Finally read it!

Gina came to visit me and let me borrow the book. It is a very interesting book. I agree that it was not very well written in a technical sense but he can tell a story. He seems like someone who likes to talk and tell stories which seems an interesting characteristic for a spy. Though it seems his assignments were to teach and to negotiate or get info from people so the government used his personality to the best advantage.

I continued to be bugged by his jumpidnng around in the timeline but only where it concerned his romance with Bonnie. I felt like he was trying to hide his emotional infidelity to his first wife with the jumping around. I wonder just how close in age Bonnie and his son are too. I think he confused the time line somewhat to confuse the reader as to what was going on there. I don't think he needed to confuse that part of things. I don't think he was unfaithful to his first wife but I don't think he was ready to deal with the issues behind all of that in black and white writing.

I thought it was interesting when he talked about how his values as a church member were called into question at times on his missions. The untruthfulness in context of a mission would not have bothered me as much as the other possible problems like not being able to drink alcohol or Tea or other more serious issues that would make him stand out when he needed not to stand out. I wondered why he drank the black tea and not just the hot water but maybe the tea is just herbal or added some nutrients that I don't know about.

I too want to hear the story of Sasha and will have to look if he has written anything else! :) It is amazing to me how Mcdonald's is such a symbol of americanization and how loved and hated it is. Especially as it is something taken for granted here and not our most favorite example of our cuisine.

Sorry I am jumping around so much. I am writing this while keeping my son occupied too so I get distracted and then come back to it.... I was saddened by how untrustworthy the Russian people were. I worry that America is heading that direction more and more. People are a lot more guarded than they were when I was a child. I'm not sure there is truly justification for the change in attitude towards our neighbors. I don't think crime is any higher than it used to be - just different and more public knowledge. It's sad that urban legends of razor blades in Candy have now made trick or treating a thing of the past... that kind of thing makes me sad. Hopefully we will never get as bad as the society he described in Russia. anyway... enough of my ramblings.

very thought provoking book Gina- thanks for lending it to me. I will mail it back to you along with a few other things this week. :)