflicted life of a young physicist during the Second World War.Talented and impressionable, Cambridge undergraduate Joan Stanley befriends the worldly Sonya, whose daring history is at odds with Joan’s provincial upbringing. Joan also feels a growing attraction toward Leo, Sonya’s mysterious and charismatic cousin. Sonya and Leo, known communist sympathizers with ties to Russia and Germany, interpret wartime loyalty in ways Joan can only begin to fathom.As nations throughout the continent fall to fascism, Joan is enlisted into an urgent project that will change the course of the war―and the world―forever. Risking both career and conscience, leaking information to the Soviets while struggling to maintain her own semblance of morality, Joan is caught at a crossroads in which all paths lead to the same endgame: the deployment of the atomic bomb.Life during wartime, however, is often ambiguous, and when―decades later―MI5 agents appear at her doorstep, Joan must reaffirm the cost of the choices she made and face the cold truth: our deepest secrets have a way of dragging down those we love most.
The basis of the film starring Judi Dench and Sophie Cookson, this is “a brilliant spy novel, with [a] deft, involving plot . . . Tense, beautifully pitched, and very moving” (Marie Claire).

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    390 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Europa Editions
  4. Publication date
    July 1, 2014
  5. Dimensions
    5.36 x 1.17 x 8.24 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1609452046
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1609452049
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Red Joan

"A brilliant spy novel, with a deft, involving plot... tense, beautifully pitched and very moving."
—Marie Claire

"A page-turning saga of spies, conflicted loyalty, and the grave consequences of good intentions."
—Publishers Weekly

"Rooney has created a wonderful narrative structure [that] elegantly presents a woman who was living a 'calm and contented existence' when MI5 came knocking on her door."
—Kirkus

"Rooney wonderfully evokes not only the political consciousness of the time but also the exhilaration — and the terror — of being young and risking everything...A drama of love, idealism, and betrayal that is as moving as it is thrilling."
—Barnes & Noble Review

"Rooney's re-creation of the politics of the day is brilliant."
—The Times

"Red Joan's strength lies in the complex personal relationships that underpin the spying game... A powerfully written exploration of the far-reaching consequences that even the smallest-seeming actions can have."
—Literary Review

"This is an infectious page-turner, as crafty and nuanced and impassioned as any classic thriller, but one that doesn't forget where its heart is."
—The National

"A sensitive spy thriller, finely detailed and resolutley sensitive. This excellent period novel still carries some considerable resonance in the age of Bradley Manning."
—Metro

"Rooney is a novelist at home with life's ambiguities, her plotting pleasingly intricate, her narrative richly textured."
—The Telegraph

About the Author

Jennie Rooney was born in Liverpool in 1980. She studied history at the University of Cambridge and taught English in France before moving to London to work as an attorney. Her first novel, Inside the Whale, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Europa Editions (July 1, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 390 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1609452046
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1609452049
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.36 x 1.17 x 8.24 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,150 ratings

