Eye of the Needle: A Novel by Ken Follett (Epub)

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The worldwide phenomenon from the bestselling author of The Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, A Column of Fire, and The Evening and the Morning

His code name was “The Needle.” He was a German aristocrat of extraordinary intelligence—a master spy with a legacy of violence in his blood, and the object of the most desperate manhunt in history. . . .

But his fate lay in the hands of a young and vulnerable English woman, whose loyalty, if swayed, would assure his freedom—and win the war for the Nazis. . . .

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⭐ How did I ever miss this?? I’ve read Pillars of the Earth and some others by Follet. Pillars was terrific, but very long. Eye of the Needle was simply fantastic. Planning for D-Day so the German leaders think it will not be at Normandy… A spy novel unlike any other I have ever read. I was glued to it for three days and couldn’t stand putting it down to do normal life things. The last 15% was suspense like few books I have ever read. Some of the (real) history I never knew…the fictionalized story was magnificent writing. I did stop and look some things up, especially during the first 20% or so. By the 60% mark or thereabouts, I was reading at a breakneck pace. I knew Follett was talented but this was amazing. If you like stories set in World War II, spy stories, war stories, or anything with terrific characters that the reader really cares about, you must read this. All my friends, put this on your “to read” list right now.

⭐ I think “The Brenner Assignment” (O’Donnell) is the only World War II spy story that can hold a candle to this superiorly written novel. ‘Brenner’ is a true story, however, so it is a must-read for WWII spy enthusiasts for different reasons. “Eye of the Needle” is captivating and realistic fiction: I don’t know much about mid-century London, but felt I was living in it reading ‘Eye”.Nothing not to love! I will note, however, that there’s a load of foreshadowing here, so if you find yourself wondering why, for example [SPOILER] so much detail is given to the AC-as-opposed-to-DC generator in the cottage (p.48), then you aren’t the only one who knows this’ll come back ’round! (Follett did get the AC/DC mixed up, BTW, as others have noted.) Don’t miss!

⭐ British author Ken Follett is best known to a wide public these days for the Kingsbridge Trilogy, his mammoth multi-generational account of an English cathedral town. Together, the three books run to nearly 3,000 pages. They’ve reportedly sold more than 80 million copies around the world.But that’s only half of the 160 million books Follett has sold since the publication of his first novel in 1974. And he has been topping the bestseller lists ever since the publication of his classic WWII spy novel, The Eye of the Needle, in 1978. The book sold 10 million copies, and it frequently appears on lists of the all-time best spy novels. So it’s no surprise that Penguin has brought out a 40th-anniversary edition of the novel. It fully deserves all the attention it gets.The Double-Cross Committee and a fictional armyThe opening scenes in Eye of the Needle take place in August 1940, following the Nazi invasion of France and the Low Countries and shortly before the Battle of Britain began. The story wraps up in June 1944, days before the Normandy Invasion.Two of the most fascinating inventions of World War II figure prominently in Eye of the Needle. One is the XX Committee, or Twenty Committee, otherwise sometimes know as the Double-Cross Committee, which was entirely real. The other was not real at all: the fictional First United States Army Group under General George S. Patton, or FUSAG. Together, these two elements constituted what may well have been the most elaborate deception ever deployed in war. Thousands of people participated in this massive effort. The deception played a major role in convincing Adolf Hitler that the Allies’ invasion in the summer of 1944 would be directed at the Pas-de-Calais and not at Normandy. Some historians credit it as decisive in the Allied victory.A story securely grounded in historyFollett has grounded the story securely on the historical record—with the possibility of one major exception. Latter-day accounts of espionage in World War II contend that MI5 rounded up every single spy sent to Britain by the Abwehr. Some were executed by hanging. Others were “turned” into double agents and conveyed misleading information to their masters. So, Follett’s conceit in Eye of the Needle that a German spy managed to elude capture for six years may be sheer fiction. However, it makes for a fabulous story.A German spy, a classics professor, and young newly-wedsThe action pits a brilliant German spy, “Henry Faber,” against an academic recruit to MI5, Percival Godliman. “Professor Godliman knew more about the Middle Ages than any man alive.” He had served in British intelligence in the First World War, which helps explain why his uncle, Colonel Andrew Terry, would recruit him as a spycatcher with the invasion of Britain on the horizon. It falls to Godliman to head the team that labors for years to identify Faber. A young couple, David and Lucy Rose, round out the complement of major characters. “Faber . . . Godliman . . . two-thirds of a triangle that one day would be crucially completed by the principals, David and Lucy.”How Ken Follett now views his classic WWII spy novelIn the Preface to the 40th-Anniversary Edition, Follett writes, “I was twenty-seven when I wrote Eye of the Needle. Reading it now I’m surprised, and proud, that I could do something that good when I was so young . . . Nowadays it takes me three years to write a novel. I wrote most of Eye of the Needle in three weeks. I wish I could do it again.” So, Follett doesn’t get high marks for modesty, but his pride is understandable.

