Restless has two, intertwined plots. One tells the story of a single mother and E.S.L. tutor. The other reveals her mother's past as a Russian who was recruited by the British secret service during World War II. We learn about her secret past as she presents her daughter with chapters that tell her story (which, oddly enough, is written in the third person).
The mother, Sallie aka Eva aka lots of other names, was part of a large group in New York (Rockefeller Center!) who worked to convince the U.S. to join the allies by feeding news items to various media outlets.
Most of the book group enjoyed this well-written story and learned a lot about the history on which it is based. The plot had lots of twists and turns (what espionage novel doesn't), and we spent time discussing those. One odd thing is that Sallie, now a widow, has resumed "trusting no one" (one of the agents' commandments) and is sure that "they" will find and kill her. She involves her daughter in arranging the death of the man who betrayed her and his country (he was working for the Soviets). He was her boss and her lover and has risen to the top of British society.
In addition to the discussion, we had a book shower for Mary--she is getting married in July. Among her gifts were Mary Tyler Moore DVDs, both of Nancy Pearl's book lust books, and some knitting books. Happy multitasking--Mary can knit, read, and watch TV at the same time.
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