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Jennie Rooney

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,150 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Peter J. Dawes
5.0 out of 5 stars Spying for Stalin
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2021
Verified Purchase
"Red Joan" is a wonderful novel, loosly based on a real case, about an old British scientist who is finally exposed as a spy for the Russians. Her story is wonderfully told in a series of flashbacks during her exposure and interrogation by MI5.
The writing superbly captures the atmosphere of pre-war England of the late 30's when Joan goes to Cambridge and becomes knowledgeable about atomic atoms. During her time at university, she is agressively recruited into Communist ideologies, especially when she get a job in a secret lab that is working on developing an atomic bomb.
At the beginning of the war, Russia was an enemy and then, when Hitler attacked them, became an ally. It is this change in combatants and the devastation of Hiroshima that has led Joan to pass secret files to the Russians in the 40's, 50's and early 60's. Her reasoning is that the world would be safer if more countries had the bomb, not just one.
All the characters are wonderfully drawn and believable. I hope they make a movie of this interesting and well-told story.
6 people found this helpful
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Sam K.
4.0 out of 5 stars Why Would I Do That?
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2021
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Motivation is often a mystery and is almost always complex. The usual reasons one might become a traitor - money, revenge, Ideology, love, blackmail - simply don’t apply in Joan’s case. In this tightly woven narrative we live inside Joan’s head and heart as she learns what she’s capable of in order to do what she thinks is right for humankind and best for herself. A thought provoking read.
2 people found this helpful
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L. Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars great book
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2022
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I always find starting a book a little slow but the further I read, the pace picked up right to the end.
I thought the book was good reading and provided thought for both the left and right sides of the aisle when faced with circumstances beyond our control. I recommend reading “Red Joan” and waiting for the end to see what happens.
One person found this helpful
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Andrea Rose
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2015
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Great basis for a story but the characters didn't come alive for me
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful read. Joan had my attention and sympathy throughout the story, though I wish at times that she's have stuck to her weak (?) convictions.
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2019
Verified Purchase
Great reading. Sympathized with Joan while also wishing she was firmer in her ever changing convictions. Four of five stars.
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Ahjishan
5.0 out of 5 stars compelling Story
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2021
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This was an incredible read that I could hardly put down. Now that the story has been made into movie, I decided to read the story before watching the film.
One person found this helpful
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Cookster
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good book
Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2021
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I watched the movie before buying the book. Movie was so good I thought the book might be even better. It was. Much more insight with the book
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Joan the oldest Red
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2018
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The mixing of Joan’s remembrances with her now experiences made the book very real. It is the way some people really live their life. All sorts of daily occurrences triggering a long ago memory. Mine aren’t nearly as dramatic or world changing but made me “ get into the protagonist’s shoes”.
11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Richard Pascoe
5.0 out of 5 stars Good page turner
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2021
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Enjoyed the characters and the story line. Totally believable, exciting and well written. I will look out for more of this authors books!
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Dianne
5.0 out of 5 stars A page Turner!
Reviewed in Canada on January 7, 2019
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I really enjoyed this book, I like some of the other reviewers think that Joan was a little naïve but her heart was certainly in the right place. Given the subject matter and my lack of the knowledge on it, surprisingly I found the characters believable, that is to say even the "bad" guys had redeeming qualities and I could on some level relate to them.
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Soraya K.
5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down
Reviewed in Germany on May 7, 2020
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I immensely enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down!
The novel is loosely based on the real-life story of Melita Norwood, an eighty-seven-year-old woman who was unmasked as the KGB's longest serving British spy in 1999.

In the present time Joan Stanley is an old widow and loving grandmother. She is accused by MI5 of passing government secrets to the USSR during the latter part of the Second World War and the years following. The novel switches back and forth between the developing interrogation of the present and Joan's flashbacks to her earlier life as a physics student in Cambridge in the late 1930's.
By chance she meets the Russian-born cousins, Leo and Sonya. Leo Galich is an extremely good-looking economic PhD Student and known communist radical. Joan is a very naive girl and didn't really understand what world she was getting into; what she knows is her conversations with the charismatic Leo are always interesting and Joan quickly falls in love with him. I found myself thoroughly engrossed in the world of Joan, Leo, Sonya and Max.
This book does a remarkable job of creating a sympathetic connection with Joan, as well as bringing up the moral greys of a conflict that we usually view in black and white as a reader, I really started to relate to her. Joan's voice is filled with anxiety and purpose throughout the book.
The author Jennie Rooney examined the conflicting ideals and emotions that people in their twenties might have experienced in these unprecedented times.
I have to say I hated Sonya Galich with a passion while also wanting to shake Joan’s shoulders and wake her up. Unfortunately I found aspects of Leo and Sonya's relationship very peculiar and unrealistic, especially the 'twist' at the end.

