Ken folletts career as a bestselling author has spanned more than three decades. The time is early 1944, the place a secluded area on the east coast of england. Eye of the needle tells the story of a german master spy the needle and his attempt to uncover the plans of the english army during world war 2 a few weeks before dday. The plot centers around a fictional but relatively probable whatif scenario involving the leadup to the normandy invasion, which gave the book its historical depth. Prolific welsh novelist ken folletts psychological thriller novel. Eye of needle, espionage and passion the new york times.
Willing to kill even the most innocent of bystanders to complete his task, sutherland manages to remain in britain until the eve of dday in 1944. Great plot tied to real events during world war ii. The allies are disguising their invasion plans with a phoney armada of ships and planes. Eye of the needle by ken follett reading guidebook club. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of eye of the needle by ken follett.
What did jesus mean when he said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. Then suddenly the landlady comes through the door and faber kills her. The book was notable in that it broke new ground in the science fiction field by postulating an alien lifeform, not hostile, which could live within the human body. He is henry faber, a coldly professional killer and germanys most feared deepcover agent in britain. Eye of the needle, ken follett eye of the needle is a spy thriller novel written by welsh author ken follett. He is the author of numerous immensely popular books, includingeye of the needle,triple,the key to rebecca,the man from st. My early books were all too brisk and things happened too quickly. David and lucy rose along with henry faber are all portrayed by follett as victims of their own isolation. The worldwide phenomenon from the author of edge of eternity.
Ken follett official site of the international bestselling author of edge of eternity, winter of the world, fall of giants, the pillars of the earth, world without end, eye of the needle, whiteout, hornet flight, jackdaws, and more. Ever wondered what to do with your stray sewing needles. Eye of the needle book charlotte mecklenburg library. The plot itself, while canny, offers very little of the unexpected, since we know what happens to men and women on deserted islands, and.
If youve never seen the film, i do recommend you read the book, but it isnt altogether necessary. The needle discovers phony plywood airplanes intended to look, from the air, like pattons invasion force, a ruse to throw off the germans. It was written by stanley mann and based on the novel of the same title by ken follett. Eye of the needle, ken folletts breakthrough international bestseller, is a heartracingly exciting tale about the fate of the war resting in the hands of a master spy, his opponent and a brave woman victory hangs in the balance 1944. Magnetic needle case multi snap picture frames pillows round jewelry case sale sayings self finishing small square snap tray small tissue box sunglass straps tissue box. Eye of the needle book snoisle libraries bibliocommons. Although not particularly complex, the story line is satisfying enough, despite the fact that i did find it somewhat predictable at occasional points during the novel.
Written by stanley mann, it is based on the novel of the same title by ken follett. After you wipe it off look away from the dvd cover, you will begin to see the beauty of this film. Its plot is a twist on the archetypal man on the run that i call a straight run see spy novel plots. Eye of the needle summary through the complex interaction of three dynamic characters, follett focuses in eye of the needle upon the hazards of social isolation. Surprise may be what eye of the needle finally lacks. As we begin our story, we see sutherland as a normal person, but as the film advances, our idea and interpretation of his character blows our mind. A man calling himself henry faber donald sutherland is actually the needle, a german spy in england during world war ii. This book was a little light on the espionage and too much focused on the generic thriller formula. The seemingly unequal plot threads and the manner in which time. He just added more characters to prevent telegraphing too many plot points. Eye of the needle, ken folletts breakthrough international bestseller, is a heartracing, exciting tale. It was originally published in 1978 by the penguin group under the title storm island. He was a german aristocrat of extraordinary intelligencea master spy with a legacy of violence in his blood, and the object of the most desperate manhunt in history.
It gave the book a feel for the grain of every day life, something that my work had never had before. To my utter enjoyment, eye of the needle is one of those gems hiding in a mud puddle. Were considering expanding this synopsis into a fulllength study guide to deepen your comprehension of the book and why its important. Immediately download the eye of the needle summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching eye of the needle. The books plot is built around this issue however, it begins at a far earlier stage of the war. An extraordinary world war ii german agent with secret information about the allied dday landing waits at an english lighthouse to be picked up by a submarine and becomes sidetracked by an affair with a paraplegics wife.
Eye of the needle resembles nothing so much as one of those downbeat, plodding, quietly horrifying, and sometimes grimly funny war movies that used to be made by the british film industry, back when there was a british film industry. This summary of eye of the needle includes a complete plot overview spoilers included. This novel was folletts first successful, bestselling effort as a novelist, and it earned him the 1979 edgar award for best novel from the mystery writers of america. After being disappointed by the last wwii thriller i read simon tolkiens orders from berlin, eye of the needle was what id been looking for. As an oldfashioned ripping yarn style adventure, eye of the needle ticks most of the boxes. Eye of the needle was originally published in 1978 under the title storm island and was folletts first truly successful novel, so i figured it was a good place to start.
