---
product_id: 95073378
title: "Trapeze"
price: "€ 103.31"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.fi/products/95073378-trapeze
store_origin: FI
region: Finland
---

# Trapeze

**Price:** € 103.31
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Trapeze
- **How much does it cost?** € 103.31 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.fi](https://www.desertcart.fi/products/95073378-trapeze)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

desertcart.com: Trapeze: Mawer, Simon: Books

Review: Shades of Furst. Excellent WWII Spy Book, Set in England, France - This is one of those fantastic wartime spy novels that I can't put down. Adventurous, but somewhat naive, Marian Sutro, signs up to be an English spy, tasked to assist the Resistance in France. The book shows, in great detail, her training and gradual maturing, her coming of age in love and war. Then they send her off to parachute into France to support one group of fighters, but also, to arrange for the exfiltration of an atomic scientist (who happens to be a one-time love interest of hers) from dangerous Nazi-occupied Paris. Mawer builds in an enormous amount of suspense and psychological intrigue. He has an extremely deft touch when it comes to describing the life of a female spy in an occupied country. His knowledge of tradecraft of the period is impressive. To my mind, he is certainly the equal of Alan Furst and a few other masters of the WWII spy genre. If you want a good, irrestible and somewhat offbeat World War II spy novel and love story, you could do a lot worse than this able offering by master wordsmith Simon Mawer.
Review: Very good, but some plot portions under developed - I really liked the book, particularly toward the end, but the author failed to develop some of the relationships between characters that made subsequent events appear artificial. Besides that, it is a great spy story with a dramatic ending. SPOILER ALERT -- some plot twists are revealed below but not the dramatic conclusion. The relationship between the main character and both of her lovers were undeveloped, particularly her fellow commando. She went from "I don't want to parachute into France as a virgin" (never saying why) and immediately into bed with him and then giving him the cold shoulder in just a few paragraphs. He was clearly not a "one night stand" but someone she cared about--particularly as the story develops. I think the author could have given us just a bit more insight into her thinking. Even now, I don't know why it was so important that she not go back as a virgin. If it was an important point--tell us why. If not, don't confuse us. Her relationship with her older professor lover was also undeveloped until nearly the end. Throughout the first half of the book she often gushes, "Clement" as if a prayer, but the exact nature of the relationship doesn't come through until nearly the end. Finally, her relationship with France itself is not really developed until the end. Her final argument with Clement about doing something for France by going to England to develop an atomic bomb to help end the war is suddenly filled with a patriotism not previously shown, particularly since she is from Switzerland. Did she parachute into occupied France out of patriotism, for Clement, or for both? We don't really know until the last chapter. Having said all that, I really liked the action sequences. Having lived in Paris for almost three years, I found the descriptions of particular sites spot on and the description of the constant stress living as a spy in the occupied city very believable. The book is worth reading just for these scenes. Bottom line: could use some character development, but the action sequences and thrilling chase scenes are well-worth the price of this novel.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN  | B00D57F212 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #5,429 in Espionage Thrillers (Books) #8,688 in War Fiction (Books) #38,449 in Literary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars (896) |
| Dimensions  | 5.5 x 0.97 x 8.5 inches |
| Edition  | 45320th |
| Item Weight  | 14.4 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 384 pages |
| Publication date  | May 1, 2012 |
| Publisher  | Other Press |

## Images

![Trapeze - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51v01gPcr2L.jpg)
![Trapeze - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31bezP2e9zL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Shades of Furst. Excellent WWII Spy Book, Set in England, France
*by Z***A on March 19, 2014*

