Eye of the Needle

Eye of the Needle is clearly one of the best suspense novels ever written. I recently re-read it, and enjoyed it even more the second time. I read it again as part of a self-education project (which you can find by searching the web for "lew weinstein's novel writing blog"), so my comments are organized around various "writing topics" which are important to me. In a technique that I used in my new legal thriller A Good Conviction , (although I don't presume to have done it as well as Follett did), Follett employs what he calls a "ping-pong" structure, alternating between the characters, switching focus abruptly at the end of scenes, and leaving the reader in suspense for many pages before resuming the thread. This structure was, according to an essay by Follett appended to the end of my copy, developed in the author's original story outline and then rigidly adhered to, and it worked splendidly, forcing him to consider the impact of each character's actions on the other, and offering ample latitude for enriched attention to character, landscape and emotion. Eye of the Needle is also a historical novel, and as a writer of historical fiction myself ( The Heretic (Library of American Fiction) , my first novel, is set in 15th century Spain), I am particularly impressed with Follett's ability to write a suspenseful story despite the fact that we know D-day succeeded, and thus that Faber failed. Follett draws the distinction between fact and fiction with a one page historical preface about the D-Day deception. He ends the preface ... "That much is history. What follows is fiction. Still and all, one suspects something like this must have happened." We're immediately intrigued. Follett brilliantly, and necessarily, transfers his fictional tension away from whether Faber will succeed ... to how he will be foiled. In the process, he creates a superb heroine who rises to larger-than-life status in the greatest two days of her life. In this regard, Eye of the Needle is much like Frederick Forsythe's The Day of the Jackal , where we know that De Gaulle was not murdered by a sniper but are carried into exquisite tension anyway, again over how the also enormously competent Jackal will be stopped. Follett's two main characters are complex and well developed. Faber of course is the villain. But he is also patriotic (to Germany), quite competent, and even capable of feelings, which he must repress in order to carry out his mission. He is a wonderful lover, which he could not be if he were truly devoid of feeling. This complex character must be admired even as we hate and fear him. A remarkable achievement. Lucy starts out as a dominated young woman, who chooses to escape to her father-in-law's island rather than live among people. But in her virtual solitude, she develops an unexpected resolve, and when faced with the ultimate challenge, she rises to it. Is what she does believable? Maybe not, although in wartime people do extraordinary things. In any case, it doesn't matter since Follett portrays this larger-than-life character in a way that fully engages the reader's emotions as we root for her to succeed against the far stronger and better trained Faber. The final scenes and epilogue drew tears from this romantic reader, but then I'm always a sucker for melodrama. Godliman (What a name! I'd love to know where Follett got it.) is the enabler of the story, providing the narrative links that show lead Faber to Lucy. But how much better to provide these through an interesting character than through narrative prose. Godliman's growth from passive professor to razor-sharp spycatcher is done a little quickly. We can believe it, but we would like to know more about him. Perhaps as the third character, he doesn't warrant more attention. Follett uses several writing techniques that I found quite instructive. At least once in the story, the omniscient narrator speaks in his own voice, providing a foreshadowing that sets the stage while piquing the reader's interest. The narrator interjects "Faber ... Godliman ... two-thirds of a triangle that one day would be crucially completed by ... David and Lucy." Follett has Faber ask himself questions about what he should do ... should he bury the five dead men? ...what should he do with the boat? ... should he jump on a passing train? This technique allows the exploration of options within the context of the story instead of more clumsily by the narrator. There is also a short flashback scene where Faber dreams about his first arrival in London. We first think it's a true dream, but soon learn it is not. This allows us to learn both how Faber actually arrived in London and also how terrified he is about being discovered. There' much more in this great suspense story, but I think this review has gone on long enough. If you want more, I invite you check my blog.

Wonderfully hated villain. The boom is action-packed and fun to read. Some of it is a bit far-fetched and would have loved more development of the two intrepid spy hunters.

