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The Exile
It's 1951 and the servants of Stalin are closing in on the occupied nations of eastern Europe. As the Red Army tightens the net, Greta - best and bravest of freedom fighters - is told to escape to the West and undertake a dangerous mission.
Greta's task is to find a missing the precious daughter of a partisan general who was sent into exile in the final days of the war.
But the so-called Free World is no place for vulnerable young refugees. Europe is in ruins, the old Empires are dying, and a spectacular cast of spivs, gangsters and rival intelligence agencies are fighting over the scraps.
Crossing the Iron Curtain will require nerves of steel as Greta faces down the French mob, ex-Nazis, Soviet spies, all the glamour and temptation of Paris and ultimately, her own demons.
The Exile is the stunning prequel to The Partisan, Patrick Worrall's critically-acclaimed debut, which introduced the world to the force of nature that is Greta. This is her white-knuckle ride into the black heart of postwar Europe - a terrifying world in which allies and enemies are impossible to tell apart.
Greta's task is to find a missing the precious daughter of a partisan general who was sent into exile in the final days of the war.
But the so-called Free World is no place for vulnerable young refugees. Europe is in ruins, the old Empires are dying, and a spectacular cast of spivs, gangsters and rival intelligence agencies are fighting over the scraps.
Crossing the Iron Curtain will require nerves of steel as Greta faces down the French mob, ex-Nazis, Soviet spies, all the glamour and temptation of Paris and ultimately, her own demons.
The Exile is the stunning prequel to The Partisan, Patrick Worrall's critically-acclaimed debut, which introduced the world to the force of nature that is Greta. This is her white-knuckle ride into the black heart of postwar Europe - a terrifying world in which allies and enemies are impossible to tell apart.
376 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 11, 2024
34 people are currently reading
294 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 26, 2025
Not as good as The Partisan. The writing is deliberately opaque, the transitions obscure. A character is referenced in passing; suddenly he’s present in the scene and has been all along. Difficult to follow at times, but the story itself is engrossing.
September 30, 2024
Could not put it down,will be chasing up The Partisan to read as well.
July 17, 2024
Worrall's first book the Partisan was extraordinarily good, an original tale of espionage and war with superb historical background, with the Exile he creates another original and brilliant historical spy novel as well as a crime novel set in Paris in the early 1950's again with a true historical backdrop.
Greta once more is the main character, the Lithuanian partisan .
If you want a try;ly original and gripping read then The Exile is the best so far I have found this year.
Highly recommended.
Greta once more is the main character, the Lithuanian partisan .
If you want a try;ly original and gripping read then The Exile is the best so far I have found this year.
Highly recommended.
February 22, 2025
3.75 - a bit confusing at times, the internal politics could’ve been explained better but I enjoyed the action scenes and the fact that Greta as a main character is flawed, makes it more realistic.
May 28, 2025
Espionage thriller. Follow up to The Partisan.
March 27, 2025
Does it have the premise of a great book? Yes.
Is it executed well throughout? No.
This book is very disjointed, it comes together somewhat at the end, but for me this seemed rushed - the pace off, the loose ends all tied up a little too conveniently.
Is it executed well throughout? No.
This book is very disjointed, it comes together somewhat at the end, but for me this seemed rushed - the pace off, the loose ends all tied up a little too conveniently.
August 3, 2024
In 1944 an eighteen-year-old Greta is given the important task of getting a young girl, Morta the daughter of a Lithuanian partisan general, to safety in the West. The Red Army are about to sweep all in its path and the Iron Curtain will soon fall.
Move forward to 1951, Europe remains in a state of flux, but a broad division between East and West now exists. Morta has written letters, but they have become vague, so Greta is given the task of finding out what has become of Morta. A risky task which will mean crossing the Iron Curtain to a West that is free but just as dangerous as the East.
A journey where Greta will encounter, Corsican gangsters, former collaborators, spies, soldiers of fortune and black marketeers, but all she can trust in is herself.
I think there will be few historical novels that will capture the sense of time and place as well as The Exile this year. Any misconception the reader may hold, that Europe recovered quickly after the end of the war are shattered. Instead, we have a maelstrom of competing factions in a Europe that is constantly changing. The Soviets have control over much of the East, but with Stalin’s health failing there are competing factions jostling to take over. The West is trying to demilitarise, but this is against a background of former colonies battling for self-determination and rising organised crime. A complex background, incorporating France, Indochina and Algeria, but one handled superbly well. There are occasions where one may be confused, but this is the reality for the characters, but all the pieces fit together perfectly and risk of it all becoming a jumbled mess is skilfully avoided.