⭐ Great introduction to Ken Follett, who has become on of our finest writers. I believe I’ve now read most everything he’s published, but this was my introduction to Follett and as a German-born American, it captured my imagination from the first page. Even knowing from history that ‘Die Nadle’ did not accomplish what he set out to do does not make this less mesmerizing. The movie with Kate Nelligan and the incomparable Donald Sutherland actually captures the book quite well, but read it before you rent the movie.

⭐ Henry Faber appears to be a nondescript Englishman, a railway clerk who takes lodging in a widow’s house. That is a guise for he is an aristocratic German spy charged with determining whether the Allies will make their assault on occupied France by landing at Calais, where General Patton appears to be massing troops and war materiel. Or will the landing, long anticipated, be on the beaches of Normandy. Faber, who uses other aliases,is a professional, killing as needed, preferably with a stiletto. Contrary to general conviction among his military heads, Hitler believes the attack will be in Normandy, but, trusting his top spy, will defer to his findings.After he commits several murders, the team at M15, led by a widowed professor of medieval history drafted into service by his uncle, and an investigator pulled in from Scotland Yard, becomes aware of Faber, but cannot find him. The man is smart, resourceful, cautious and cunning. But the investigators, whatever their level of expertise, are secondary characters. The real action, the suspense, the drama, takes place in a desolate, lonely spot on the Scottish coast.In attempting to meet up with a U-Boat in the North Sea, Faber steals a fishing trawler, but a terrible storm finds him shipwrecked on a strip of Scottish land called appropriately, Storm Island. He appears at the door, sick and confused, of a couple, David and Lucy Rose. Their marriage is loveless. David lost his legs in a traffic accident immediately after their wedding, and is emotionally barren, and unwilling, although not unable, to make love to his wife. David feels diminished, his training as a flyer in the war effort ended as a result of his crippling injuries. Now, he is only a sheep farmer. They have a toddler son, Jo, the result of Lucy becoming pregnant a week before they were wed. Although she cannot love this rather strange, mysterious man who has entered her home, an affair commences immediately. David, physically strong in the upper body, easily becomes aware of it. At the same time, events occur which make it clear that Lucy Rose is the only person who stands between this dangerous and perceptive Nazi spy, and the Allies plan for invasion.Eye Of the Needle is a true thriller, containing outstanding plot, excellent writing, and a pace which increases mightily as the final confrontation begins to unravel at breakneck speed. Undoubtedly, Ken Follett gave us here one of the great spy novels of all time, an absolute must for devotees of the genre, and anybody else who appreciates great fiction.

⭐ As with other novels by Ken Follet, this story is well written and the history well research. I thought the story-line was really good: spy, spy chasers, love story, trials and tribulations and action.However…I think there was a lot of story left to tell and feel like Mr. Follett got tired and just wanted the book to end. We know how World War II ends: The Allies won the war. I think the book and ultimately the story would have been better if Mr. Follett had taken the opportunity to delve into how not receiving communication from Die Nadel influenced Hitler to build up troops at Calais, rather than Normandy. This is after all “Historical FICTION” and the book was so well written to include this type of speculation, it was a little disappointing when it was missing. I also think there was more that could have been written about how Lucy and Frederick Bloggs developed their relationship, rather than just having their grandchildren being talked to about how their grandmother was a hero of World War II.

⭐ The Eye of the Needle was the second book of Mr Follette’s I had the pleasure of reading. I’m very happy that I happened upon his writing as I am captivated with his work. His grasp of everyday relationships, sometimes set in historical settings, steeped in suspense with dicy intimacy woven in keeps me on the edge and looking forward to seeing what happens next. I am currently reading “Fall of Giants” enjoying the same excitement I did when I read two of his other books. I look forward to exploring his other works as In my opinion, you will do yourself a favor if you discover the world of Follette.