It's a character-driven novel based on the twists and turns of inter-personal relationships: love and loyalty, collusion and betrayal. It also is a gripping story that makes it difficult to anticipate what will happen next or how the story will end. The book is often very moving (I cried a lot), you will start thinking of what you would have done in Joan's position.
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takako
5.0 out of 5 stars Hiroshima
Reviewed in Japan on January 26, 2021
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２００５年、イギリス郊外で穏やかな１人暮らしをしていた ８５歳のJoan は、若い頃の友人 William の死亡通知を受け取る。Joan の生涯において特別の役割を果たしてくれた William 。
続いて彼女は、MI5 の2人の訪問を受ける。彼女をソ連スパイ容疑で逮捕するというのだ。
Joan はケンブリッジ大学で自然科学を学び、その後原子力研究所に就職して働いていた。その時代にソヴィエトに機密文書を漏洩していたという。１９３７年から１９４７年にかけて、大戦前後と続く冷戦の時代、およそ７０年近くも昔の話である。
６日間に渡って、自宅にほぼ軟禁状態で取り調べを受ける。弁護士である息子 Nick が付き添っているが、2人の関係は複雑だ。 そしてJoan は様々な事実について尋問されながら、若い頃の自分に起こったあれこれを、懐かしさや悔恨や怒りをもって、回想するのだった。

本書は、イギリス史上驚愕の、Milita Norwood という女性スパイがソ連に情報を流し続けていたという史実をもとに、彼女の人生を辿りながら、著者が紡ぎあげたフィクションである。 映画にもなっているが、映画ではケンブリッジの美しい風景を楽しませてはくれるものの、内容の省略はやむを得ないとしても、変更もある。映画では最後の場面での、名女優 Judi Dench の演技に感動したが、これも内容は小説とは異なっている。映画を観られた方にはぜひ本書も読まれることをお薦めします。

Joanはケンブリッジ大学時代、同じフラットのユダヤ系ロシア人 Sonya と親しくなり、彼女の従兄弟の Leo を紹介される。Leo は自分はコミュニストだと言ってはばからない。当時ケンブリッジでは左翼の活動が活発だった。Joan は彼らに誘われて、さまざまな催しに参加したり、いろんな体験をして、暗い戦時下でもそれなりに青春を楽しんでいた。
卒業後、原子力研究所に就職してからは、同僚たちと友好を保ち、仕事も堅実にこなした。所長の Max からも信頼され、やがて機密文書の管理なども任されるようになる。Max と2人でカナダに出張したりもする。数日の船旅、カナダでのできごとは彼女にとって忘れがたいものとなった。
原子力研究所で取り組んでいる核兵器の開発は、彼らにとって、実際の戦争に使うためではなく、抑止力の役割をを果たすもの、戦争が終わったら平和利用をめざすものであった。少なくとも Joan はそう信じていた。
Sonya や Leo からは、情報をソヴィエトに流すことに加担してほしいと頼まれるが、Joan は断り続ける。

しかし、アメリカが日本の広島に原子爆弾を投下し、その Ｈiroshima の惨状を目にして から、Joan の考えは変わっていった。アメリカだけが核兵器を所持していてはならない。一方のソヴィエトもそれを開発し所持しなければ、平和の拮抗状態は保たれないと考えるようになる。　(85歳の Joan の回想には幾たびか Hiroshima が出てくる。) そしてついに Joan は ······
Joan とMax,Ｓonya やLeo、そしてWilliam、信頼と裏切り、友情や愛の確執、Joan の回想の中に様々な人生が描かれる。それぞれの結末については痛ましく、Joan とMax だけが希望に向かうのだが～。このあたりはスパイ小説というより、恋愛小説の様相を呈してくる。読者がこれをどう読むかは様々だと思う。
しかし私は、著者が、一つの史実をもとにこのような小説世界をつくりあげたことに、賛辞を贈りたい。知らなかった事実を知り、いろいろ考えさせる内容を提起しているのだから。
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Tony Bridges
5.0 out of 5 stars Great spy novel built around a trues story
Reviewed in Australia on March 16, 2020
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This is based on a true story and you became involved with the characters. The British academics were very good spies for the Russians
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