This is a violent and bloody novel; that cannot be avoided, it is merely a product of the time. War dehumanises and the reality is few can avoid it. So, we have characters who are a paradox; good people who have been driven to do bad, who struggle to preserve their humanity, but also good people who have done bad things in the past they are trying to detach themselves from. There are also the irredeemably evil who a merely trying to cover their tracks. The key aspect is where to draw the line between actions that are right and wrong, what happens when that line is crossed and whether return to the side of good is possible.
Greta is a real tour de force individual. On the face of it a killing machine, moulded by the atrocities seen in the forests of Lithuanian. This makes her a very cold and detached character, but possibly even more compelling for it. She may be difficult to warm to but as the story progresses the reader will come to understand her motivations and what makes her tick. She may appear reckless with a death wish, but even she has limits to what she will do, she still retains her individual sense of morality. Woe betides anyone who crosses her. She is quite simply a fabulous creation, a character we will want to follow in stories to come.
For such a complex plot there are some incredibly well drawn characters with an interesting mix of motivations, so many that it is difficult to pin down a central theme. There are journeys of redemption, others of self-discovery but all the time a sense of the limit and whether they come back from it.
The prose is hard, visceral and at times cold. Which is hardly surprising as there is so much cold, hard steel of knives featuring and in one scene Greta visualises cutting someone’s throat. Gory but at the same time both stunning and riveting as if caught in the headlights of a speeding car. There is also at times a great urgency to the writing, particularly during the action scenes, but also within small things, such as a telephone exploding into life rather than just ringing. Naturally there is little room for humour in the story, but there are occasional pieces of wry observational wit.
Move forward to 1951, Europe remains in a state of flux, but a broad division between East and West now exists. Morta has written letters, but they have become vague, so Greta is given the task of finding out what has become of Morta. A risky task which will mean crossing the Iron Curtain to a West that is free but just as dangerous as the East.
A journey where Greta will encounter, Corsican gangsters, former collaborators, spies, soldiers of fortune and black marketeers, but all she can trust in is herself.
I think there will be few historical novels that will capture the sense of time and place as well as The Exile this year. Any misconception the reader may hold, that Europe recovered quickly after the end of the war are shattered. Instead, we have a maelstrom of competing factions in a Europe that is constantly changing. The Soviets have control over much of the East, but with Stalin’s health failing there are competing factions jostling to take over. The West is trying to demilitarise, but this is against a background of former colonies battling for self-determination and rising organised crime. A complex background, incorporating France, Indochina and Algeria, but one handled superbly well. There are occasions where one may be confused, but this is the reality for the characters, but all the pieces fit together perfectly and risk of it all becoming a jumbled mess is skilfully avoided.
This is a violent and bloody novel; that cannot be avoided, it is merely a product of the time. War dehumanises and the reality is few can avoid it. So, we have characters who are a paradox; good people who have been driven to do bad, who struggle to preserve their humanity, but also good people who have done bad things in the past they are trying to detach themselves from. There are also the irredeemably evil who a merely trying to cover their tracks. The key aspect is where to draw the line between actions that are right and wrong, what happens when that line is crossed and whether return to the side of good is possible.
Greta is a real tour de force individual. On the face of it a killing machine, moulded by the atrocities seen in the forests of Lithuanian. This makes her a very cold and detached character, but possibly even more compelling for it. She may be difficult to warm to but as the story progresses the reader will come to understand her motivations and what makes her tick. She may appear reckless with a death wish, but even she has limits to what she will do, she still retains her individual sense of morality. Woe betides anyone who crosses her. She is quite simply a fabulous creation, a character we will want to follow in stories to come.
For such a complex plot there are some incredibly well drawn characters with an interesting mix of motivations, so many that it is difficult to pin down a central theme. There are journeys of redemption, others of self-discovery but all the time a sense of the limit and whether they come back from it.
The prose is hard, visceral and at times cold. Which is hardly surprising as there is so much cold, hard steel of knives featuring and in one scene Greta visualises cutting someone’s throat. Gory but at the same time both stunning and riveting as if caught in the headlights of a speeding car. There is also at times a great urgency to the writing, particularly during the action scenes, but also within small things, such as a telephone exploding into life rather than just ringing. Naturally there is little room for humour in the story, but there are occasional pieces of wry observational wit.
July 31, 2025
Je n'ai pas accroché du tout du tout à ce roman. Je n'ai pas réussi à rentrer dans l'intrigue et à en comprendre les enjeux. Après m'être forcée à finir, je serais bien incapable de parler vraiment en profondeur de l'intrigue, ou des personnages.
