Ashenden, Or: The British AgentAshenden: The British Agent is founded on Maugham's experiences in the English Intelligence Department during World War I, but rearranged for the purposes of fiction. This fascinating book contains the most expert stories of espionage ever written. For a period of time after it was first published the book became official required reading for persons entering the secret service. The plot follows the imaginary John Ashenden who during World War I is a spy for British Intelligence. He is sent first to Geneva and later to Russia. Instead of one story from start to finish, the chapters contain individual stories involving many different characters. All of the people whom Ashenden meets during his travels have their own reason for being involved in the spy game, and each are more complex than they first look. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 29
Page
... story - teller . It starts a story at haphazard , generally long before the beginning , rambles on inconsequently and tails off , leaving loose ends hanging about , without a conclusion . It works up to an interesting situation , and ...
... story - teller . It starts a story at haphazard , generally long before the beginning , rambles on inconsequently and tails off , leaving loose ends hanging about , without a conclusion . It works up to an interesting situation , and ...
Page
... story than for the longer one . The description of a mood can hold your attention for half a dozen pages , but when it comes to fifty a story needs a supporting skeleton . The skeleton of a story is of course its plot . Now a plot has ...
... story than for the longer one . The description of a mood can hold your attention for half a dozen pages , but when it comes to fifty a story needs a supporting skeleton . The skeleton of a story is of course its plot . Now a plot has ...
Page 79
... Stories , " replied Ashenden . " Detective stories ? " " No. " " Why not ? They are the only ones I read . If I were ... story is that the mystery should in the end be solved and the criminal brought to justice . " " If your murder is as ...
... Stories , " replied Ashenden . " Detective stories ? " " No. " " Why not ? They are the only ones I read . If I were ... story is that the mystery should in the end be solved and the criminal brought to justice . " " If your murder is as ...
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
agent Alix ambassador Anastasia Alexandrovna answer Ashen Ashenden felt Ashenden knew Ashenden looked Ashenden saw Ashenden thought asked Ashenden baroness bassador Bolsheviks Brindisi Byring Caypor chance Chandra Colonel course cried Delilah detective dine dinner door enden English everything eyes face Fafner feeling fellow fool France Fritzi gave Geneva German Giulia give glance Gustav Hairless Mexican hand Harrington head heart Herbert Witherspoon Holzminden hour humour lake laughed Lausanne Lazzari letter Lucerne married Mexican opened mind Miss King Monsieur morning neutral country never night notion O'Malley once opened Paris passport Petrograd play round Russian scrambled eggs seemed shoulders shrugged Sir Herbert sitting smile Somerville stood story Swiss Switzerland talk tell there's thing Thonon tion told took train turned Vladimir wait walked watched wife woman wondered word write