DECEMBER BOOK OF THE MONTH DISCUSSION THREAD - Thursday's bookclub session and author chat here

[TillyBookClub]

Hi all, this is the discussion thread to come to this Thursday night 8-10pm for December's Book of the Month, Agent Zigzag. Author Ben Macintyre will be joining us from 9 onwards.

If you can't make the session and would like to ask Ben a question then do post it here now and we'll email it on. And if you want to post a question in advance pop it up here on this thread, and we'll email them to him. Ben will start with those on Thursday eve.

I'm hoarding the last of the pudding wine and Quality Street in anticipation (should be drinking something far more spy-like and sophisticated but never could stomach martini)

woohoo, yes, I will be here at 8.30 and Ben is fab for coming on early

for some inexplicable reason, I have a craving for a scotch egg sandwich

don't go icod - common knowledge that writers eat all sorts of bizarre things during the long midnight toil.

I'm still so surprised that I'd never heard of Eddie Chapman before reading this book. All those adventures are so extraordinary, you'd think he woudl have become a well known war figure.

and fwiw, I think that David Tennant, or Daniel Craig would be good to play Eddie

Did Ben manage to track down Eddies' daughter

No to Rupert Everett. Too louche and upper class.

YES to Daniel Craig (thats yes in general...not just for this purpose )

I had mentioned David Tennant before and I'm glad to see another vote for him.

Anyone back me up on James McAvoy for the casting couch?

yeah, but it wasn't till long after the war had ended that Bletchley Park waseven heard of, and probably a lot of people have still not heard of Tommy Flowers or Alan Turing

David Tennant gets a vote here!

Tilly so much of it was extraordinary but I suppose that a lot of that information has probably only been made public in the last few years under Labour's public right to information reforms?

So, Tilly, do you ask us Book Group type questions now?

I think James McAvoy's too young and clean cut looking.

That's a yes for DT here aswell

I can think of a few ways of aging James MacAvoy...

Sorree....am I lowering the tone AGAIN??!

Actually I think hes only about a year or two younger than Chapman was at the beginning of Zig Zag.

Just realised that his story has alreayd been made into a film (Ben mentions in the end of the book) - Eddie is played by Christopher Plummer of sound of music fame pic www.imdb.com/name/nm0001626/bio here

What I want to read is Freda's story, and how Chapman was with her. i wonder hwo much he told her, or whether she really was in teh dark.

Just realised that his story has alreayd been made into a film (Ben mentions in the end of the book) - Eddie is played by Christopher Plummer of sound of music fame pic www.imdb.com/name/nm0001626/bio here

What I want to read is Freda's story, and how Chapman was with her. i wonder hwo much he told her, or whether she really was in teh dark.

Go on, someone pick a question

really, notyummy, what would those be then? do tell

Yes Freda's story, that WOULD be interesting. Do you think she knew what was going on, or do you think she was just a bit dim and thoght these gentlemen were all part of some dodgy criminal underworld?!

kept coming up as error, and in light of the fact that he was censored how accurate was the film

I think Freda knew something was going on, but loved him and had a child, so didn't want to ask too many questions.

I think Freda knew a lot more than she let on, just was very wise and kept her mouth shut

Christopher Plummer! That's ALL wrong.
here's the film

I think they can remake it - it was in 1966. Think they need someone much dishier than Capt von Trapp!!

I think Freda knew that the best thing she could do was keep schtumm

my mum reliably informs me that he was quite the thing back in the day!

Daniel Craig very good. Though Chapman said he hated violence and Craig always looks like he's about to wrestle something.

My bookclubby questions are sort of author focussed (I guess because its 'real' stories rather than fiction) but in general, they boil down to what I thought about Eddie as a man. I was almost cross that he ended up rich and well-rewarded becuase he was a crook and a liar. But I do admire courage and he did have that. i think.