Je n'ai pas compris les relations de pouvoir entre les différents personnages, qui était avec ou contre qui. Tout se mélangeait, je ne comprenais pas les liens et les enjeux. Intéressée par les années après-guerre dans les pays d'Europe centrale et de l'est, je pensais me plonger dans cette époque, mais cela ne l'a pas fait pour moi, et j'ai été confuse par les événements. Il y a des mentions historiques et politiques, mais cela n'a pas suffit à me faire rentrer dans l'époque et l'ambiance. Je sentais la noirceur, la violence du monde dans lequel Greta évolue, mais je ne pouvais pas rentrer dedans. Il pouvait se passer n'importe quoi, cela m'était égal car je n'arrivai pas à suivre l'intrigue ou à m'attacher aux personnages.
Je n'ai ressenti aucune sympathie pour Greta, ou les autres personnages. Pourtant, de nombreux personnages semblent avoir vécu des événements traumatiques, ayant fait face à différents défis familiaux, politiques, ou encore à des addictions ou des manipulations/tromperies. Je pense qu'il y avait beaucoup de travail de développement des personnages, de leur passé influençant leur comportements et pensées actuelles. Malheureusement, l'auteur n'a pas réussi à me convaincre avec son écriture et son intrigue, si bien que je n'ai pas apprécié ce travail.
Difficile d'en dire plus sur un roman dont je n'ai pas réussi à suivre le déroulé. En soi, je pense que ce n'est probablement pas un mauvais roman, mais il n'est simplement pas fait pour moi.
Je n'ai pas compris les relations de pouvoir entre les différents personnages, qui était avec ou contre qui. Tout se mélangeait, je ne comprenais pas les liens et les enjeux. Intéressée par les années après-guerre dans les pays d'Europe centrale et de l'est, je pensais me plonger dans cette époque, mais cela ne l'a pas fait pour moi, et j'ai été confuse par les événements. Il y a des mentions historiques et politiques, mais cela n'a pas suffit à me faire rentrer dans l'époque et l'ambiance. Je sentais la noirceur, la violence du monde dans lequel Greta évolue, mais je ne pouvais pas rentrer dedans. Il pouvait se passer n'importe quoi, cela m'était égal car je n'arrivai pas à suivre l'intrigue ou à m'attacher aux personnages.
Je n'ai ressenti aucune sympathie pour Greta, ou les autres personnages. Pourtant, de nombreux personnages semblent avoir vécu des événements traumatiques, ayant fait face à différents défis familiaux, politiques, ou encore à des addictions ou des manipulations/tromperies. Je pense qu'il y avait beaucoup de travail de développement des personnages, de leur passé influençant leur comportements et pensées actuelles. Malheureusement, l'auteur n'a pas réussi à me convaincre avec son écriture et son intrigue, si bien que je n'ai pas apprécié ce travail.
Difficile d'en dire plus sur un roman dont je n'ai pas réussi à suivre le déroulé. En soi, je pense que ce n'est probablement pas un mauvais roman, mais il n'est simplement pas fait pour moi.
January 29, 2025
Complex and far reaching spy novel that is a follow up and prequel to 'The Partisan.'
It's very good, not quite as good as it's predecessor but still a terrific read.
Lithuanian freedom fighter Greta is ordered to get her commanding officer's daughter to safety and out of the hands of the Soviet's who have all but overrun her home country. Many years later Greta must travel to France to rescue the girl who has fallen into prostitution and the Corsican Mafia.
Action packed page turner.
It's very good, not quite as good as it's predecessor but still a terrific read.
Lithuanian freedom fighter Greta is ordered to get her commanding officer's daughter to safety and out of the hands of the Soviet's who have all but overrun her home country. Many years later Greta must travel to France to rescue the girl who has fallen into prostitution and the Corsican Mafia.
Action packed page turner.
February 10, 2025
I enjoyed this and will read Worrall's next. However, I would give it a solid 3.5 because I just didn't feel like there was as much of a through story as The Partisan. I felt like it was hard to follow at times and some of the characters seemed random because they appeared briefly and then were super important much later. Characters' motivations were not always clear, nor their relationships. I think the Partisan was less ambitious and thus better.
February 18, 2025
I really enjoyed it. Fast paced with lots of twists. Keeping hold of some of the factions/affiliations was sometimes a challenge but overall I thought was really good.
Since read the reviews saying this isn’t as good as ‘The Partisan’ which came out first, so I am really looking forward to reading that!
Since read the reviews saying this isn’t as good as ‘The Partisan’ which came out first, so I am really looking forward to reading that!
