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Book Reviews of The Company We Keep: A Husband-and-Wife True-Life Spy Story

The Company We Keep: A Husband-and-Wife True-Life Spy Story
The Company We Keep A HusbandandWife TrueLife Spy Story
Author: Robert Baer, Dayna Baer
ISBN-13: 9780307588159
ISBN-10: 0307588157
Publication Date: 3/6/2012
Pages: 320
Rating:
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 4

3.3 stars, based on 4 ratings
Publisher: Broadway
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

2 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

philippaj avatar reviewed The Company We Keep: A Husband-and-Wife True-Life Spy Story on + 136 more book reviews
~ Interesting, but not what I expected (3.5 stars) ~

THE COMPANY WE KEEP was by no means a bad book, but I think my expectations were such that I was bound to be a little disappointed. I didn't really know what to expect, but an action, spy, historical/political, and love story - or some combination of the four - was what I had in mind when I started the book, and it ended up being relatively light on all four.

It's an interesting read and I liked how Dayna and Bob each wrote their separate (short) chapters, which are at first completely separate and then start to overlap more and more until they're intertwined and covering the same period and time together. Some pieces seem random and/or not fully explored, both things having to do with their personal lives (felt very piecemeal to me and really not complete) and with their professional ones. I think one thing the book brought home to me was that being in the CIA is not as exciting as it may seem in TV and movies (big shocker, I know!), and that nothing in that world is black and white.

I have a great deal of admiration for Dayna and Bob - their sense of adventure and ability to just pickup and go or be in completely unknown situations was really awe-inspiring to me, who likes to know everything beforehand, have all contingencies planned out, and is basically not the most spur-of-the-moment type person (putting it lightly).

BOTTOM LINE:
All in all, the book was quieter than I thought it would be, but worth the read.
[This review is of an advanced copy format of the book]
reviewed The Company We Keep: A Husband-and-Wife True-Life Spy Story on + 11 more book reviews
The contrast between fictional movies and real-life, as portrayed in this book, are quite intriguing. Real-life is more ambiguous, plodding, and the outcomes are obtuse. The descriptions of American bombings are heart-wrenching. Is it all worth it?