A Spy Named Orphan
The Enigma of Donald Maclean
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A Spy Named Orphan
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Narrated by:
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Jonathan Keeble
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By:
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Roland Philipps
About this listen
A gripping tale of betrayal and counterbetrayal that tells the story of the most enigmatic member of the Cambridge spy ring - Donald Maclean.
Donald Maclean was a star diplomat, an establishment insider and a keeper of some of the West's greatest secrets. He was also a Russian spy, driven by passionately held beliefs, whose betrayal and defection to Moscow reverberated for decades.
Christened ‘Orphan’ by his Russian recruiter, Maclean was the perfect spy and Britain’s most gifted traitor. But as he leaked huge amounts of top-secret intelligence, an international code-breaking operation was rapidly closing in on him. Moments before he was unmasked, Maclean vanished.
Drawing on a wealth of previously classified material, Roland Philipps now tells this story for the first time in full. Philipps unravels Maclean’s character and contradictions: a childhood that was simultaneously liberal and austere; a Cambridge education mixing in Communist circles; a polished diplomat with a tendency to wild binges; a marriage complicated by secrets; an accelerated rise through the Foreign Office and, above all, a gift for deception. Taking us back to the golden age of espionage, A Spy Named Orphan reveals the impact of one of the most dangerous and enigmatic Soviet agents of the 20th century, whose actions heightened the tensions of the Cold War.
©2018 Roland Philipps (P)2018 Bolinda Publishing Pty LtdWhat listeners say about A Spy Named Orphan
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Henry Tilney
- 10-06-2024
An amazing Story Well Read
This is a remarkable piece of historical writing . It manages to try to impose a fair judgement on a very complex character. Sometimes, I feel that the author is much more generous to his subject than he needs to be; the enormity of Donald McLean‘s treachery is just breathtaking. There are many villains in the story but the most obvious is the caste ridden culture from which McLean came. The book is wonderfully researched and this audible book is beautifully read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kirsty
- 12-05-2018
Best book I have listened to in a while.
Well wriien and well read. Great insight into a man who was much more than merely a 'traitor'. His struggles with alcohol and anger, his anxiety to be true to an ideology he believed could lead to world peace, his flight, his later years supporting dissidents are all laid before us with understanding by the author. On the other hand, the inefficiencies and shortcomings of the establishment were breathtaking, or was it just that MacLean's charisma and Kilby's machinations oufoxed them all. A fascinating study of, and guide to, diplomacy in the middle years of the 20th century.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Robyn
- 02-06-2022
Five stars on every measure
Roland Philipps has written a superb biography of the fascinating, complex, and ever-controversial Donald Maclean. This book has been meticulously researched and most competently written. There will probably always be debate over the rights and wrongs of what Maclean did, but there can be no doubt about his motivation or the fact that he was a man of high ideals and conviction who paid a devastating personal price for the road he chose to take.
Jonathan Keeble's narration is a pleasure to listen to - good diction, a pleasant voice and accent, and no pronunciation errors.
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