April 13, 2025
I’m not really into spy novels, but I thought I would give this book a try. The story is quite predictable and in some chapters it gets a little confused! Characters suddenly appear in the conversation without introduction, all in all at best a mediocre holiday read for someone into espionage and spy’s.
September 18, 2024
This Is Award Winning Stuff!
There are some books that you read and immediately you can see they are of ‘the’ very highest quality. This is one of those books.
Take all of the very best authors and throw them into one book: this is it!
There are some books that you read and immediately you can see they are of ‘the’ very highest quality. This is one of those books.
Take all of the very best authors and throw them into one book: this is it!
February 10, 2025
A chaotic read. I’m not a smart man. This was difficult to follow. Had a lot of promise. But think it tried to do too much with the multiple multiple storylines. There seemed to be quite a few climatic scenes. And mostly it followed one character but the occasionally another.
July 29, 2024
This book is filled with a real sense of drama. The characters are so richly described and I felt fully immersed in their stories. The writing is evocative and draws you in completely.
August 15, 2024
Not for me.
August 30, 2024
Even though I finished this one, his prior book Partisan is overwhelmingly better. This book is just a series of beatings and murders
August 30, 2024
Intriguing exciting well written just a good read
September 5, 2024
Following up on the first book - The Partisan (5 stars) - was always going to be tough.
The Exile is great and well worth a read but just not quite as good as The Partisan
The Exile is great and well worth a read but just not quite as good as The Partisan
Read
October 9, 2024Not for me ... it's been a struggle to persevere through to the end ...
Read
January 18, 2025I can’t reduce this book to a rating. It describes a horribly cruel world and the lives of those condemned to it. It’s very well written and gripping, but if it were a paperback, I would burn it.
July 26, 2024
Following on from the acclaimed The Partisan. The Exile is a prequel which is an richly intense read, one where I had to sit back and savour every word and sentence, it is such an assured and accomplished read. The plotting of the story is intelligent and layered in a way that slowly reveals itself
It is superbly character driven, with a punchy narrative and a strongly told plot line
The writing also left me with a real sense of both place and time, it really brought the period to life with its rich and evocotive narrative which is drawn out in a way that conjours a picture in your mind, the geography of the locales really come across. Equally as important you get a sense for the conditions and what the characters had to endure.
In someways it is a dark read, highly atmospeheric, these were dark and dangerous time, the story is reflective of this, in part these were lawless times, you also get a sense that your’e never quite sure which side the characters are on, the book has an air of mystery and intrigue
Having a young female protagonist as one of the main themes to the book allowed the narrative to play on her fears and the dangers that awaited her. Greta is a superbly drawn out character, strong and fearless, though you suspect she has a vulnerable side, she is very driven and single minded
The fast pacing of the book is spot with the drama playing against intricately plotted scenes, suspense and tension abound, this was a read I found hard to put down
There are parralells to be drawn from the book to todays world in the east and the war in Ukraine and how this could affect Europe, throughout the book you can see the politics of the day playing out.
You get a real appreciation for the research that must have been undertaken, in given the storyline a realism which give the book a real intesnity, at times there is a rawness to the plot
A read which left me with the certain satisfaction that I had read something special, I was captivated and enthralled by the strong prose throughout
Definitely one to recommend
It is superbly character driven, with a punchy narrative and a strongly told plot line
The writing also left me with a real sense of both place and time, it really brought the period to life with its rich and evocotive narrative which is drawn out in a way that conjours a picture in your mind, the geography of the locales really come across. Equally as important you get a sense for the conditions and what the characters had to endure.
In someways it is a dark read, highly atmospeheric, these were dark and dangerous time, the story is reflective of this, in part these were lawless times, you also get a sense that your’e never quite sure which side the characters are on, the book has an air of mystery and intrigue
Having a young female protagonist as one of the main themes to the book allowed the narrative to play on her fears and the dangers that awaited her. Greta is a superbly drawn out character, strong and fearless, though you suspect she has a vulnerable side, she is very driven and single minded
The fast pacing of the book is spot with the drama playing against intricately plotted scenes, suspense and tension abound, this was a read I found hard to put down
There are parralells to be drawn from the book to todays world in the east and the war in Ukraine and how this could affect Europe, throughout the book you can see the politics of the day playing out.
You get a real appreciation for the research that must have been undertaken, in given the storyline a realism which give the book a real intesnity, at times there is a rawness to the plot
A read which left me with the certain satisfaction that I had read something special, I was captivated and enthralled by the strong prose throughout
Definitely one to recommend
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews