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White Eagles Over Serbia: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Lawrence Durrell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 118 ratings
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“Proof that Durrell can master any genre . . . [a] quiet but suspenseful spy thriller . . . with some similarities to Ian Fleming’s James Bond” (Early Bird Books).
 After some especially taxing missions, seasoned secret agent Methuen wants nothing more than to take a long, relaxing fishing trip. But after a fellow British spy is killed in the remote mountains of Serbia, Methuen is called back into action. What follows is a suspenseful tale of espionage told with Lawrence Durrell’s characteristic panache. Methuen sets up camp in the Serbian countryside and baits his hooks, hoping to draw out the men responsible for the murder. It’s not long before Methuen realizes that he’s in a fight for his own life against an unknown opponent. Are his true enemies the Communists, the royalist rebel White Eagles . . . or someone more sinister? 
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  1. Print length
    186 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Open Road Media
  5. Publication date
    June 12, 2012
  6. File size
    2912 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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From the Publisher

Lawrence Durrell

Lawrence Durrell

Nancy and Lawrence Durrell

A Page from Durrell's Notebook

Lawrence Durrell aboard his Boat

This photograph of Lawrence Durrell aboard his boat, the Van Norden, is taken from a negative discovered among his papers. The vessel is named after a character in Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer. (Photograph held in the British Library’s modern manuscripts collection.)

Nancy and Lawrence Durrell

This photograph of Nancy and Lawrence Durrell was likely taken in Delphi, Greece, in late 1939. (Photo courtesy of Joanna Hodgkin and the Gerald Durrell Estate.)

A page from Durrell’s Notebook

A page from Durrell’s notebooks, or, as he called them, the 'quarry.' This page introduced his notes on the 'colour and narrative' of scenes in Justine. (Photo courtesy of the Lawrence Durrell Papers, Special Collections Research Center, Southern Illinois University Carbondale.)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“As a creative artist, Durrell may be aptly likened to Mozart.” —The New York Times 

About the Author

Born in Jalandhar, British India, in 1912 to Indian-born British colonials, Lawrence Durrell was a critically hailed and beloved novelist, poet, humorist, and travel writer best known for the Alexandria Quartet novels, which were ranked by the Modern Library as among the greatest works of English literature in the twentieth century. A passionate and dedicated writer from an early age, Durrell’s prolific career also included the groundbreaking Avignon Quintet, whose first novel, Monsieur (1974), won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and whose third novel, Constance (1982), was nominated for the Booker Prize. He also penned the celebrated travel memoir Bitter Lemons of Cyprus (1957), which won the Duff Cooper Prize. Durrell corresponded with author Henry Miller for forty-five years, and Miller influenced much of his early work, including a provocative and controversial novel, The Black Book (1938). Durrell died in France in 1990.  

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0085IN984
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media (June 12, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 12, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2912 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 186 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 118 ratings