⭐ The leading character in Ken Follett’s thriller-novel, The Eye of the Needle, published in 1978 may be placed among the top three on the list of “more dangerous men on a secret mission” encountered in a novel. The other two that you would want to include are characters in Jack Higgins’ “The Eagle has Landed,” and Frederick Forsyth’s “The Day of the Jackal.” By today’s standards, if three or more highly intelligent men of their caliber were sent out on some clandestine mission to or from an anonymous third-world nation, you’d probably call them a menace to society, or a “terrorist cell.” They represent the arch-enemy, a supreme nemesis. The fall-out and collateral damage the trio could cause along the way wouldn’t be pretty, I’d wager. They’d certainly be effective in achieving their goals, but with more predictable results than those of most other nefarious groups out there; for example, a loosely organized, grab-bag militia of malcontents and the disgruntled. Neither are they “Taliban fighters,” “Isis Jihadists,” or garden-variety radical, fundamentalists. They wouldn’t want to draw attention to themselves or their cause as they went about their daily business. They generally don’t hold or tolerate extremist beliefs. The well-trained trio of professionals that I have in mind tends to be completely focused on their specific assignment, their main objective, and not so much on making for an anti-climactic scene beforehand. Their motto: self-preservation beats self-destruction any day of the week. Detonating car bombs, creating unnecessary chaos and confusion, and inflicting mass casualties is definitely not the way to go. Self-termination does not justify the means. Still, I doubt that even this particular flock of independent-minded “Wild Geese” would be able to function well together in total harmony as a highly specialized team, considering today’s real-world scenarios. The affected countries, organizations, and sponsoring nations are too isolated from one another geographically and divergent culturally from the norm, and from each other for them to adequately blend in with the crowd and wood-work. In other words, these types of individuals would stick out like sore thumbs. The powers that be would have to bring in new recruits, periodically, just to keep them concealed and under wraps; and informed replacements for the ones who failed to produce immediate results, or deviated drastically from the chosen path. Keeping them all on track would be an endless battle. It would be a vicious circle just working through all the bureaucratic red tape involved. The logistics alone and contingency planning would cause an operational nightmare, or give someone a nervous break-down. “So, with whom, exactly, are we dealing in these novels?” There is no simple, easy answer to the question. One appears to be a mercenary of some sort. One is a soldier on military duty during the war. The third is a fairly competent civilian spy. None of them would likely subscribe to “Soldier of Fortune” magazine. Since it is more interesting to keep the reader in suspense, I should leave it up to you to decide for yourself as to which leading character best matches which novel. You already know too much, if you’ve seen the films inspired by the books. “Do you want another clue as to their real identities, anyway?” Okay, none of the three, per se, represent actual fanatical terrorists, participating insurgents, the armed and uniformed militia, or active members of the war-time resistance. Two out of three behave like common criminals in their personal dealings with others, on occasion. They could go directly to jail for their coercive actions, and blatant disregard for the law, if they were caught. Thank goodness, there’s not a “Dirty Dozen” of them altogether. Ironically enough, it seems that one of them was just out for the day in public seeking directions and general information, when he happened to stumble across something critically important. I should leave it up to you to decide for yourself which one he is. You search for honor among thieves and knaves, and find you’ve come up short. “What am I missing here?” you retort. “The truly heroic lending credibility to the tragic story.” “The steadfast stoic granting success a vain sense of glory.”

⭐ Giving the book a four star rating might not be justified because the book is really good. Actually, when I was part way through, I did not want to put it down. Four star was only because it started out too slow – much slower than other Ken Follett books. However, it was one of his earlier books.Basically, everyone of his books that I have read were written very well.

⭐ I have read two other Follett books. Both were wonderfully written, exquisitely detailed, and very much what I consider “typical British writing.” That last part is no put-down; British writers, for the most part, steadfastly relay details; intimate, historical, and descriptive details. But I find Follett’s writing to be a step, maybe two steps, above. What I enjoy about Follett’s writing, is that he floods us with details, but keeps us engaged with those details. Unlike some mystery or action/adventure writers, who seem to be using details to lengthen their manuscript but do so in painfully boring ways, Follett engages his readers with informative details that help construct the narrative. “Eye of the Needle” is a fantastic story that drops the reader alongside the characters as the narrative plays out. Well done!

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