Eye of the needle is a engrossing, oldfashioned wwii spy thriller with a romantic subplot. The eye of the needle the nations finest needlepoint shop. Bob and hunter have been together in a symbiotic relationship for some years now. Cold and calculating, he is emotionlessly focused on the task at hand, whether the task is to signal a uboat or to kill anyone who poses a threat to his mission. One enemy spy knows the secret of the allies greatest deception, a brilliant aristocrat and ruthless assassincode name. Eye needle, first edition abebooks passion for books. Books of the bible matthew camel eye needle what did jesus mean when he said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. Heres a nice little tutorial on how to make a nifty needle book. The plot of eye of the needle is very much believable, and there is a satisfying lack of plot holes or minor flaws. He is the author of numerous immensely popular books, includingeye of the needle,triple, the key to rebecca, the man from st. A special edition of eye of the needle by ken follett reissued with a bright retro design to. As noted in the foreword, operation fortitude was an allied counterintelligence operation run during world.
Eye needle, first edition abebooks shop for books, art. The richness of detail slows the writing down, but that was what my work needed. Through the complex interaction of three dynamic characters, follett focuses in eye of the needle upon the hazards of social isolation. Wwii german superspy, the needle, who gravitates towards murder using his trusty switchblade, discovers vital evidence about the allies dday invasion. The needle who holds the key to the ultimate nazi victory. Jul 24, 1981 surprise may be what eye of the needle finally lacks. Eye of the needle is a 1981 british spy film directed by richard marquand and starring donald sutherland and kate nelligan. A tense thriller, eye of the needle is the novel that effectively launched. Folletts first bestseller was eye of the needle, a spy story set in the second world war. Jul 07, 2015 folletts first bestseller was eye of the needle, a spy story set in the second world war. Its title references the difficulty of the precise task of threading a needle. Faber, donald sutherland is a nazi spy stationed in britain who uncovers the allies plans to invade. In eye of the needle, david rose illustrates the hazards of social isolation in his interactions with henry faber.
Undoubtedly, ken follett gave us here one of the great spy novels of all time, an absolute must for devotees of the genre, and anybody else who appreciates great fiction. He makes for the scotish coast to escape on a uboat when his small boat is shipwrecked before being picked up and the needle is washed ashore. Complete summary of margaret drabbles the needle s eye. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read eye of the needle. In the weeks leading up to dday the allies are disguising their invasion plans with elaborate decoys of ships and planes. Petersburg,on wings of eagles,lie down with lions, the pillars of the earth,a dangerous fortune, the third twin, the hammer of eden, andworld without end. Through the eye of a needle is the sequel to needle. The story begins with henry faber returning to his rented room and making a coded transmission to germany. Vital disc stats eye of the needle arrives on bluray courtesy of twilight time.
David is sent falling to his death with the words its not fair. Complete summary of margaret drabbles the needles eye. Meanwhile the british intelligence captured the most german agents and turned them into double agents. Eye of the needle is a spy thriller novel written by welsh author ken follett. As it is, eye of the needle introduces a fresh if not especially distinctive voice in. Eye of the needle is solidly plotted and written in a straightforward way. Needle is a 1950 science fiction novel by american writer hal clement, originally published the previous year in astounding science fiction magazine. Eye of the needle ebook surrey libraries bibliocommons. The needle who holds the key to ultimate nazi victory. Is involved in an inciting incident with a group of antagonists. It reached number one on bestseller lists around the world and was an oprahs book club pick. It moves along rapidly, has good but not too many plot twists and surprises, and an actionpacked, almost literally cliffhanging ending where all the threads come together neatly.
Unfortunately, bob is beginning to fray at the edges. Prolific welsh novelist ken folletts psychological thriller novel eye of the needle 1978, seminal in the spy genre, which heavily utilizes suspense, became highly popular in the decade it was published. One enemy spy knows the secret to the allies greatest deception, a brilliant aristocrat and ruthless assassin code name. Eye of the needle book chicago public library bibliocommons. With eye of the needle, i got the pace right for the first time.
Petersburg,on wings of eagles,lie down with lions,the pillars of the earth,a dangerous fortune,the third twin,the hammer of eden, andworld without end. Meaning that hunter has not been able to maintain bob in good health, despite his best efforts. Lucy realizes that her lover has been lying to her after she discovers davids body, and she prepares to turn him in. To keep the impending invasion of normandy a secret, american and british forces have constructed a fake military site here complete with imitation ships, plywood airplanes, barracks and equipment. Plot summary a man calling himself henry faber donald sutherland is actually a german spy nicknamed the needle because of his preferred method of assassination, the stiletto. Eye of the needle by ken follett goodreads share book. Eye of the needle questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on eye of the needle. Eye of the needle, ken folletts breakthrough international bestseller, is a heartracing, exciting tale about the fate of the war resting in the hands of a master spy, his opponent and a brave woman. Eye of the needle book columbus metropolitan library. A tense thriller, eye of the needle is the novel that effectively launched ken folletts career as a novelist, also spawning a later movie. In 1989 the pillars of the earth was published, and has since become the authors most successful novel. This adaptation of eye of the needle is the perfect little thriller for a dark and stormy night.