About the author

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Lawrence Durrell

Lawrence Durrell

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Born in Jalandhar, British India, in 1912 to Indian-born British colonials, Lawrence Durrell was a critically hailed and beloved novelist, poet, humorist, and travel writer best known for the Alexandria Quartet novels, which were ranked by the Modern Library as among the greatest works of English literature in the twentieth century. A passionate and dedicated writer from an early age, Durrell’s prolific career also included the groundbreaking Avignon Quintet, whose first novel, Monsieur (1974), won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and whose third novel, Constance (1982), was nominated for the Booker Prize. He also penned the celebrated travel memoir Bitter Lemons of Cyprus (1957), which won the Duff Cooper Prize. Durrell corresponded with author Henry Miller for forty-five years, and Miller influenced much of his early work, including a provocative and controversial novel, The Black Book (1938). Durrell died in France in 1990.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
118 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Yusuf DeLorenzo
5.0 out of 5 stars This is Why I Read (and write) Fiction
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2019
Verified Purchase
I read the Alexandria Quartet some four or five years before I spent a year in an Egyptian university and began a lifetime of appreciation for the resilient Egyptian spirit. In short, I was less than prepared to appreciate it or its author. White Eagles Over Serbia is not the same sort of book. It may in fact be the lightest reading of all of Durrell’s works. But it engages, captivates and entertains. It takes the reader to barely imaginable places and times, and it succeeds in every way. The prose is Durrell at his best, flowing and relaxed, and the characters are real enough for the period. Later history, in the 1990s, revealed serious flaws in the Serbian national character, but as a setting for adventure and intrigue, the mountains in post-WWII Serbia, are unparalleled.
8 people found this helpful
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keetmom
4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual Cold War thriller
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2013
I had no idea that Lawrence Durrell had turned his hand to espionage novels until I stumbled across "White Eagles over Serbia" in a secondhand book store. It turned out to be richly atmospheric read reminiscent of Eric Ambler and Geoffrey Household's accounts of the lone man up against unseen and unknown enemy forces. It has dated a bit which isn't surprising and the scenic descriptions do get repetitive, but its strong local flavour and telling detail which reflect Durrell's own service with the Foreign Office in the region can't be beat. If you find it, read it.
12 people found this helpful
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david kessler
5.0 out of 5 stars Literate Espionage
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2017
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This is a very good espionage / thriller novel. It is very well written, with a plausible plot, decent characterization, and fantastic descriptions of the post war Yugoslav atmoshere, both geographic and human. I really wish Durrell had stuck with this genre. He could have given LeCarre some competition.
12 people found this helpful
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Vicki Platts Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless story
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2020
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I enjoyed this book. It is well written and kept me interested the entire read.
2 people found this helpful
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George D. Kenney
5.0 out of 5 stars A boy’s own adventure
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2018
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This could have been a hackneyed story except that Durrell tells it with vigor and gusto. A most eccentric writer. Worth reading.
2 people found this helpful
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Robert L. Welsch
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic spy novel by a iconic British writer of the 20th century. A must read!
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2018
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All spy-novel fans should read this wonderful mysterious portrayal of post-war Balkans. Read it niw!
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hb
2.0 out of 5 stars Tedious 'Boys Own' Adventure
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2008
Lacking the stylistic flair of the Alexandria Quartet, this potboiler spy novel is weighed down with stodgy descriptions of the Yugoslavian landscape and thinly drawn characters. The book feels like it was churned out in the hope of imitating the commercial success of Ian Fleming's early Bond novels. A poor introduction to the rich exoticism and flamboyance that characterizes Durrell's other works.
5 people found this helpful
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Bryce Brokaw
5.0 out of 5 stars Great seller
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2018
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Great short read, very linear, unlike the quartet.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Simon Edser
5.0 out of 5 stars Serbian 1950s spy novel
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 10, 2022
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I read this book (written in 1957) at about aged 11 in the mid 1970s, always recalled how descriptive it was, I Googled "Serbian spy novel" and it found this. Very good read, similar to John Le Carre The spy who came in from the cold. Highly recommended.
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robert Mcnamara
3.0 out of 5 stars Durrell is good here but better on the Alexandria Quartet.
Reviewed in Germany on August 3, 2021
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It was fine.
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Peter Batini
3.0 out of 5 stars Nostalgia. It certainly ain’t what it could be.
Reviewed in Australia on August 13, 2021
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I first read this novel as a teenager over 50 years ago. It read as I remembered it and it has not dated well over these many years. Written very much in the mode of Ian Fleming or Graham Green it tells the story of Methuen, an MI6 agent in Serbia, written by Laurence Durrell.
Projecting back to the mid-1950s and remembering the Balkan wars of 1990s with the knowledge and hindsight of 2021 was the most fascinating part of my reading experience. I was not able recapture the hope and naivety of my youth. More is the pity. Peter B
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Bertie
4.0 out of 5 stars Cracking yarn.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2024
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When chaps were chaps and didn't have mental health issues or babies. Cracking boys' own stuff from another time when the stiff upper lip ruled the world and a hearty G&T fixed any complaint. It ain't literature but it is lots of fun.
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PP Prong
3.0 out of 5 stars A Particular Place and Time
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 25, 2023
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Durrell's prose is from a particular place and time, an England of smoky backroom espionage, reckless gifted amateurs, and the privilege that attends private club luncheons. This book derives from the author's brief spell as a public servant posted to the former Yugoslavia, and it is full of wonderful descriptions of the remote and rugged landscapes of Serbia with its rivers and gorges and great outdoors. Durrell's depiction of the country during its authoritarian Tito days is interesting, and he treats it with a kind of fatalistic irony that both defines his characters and shores up his romp of a narrative. I read the book partly because I like the Balkan countries, and partly because Durrell is an author I missed during his years of relative popularity. Stylistically it seems very dated now, but it's a flare for its times and a cracking little old-school adventure.
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