Jewish Book Club discussion

Here's the spot to discuss this month's Moderator's Choice, An Officer and a Spy.
Hope you enjoy it!

I thought this was a very compelling story about how an individual with integrity would risk everything in the face of antiSemitism and injustice in order to right a wrong.. My book club had an excellent discussion. I fact checked details and found it to be a very accurate portrayal of the events. It is about the Dreyfus affair but Dreyfus himself is a minor character.

Shelley wrote: "I thought this was a very compelling story about how an individual with integrity would risk everything in the face of antiSemitism and injustice in order to right a wrong.. My book club had an exc..."

Shelley,
Wonderful comment. I thought the book was great.

I really enjoyed this. I would call this fictionalized nonfiction. It is true that it is more about the French officer than it is about Dreyfus but it is also about the antisemitism that surrounded the whole affair. There is a movie but I don't have access.

Kristel wrote: "I really enjoyed this. I would call this fictionalized nonfiction. It is true that it is more about the French officer than it is about Dreyfus but it is also about the antisemitism that surrounded..."

Thanks for your comment, Kristel. I read this one a while ago. Suspenseful! And I did learn from it.

Here's my 5-star review: I could take up this entire page with synonyms for superlative in this review of An Officer and a Spy. I contains some of the best writing I've encountered in a long time, so good it depresses me because I know I'll never write that well. An amazing thriller plot--straight out of history. The heroes are brave, honest and dutiful; the villains are scheming, deceitful, cruel and antisemitic. There are spies and counterspies, actual evidence and forgeries [although some of the forgeries are the most valuable evidence], coverups and journalists working to uncover the truth. Does the name Emil Zola ring a bell? Even the title is enigmatic: are the officer and spy one person or two? Although I knew how it all ended, the details of getting there were so intriguing that I still had trouble putting it down.

Maggie wrote: "Here's my 5-star review: I could take up this entire page with synonyms for superlative in this review of An Officer and a Spy. I contains some of the best writing I've encountered ..."

Happy this one worked for you, Maggie!

Maggie wrote: "Here's my 5-star review: I could take up this entire page with synonyms for superlative in this review of An Officer and a Spy. I contains some of the best writing I've encountered ..."

Maggie- great review. Interesting question.
But I loved this book regardless of who was on first.
Such a talented writer.

Maggie wrote: "Here's my 5-star review: I could take up this entire page with synonyms for superlative in this review of An Officer and a Spy. I contains some of the best writing I've encountered ..."

It was interesting to read about Emile Zola. A great French author.

I think one of the greatest compliments you can give a historical or historical fiction book is that inspires you to delve further into the subject and that is exactly what An Officer and a Spy does. Robert Harris does such an incredible Job of taking the facts of the Dreyfus Affair and turning it into a suspense drama. Unless you were a serious observer of the case; you probably know the names of Dreyfus and Zola. Harris brings to life the other people in the affair both pro and con. Such as Henry, Esterhazy, Du Paty, Mathew Dreyfus, Generals Bonse, Mercier, and Pellier. He gives them life and illustrates the corruption by the army.

The Dreyfus Affair is such an important part of history. It demonstrates the rise of Antisemitism in a country and is often seen as the seeds of the Holocaust in Europe. It is the place where Theodore Herzl who originally was an assimilationist, became convinced that the Jews needed a homeland as they would never be equally accepted in Europe and created the birth of Zionism.

The book is told through the eyes of Colonel Piquard, who initially believed in the treason of Dreyfus and contributed to his arrest. Later on through his own investigation he is convinced of the innocence of Dreyfus and realizes , he has been framed. He then sets out to set the record straight and is treated much the same way as Dreyfus accused of treason and being controlled by the Jews.

The book was such a great way to read about such an important part of history, while being thoroughly entertained.

Not realizing what I was getting into, I opened the Wikipedia page on the Dreyfus Affair. I didn't count the words but it took me almost an hour to read it all. TMI for sure, and no where as entertaining and informative as An Officer and a Spy

Finishing that in an hour is an accomplishment. I actually read that over a couple of days. Perhaps I missed that in the book, but it was there I learned that Esterhazy confessed (while in England)and still they found Dreyfus guilty in the second trial.

Maggie wrote: "Here's my 5-star review: I could take up this entire page with synonyms for superlative in this review of An Officer and a Spy. I contains some of the best writing I've encountered ..."

For Kristel, Maggie and Jonathan

"In a recently published book called “The Disappearance of Émile Zola: Love, Literature and the Dreyfus Case,” British writer Michael Rosen explores how at the time, the political scandal cast doubt on the fundamental legitimacy of the French state."

Jonathan wrote: "I think one of the greatest compliments you can give a historical or historical fiction book is that inspires you to delve further into the subject and that is exactly what An Officer and a Spy doe..."

Jonathan,
Outstanding-
Harris captured all and did bring this documented history back to life. Personally, I enjoyed the book more than the movie. The book is listed with many crossover genres: "Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Historical Fiction, and Historical Thriller- all of which you know are my favorites.
Between cover-ups, intelligence, counterintelligence all wrapped around treason, anti semitism plays the large role, again. The spy carries on while ..... ( not spoiling this )
I want to say the Dreyfus Affair was the major political scandal of the time that split the country with all eyes watching.. until a letter was opened ?
** Has anyone read his book VS: A Novel of WW2 ? (2020)
I read two others plus The Fatherland and Enigma which I enjoyed very much.

Thanks Stacey, I just read Fatherland when it came out in I think in the 90’s . I forgot how good his writing is.

This is a well-written novel about the Dreyfus Affair, with many of its major personae brought to life. In addition to the issue of antisemitism, one of the book's main themes is how institutions become calcified and in their attempts to protect their legitimacy in the eyes of the public do the very things that destroy it. It can read as a cautionary tale of how blind obedience to authority and refusal to entertain 'crackpot' conspiracy theories can sometimes lead to great harm. An independent mind, curiosity, and most of all integrity, are necessary ingredients for a moral life.

Perlie wrote: "This is a well-written novel about the Dreyfus Affair, with many of its major personae brought to life. In addition to the issue of antisemitism, one of the book's main themes is how institutions b..."

Perlie-
We are in agreement :)