Continuing his remarkable investigations into the history of the 20th century (the first world war, Occupied France, and now the febrile interval between the demise of Senator McCarthy and the nomination of J. F. Kennedy for President of the United States), Sebastian Faulks is guaranteed another bestseller. His research is extensive, sometimes oppressive; he also has an eye on the American market, with determinedly American locutions throughout. These do not always carry complete conviction, as when the hero, Frank Renzo, says to a hovering waiter, 'We have one chicken sandwich here. And can I get the French onion soup, then steak and salad? I'll have a beer with that. Do you have Schaeffer on tap?'

Readers should also be advised that they will have to take on sentences with a complicated set of references which they may not find too familiar. Example:

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