Short takes

Mark Fryer and Jim Eagles

LAST HOPE ISLAND: BRITAIN, OCCUPIED EUROPE, AND THE BROTHERHOOD THAT HELPED TURN THE TIDE OF WAR Lynne Olson ( Scribe, $ 48)

A spellbinding account of how exiles from the Nazi war machine found sanctuary in Britain and made a huge contribution to the fight to free their homelands. They brought ships to beat the submarine blockade, pilots for the Battle of Britain, spies to help crack Germany’s Enigma coding machine, saboteurs, and troops to join the invasion of Europe. This marvellous piece of research and wonderful bit of writing is at times funny, moving, frustrating ( mostly at the complacent stupidity of some of the British elite) and inspiring. JE

ALL OUT WAR: THE FULL STORY OF BREXIT Tim Shipman ( William Collins Books, $ 23)

Thanks to a tip- off from a fellow political junkie, I was able to read the hardcover edition just weeks after the Brexit earthquake, and thought it was the best hot- off- the- press political book I had ever read. Incredibly well- informed, wonderfully insightful, it read like a thriller. The paperback edition, just released, is even better. Inevitable mistakes have been tidied up, the story updated ( though not to the post- election shambles), there’s a good index and of course it’s cheaper. If you want to know how the British created such an extraordinary omnishambles — a word apparently popularised by Tim Shipman — look no further. JE

EINSTEIN: HIS LIFE AND UNIVERSE Walter Isaacson ( Simon & Schuster, $ 38)

Not a new book, but a re- issue, timed to coincide with a TV series on the one scientist absolutely everybody has heard of. And a fine read it is, nicely balancing Einstein’s personal life, his times, and the work that made him famous. You may not emerge with a detailed understanding of the theory of relativity, or the curved nature of spacetime, but Isaacson does his best to make the science accessible. He also makes a convincing connection between Einstein’s status as an outsider and free thinker, and his scientific genius. MF

THE LOST CITY OF Z David Grann ( Simon & Schuster, $ 23)

Another re- issue — to link in with a movie release — but don’t let that put you off. It’s the story of British explorer Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett, who slashed his way through the jungles of the Amazon, with disdain for danger, disease, disgusting parasites — and companions who didn’t share his obsession. Fawcett vanished into the jungle in 1925, on his final quest for the lost City of Z, sparking many fruitless expeditions to find him, the fabled city and its supposed riches. Told at suitably breathless pace, it’s the most ripping of yarns. MF

HIGH NOTES: SELECTED WRITINGS Gay Talese ( Bloomsbury, $ 33)

For 60 years or so, Gay ( it’s short for Gaetano) Talese has been one of journalism’s bright lights, crafting pieces for publications such as the New

Yorker and Esquire. This collection ranges across the years, from 1940s New York to Lady Gaga. It hasn’t all worn well: Talese’s famous Frank Sinatra profile is timeless, but it’s hard to imagine anyone caring much about his recitation of longago comings and goings at the New York Times. But at their best, these pieces are marvels: never flashy, but elegantly constructed reminders of what good writing looks like. MF