Drink to Yesterday is a novel written by Manning Coles, first published in 1941. The book tells the story of a British spy named Tommy Hambledon, who is sent to Germany to investigate a group of Nazi sympathizers. The story takes place in the years leading up to World War II, and is set in a small town in Germany. Hambledon poses as a wealthy American businessman, and quickly becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue and danger. Along the way, he meets a number of interesting characters, including a beautiful woman who may or ...
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Drink to Yesterday is a novel written by Manning Coles, first published in 1941. The book tells the story of a British spy named Tommy Hambledon, who is sent to Germany to investigate a group of Nazi sympathizers. The story takes place in the years leading up to World War II, and is set in a small town in Germany. Hambledon poses as a wealthy American businessman, and quickly becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue and danger. Along the way, he meets a number of interesting characters, including a beautiful woman who may or may not be a spy herself. As Hambledon works to uncover the truth about the Nazi sympathizers, he must navigate a complex network of lies and deceit, and risk his own life in the process. The book is a thrilling adventure story, full of suspense, action, and intrigue. It is also a fascinating glimpse into the political and social landscape of pre-war Europe, and a reminder of the dangers of fascism and extremism.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
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I first read this book many years ago, in my twenties. I've reread it several times since, and will continue to reread it until I pop my clogs and depart to that great Intelligence Bureau in the sky.
The book gets off to a slow start, making one feel somewhat impatient. But bear with it--it is SO worth the wait, and you'll realize that the background is essential to understanding the story as it unfolds.
In a way this can be viewed as a coming-of-age story, set against the background of a brutal war. We focus too much on World War II. Horrible as it was--and I'm not disputing that at all--World War I was equally so. If you don't believe that, try visiting the town of Ieper, or the Passchendale Museum in Belgium. (To this day there are squads that deal with World War I lethal armaments still unearthed by farmers there.) This story brings horror of that war to life.
This was the first book in a series of Tommy Hambledon novels and like the others, it is both witty and well told. It's a pleasure to read, and I recommend it and its sequel, A Toast to Tomorrow, highly.