I just started Follett's 'Eye of the Needle.' I also just finished it! It's been years since I've stumbled across a book which I just could not put down. 'Eye of the Needle' was like that for me. I read the entire novel in two days (very fast considering it normally takes me a couple of weeks for a book its size), and was thrilled to the last page. Here's why. My first Follett experience was (like many people, I suspect), 'Pillars of the Earth.' There's a fantastic book for you if you're into history, particularly Medieval England. Lots of twists and turns, deep and dynamic characters, and plenty of action -- at least enough to keep me occupied. When I read its sequel, 'World Without End,' I came away still pleased with the work, but without the sentiment of "I must read that novel again, and right away!" It was good, but not great -- worth the read, but I could've lived without it. That being said, I was hesitant when I started 'Eye of the Needle' for two reasons. First, my experience with Follett being limited to his Dark Ages novels, I wasn't quite sure how he would stand up in a more modern era of historical fiction. And second, as 'Pillars' and 'World Without End' seemed to have been much more widely known (or at least publicized), I don't think I had ever heard anything (reviews good or bad) about his WWII stuff. That lengthy soliloquy being stated, if you are: 1) A Follett fan 2) A WWII history fan 3) A general historical fiction fan or 4) Just a fan of good fiction... You MUST read this novel! Characteristic of Ken Follett's work, the characters are believable and dynamic. That's my first major "Thumbs Up." Whether the scenario involves: the spy killing a seemingly innocent character, or the housewife bedding the antagonist, or the professor deciding to go 'all in' and work for British military intelligence... I personally felt that, given similar circumstances, being in that character's shoes, I probably would have taken similar actions. There are spots in the book which seem a little thin (i.e., Godliman once met Faber at Canterbury Cathedral before the war, etc etc), but they are small enough, and spread out enough, that they don't have a negative impact on the work. I confess (call me slow-witted if you will), that I had absolutely no clue how Storm Island would play out, how the lives of David and Lucy would eventually connect, to the main plot of the novel -- at least not until I found myself out at see with Faber. Perhaps the best part of the book, for me, the most memorable part, is the battle between David and Faber on the island. The setting is (more or less) in the "Eye" of a storm -- rain is pouring, no chance for help to arrive in the foreseeable future, Faber has just slept with David's wife, David has just found out the truth about Faber, etc etc... The reason this scene struck me so hard was because David is supposed to be the protagonist; Faber is supposed to be the bad-guy. But during their battle, I found myself rooting for Faber, the German spy whose intelligence report could win the war for Nazi Germany! I don't know how, but Follett had me so twisted around that I wasn't sure which character I should stand behind! David is portrayed as such a bitter and resentful man, and Faber as such a smooth-talking and tough anti-hero, that the roles get seemingly reversed. Really threw me for a loop -- I physically had to set down my Kindle and take a moment to think about it. Again, call me dull if you will, but I credit Follett's writing for my confusion! I'll end this review, which has probably been far too long since the first paragraph, by saying this. If you have never read a Ken Follett book, start with this one! It will get you hooked, and itching for the next one. I know I am. Cheers!

The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett was not the authors first novel, but it was his first commercially successful one, beginning a long and illustrious career. It was first published in 1979, and a friend recommended it to me around that time. It was a tighter, more suspenseful novel than he would later specialize in, with his sprawling classics such as Pillars of the Earth stretching to 1,000 pages or more. Eye of the Needle comes in at around 300 gripping, furiously paced pages. As D-Day approaches, a German spy, known as Die Nadal, or The Needle, has been living a covert life in England for a decade, providing a wealth of valuable information to the Nazis for years. In the book he collects incredibly important information about the intended location of the Allied invasion of France (much of this is historically accurate). The outcome of the war depends on the ability of several average British citizens to learn what he is up to, and thwart his efforts. There are several excellent characters created for our enjoyment on both sides of the conflict. I especially liked the heroine, who is living a quiet life of desperation on a small island just off the eastern coast of Scotland. I don’t know why I let 40 years go between readings of this great book. It’s well worth a read and re-read.

Another amazing Ken Follett book. It got so intense I was stressed out! Excellent and well written. Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Loved it!

Since I love Follett's historical epics (The Pillars of the Earth, Fall of Giants, etc) so much and I love thrillers, I figured I should try one of the types of books that originally made him famous. After being disappointed by the last WWII thriller I read (Simon Tolkien's Orders from Berlin), Eye of the Needle was what I'd been looking for! The plot centers around a fictional (but relatively probable) "what-if" scenario involving the lead-up to the Normandy invasion, which gave the book its historical depth. It's also a fantastic page turner - with spies, MI5, murder, police work, and a side love story as well. My one small criticism is that I thought the Epilogue was contrived and unnecessary to the story - but you can just stop reading when the regular book ends, so it doesn't end up doing much harm. For more reviews, check out my blog, Sarah's Book Shelves.

Read this book many years ago. Still an exciting read all these years later. I highly recommend this book for an interesting view of D Day in WWII.

Read this when it first came out and now again. Follett never disappointed with his ability to tell a story. The spy genre was hot when this originally arrived, but it reads well even today. Sneaky, manipulative spy who terrorizes a woman, who finds him irresistible, while he is carrying out his mission.