This is one of those fantastic wartime spy novels that I can't put down. Adventurous, but somewhat naive, Marian Sutro, signs up to be an English spy, tasked to assist the Resistance in France. The book shows, in great detail, her training and gradual maturing, her coming of age in love and war. Then they send her off to parachute into France to support one group of fighters, but also, to arrange for the exfiltration of an atomic scientist (who happens to be a one-time love interest of hers) from dangerous Nazi-occupied Paris. Mawer builds in an enormous amount of suspense and psychological intrigue. He has an extremely deft touch when it comes to describing the life of a female spy in an occupied country. His knowledge of tradecraft of the period is impressive. To my mind, he is certainly the equal of Alan Furst and a few other masters of the WWII spy genre. If you want a good, irrestible and somewhat offbeat World War II spy novel and love story, you could do a lot worse than this able offering by master wordsmith Simon Mawer.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very good, but some plot portions under developed
*by J***G on October 10, 2012*

I really liked the book, particularly toward the end, but the author failed to develop some of the relationships between characters that made subsequent events appear artificial. Besides that, it is a great spy story with a dramatic ending. SPOILER ALERT -- some plot twists are revealed below but not the dramatic conclusion. The relationship between the main character and both of her lovers were undeveloped, particularly her fellow commando. She went from "I don't want to parachute into France as a virgin" (never saying why) and immediately into bed with him and then giving him the cold shoulder in just a few paragraphs. He was clearly not a "one night stand" but someone she cared about--particularly as the story develops. I think the author could have given us just a bit more insight into her thinking. Even now, I don't know why it was so important that she not go back as a virgin. If it was an important point--tell us why. If not, don't confuse us. Her relationship with her older professor lover was also undeveloped until nearly the end. Throughout the first half of the book she often gushes, "Clement" as if a prayer, but the exact nature of the relationship doesn't come through until nearly the end. Finally, her relationship with France itself is not really developed until the end. Her final argument with Clement about doing something for France by going to England to develop an atomic bomb to help end the war is suddenly filled with a patriotism not previously shown, particularly since she is from Switzerland. Did she parachute into occupied France out of patriotism, for Clement, or for both? We don't really know until the last chapter. Having said all that, I really liked the action sequences. Having lived in Paris for almost three years, I found the descriptions of particular sites spot on and the description of the constant stress living as a spy in the occupied city very believable. The book is worth reading just for these scenes. Bottom line: could use some character development, but the action sequences and thrilling chase scenes are well-worth the price of this novel.

### ⭐⭐⭐ Squandered Potential
*by D***L on June 6, 2016*

So much potential, difficult to say whether this book is really worth reading, as it is more like half a novel, the author has created a wonderful foundation in so many aspects, yet does his protagonist and his readers a disservice with a hasty conclusion and two broken promises. Disappointing because the majority of the span of this story is so nicely rendered; then late in the game we are teased with an imminent payoff in the form of a planned mission, explicitly promised and involving a key character, but it is simply not included, it's sadly evident that the writer simply put in so much work in research and development and emotional investment that he couldn’t be bothered to do the work of writing a full third act. It’s his choice to create an ironic ending, however in this case he’s obviously confused about his role, he dodges the responsibility of writing through the final sweep of the characters’ journey and simply chooses a kitschy, gratuitous and abrupt ending that yet again is evidence of writing fatigue, transparent and disrespectful. If an author can lay the foundation, develop the nuances and build up momentum and suspense, establish a character web and bring us into the story, why not do the work of developing a complete story? Finally, having implicitly promised the reader a tangible denouement, he pulls the rug out, apparently thinking that it will somehow appear graceful by subverting the expectation of a Hollywood ending, yet the conclusion we are offered after so much buildup is simply clumsy, lazy and cliché in its own pathetically abbreviated broad strokes, immensely disappointing after so much subtle literary underpainting. As an avid reader of the works of John Le Carré, I can appreciate the artful subtext, the musical chairs, ambiguous genre sleight-of-hand, and an ironic, contrary or tragic conclusion, however Simon Mawer fails to meet that standard, since the ending must be earned, the material delivered in completion, and the organic arc, foundation and spine of the story satisfied, otherwise it is doubly disappointing by having to witness so much potential squandered.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.fi/products/95073378-trapeze](https://www.desertcart.fi/products/95073378-trapeze)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Finland*
*Store origin: FI*
*Last updated: 2026-04-27*