Munich: The price of peace may be too high to bear
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- Create Date：2021-12-14 00:51:25
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Robert Harris
- ISBN：1787467996
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Summary
Soon to be a Netflix film starring Jeremy Irons
_________________________
MUNICH， SEPTEMBER 1938
Hitler is determined to start a war。 Chamberlain is desperate to preserve the peace。
They will meet in a city which forever afterwards will be notorious for what is about to take place。
As Chamberlain's plane judders over the channel and the Fuhrer's train steams south， two young men travel with their leaders。 Former friends from a more peaceful time， they are now on opposing sides。
As Britain's darkest hour approaches， the fate of millions could depend on them - and the secrets they're hiding。
Spying。 Betrayal。 Murder。 Is any price too high for peace？
_________________________
'A brilliantly constructed spy novel' Observer
'Grips from start to finish 。。。 Superb' Mail on Sunday
_________________________
Now available: V2， Robert Harris's latest historical thriller
_________________________
MUNICH， SEPTEMBER 1938
Hitler is determined to start a war。 Chamberlain is desperate to preserve the peace。
They will meet in a city which forever afterwards will be notorious for what is about to take place。
As Chamberlain's plane judders over the channel and the Fuhrer's train steams south， two young men travel with their leaders。 Former friends from a more peaceful time， they are now on opposing sides。
As Britain's darkest hour approaches， the fate of millions could depend on them - and the secrets they're hiding。
Spying。 Betrayal。 Murder。 Is any price too high for peace？
_________________________
'A brilliantly constructed spy novel' Observer
'Grips from start to finish 。。。 Superb' Mail on Sunday
_________________________
Now available: V2， Robert Harris's latest historical thriller
Reviews
Martin Phinn
，
I am a fan of Robert Harris work。 The development of the characters and being able to allow you to picture them as they go through the story。It is a brief insight to something that happened during a crucial time in the world but throwing in characters you could feel for and hope for the best。 I would recommend this to anyone。
Ming Yen PHAN
，
Harris's eye for detail （re）creates a world that is engrossing and superbly alive and relevant。 The plot however seems a little contrived and too convenient （especially its ending）。 Nevertheless， a book that draws you into the politics and world surrounding the Munich Agreement and an accessible starting point into history。 Harris's eye for detail （re）creates a world that is engrossing and superbly alive and relevant。 The plot however seems a little contrived and too convenient （especially its ending）。 Nevertheless， a book that draws you into the politics and world surrounding the Munich Agreement and an accessible starting point into history。 。。。more
Sam Watkins
，
Good read and an interesting insight into a small chapter in history I knew of， but with very little detail。 Chamberlain's standing in history has risen a bit and this seems to follow that trend。 I'd definitely be interested in how these characters continue on into WW II。 Good read and an interesting insight into a small chapter in history I knew of， but with very little detail。 Chamberlain's standing in history has risen a bit and this seems to follow that trend。 I'd definitely be interested in how these characters continue on into WW II。 。。。more
cecil
，
if you like canon bisexuality， WWII historical fiction and tons of gay symbolism （cough cough lavender EVERYWHERE） read this book and watch the movie coming out in late january （netflix you better do this book justice） i also appreciate this book mentioning anti-Jewish propaganda cause you’d be surprised of how many historical fiction things related to WWII germany i’ve seen that refuse to discuss anti-Semitism haha so props for doing the absolute bare minimum anyways read this book or elsealso if you like canon bisexuality， WWII historical fiction and tons of gay symbolism （cough cough lavender EVERYWHERE） read this book and watch the movie coming out in late january （netflix you better do this book justice） i also appreciate this book mentioning anti-Jewish propaganda cause you’d be surprised of how many historical fiction things related to WWII germany i’ve seen that refuse to discuss anti-Semitism haha so props for doing the absolute bare minimum anyways read this book or elsealso the IMAGERY in this book is so gorgeously written。 like look at this:“Hartmann could taste the dust and the sweetness of the fuel on his tongue。”delicious。 。。。more
Amy Wass
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Was entertaining though slow in parts。 Sad relational dynamics leave some feelings of things being unresolved at the end。
Avesta
，
This is perhaps among Harris' better works of historical fiction - and follows the events leading to the Munich Agreement to great accuracy， whilst maintaining an interesting story alongside it， and providing somewhat of an education regarding the details of the Munich Agreement， and the attitudes towards it from different parties。 He has also focused on Neville Chamberlain， Churchill's often neglected predecessor， which makes it absolutely worth the read。My only few criticisms would be that 1） This is perhaps among Harris' better works of historical fiction - and follows the events leading to the Munich Agreement to great accuracy， whilst maintaining an interesting story alongside it， and providing somewhat of an education regarding the details of the Munich Agreement， and the attitudes towards it from different parties。 He has also focused on Neville Chamberlain， Churchill's often neglected predecessor， which makes it absolutely worth the read。My only few criticisms would be that 1） it would have been better to avoid stating that Hartmann was a member of the anti-Hitler resistance in the blurb， and instead letting the reader come to that conclusion for themself， or revealing it during the book; and 2） whilst the book initially places you quite well into the heart of what was happening prior to the Munich Agreement， parts seemed quite unnecessary。8/10 - very well written， great storyline， and Robert Harris has visibly thoroughly researched the background to the 1938 Munich Agreement。Also adding 'Soon to be a major movie starring Jeremy Irons' in the title is a bit cringe， don't you think？ 。。。more
David
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Book 20/21 for 2021。I’m a big fan of Robert Harris’ work， he is probably my favourite author - despite only reading two of this novels before this （Pompeii and Fatherland）。 I think the combination of diverse historical settings combined with his accessible yet idiosyncratic writing style is all I could ever want in fiction。Over the years I have managed to amass a complete collection of his works， from Fatherland to the latest V2 - and I have made it my mission to read all his works by the time h Book 20/21 for 2021。I’m a big fan of Robert Harris’ work， he is probably my favourite author - despite only reading two of this novels before this （Pompeii and Fatherland）。 I think the combination of diverse historical settings combined with his accessible yet idiosyncratic writing style is all I could ever want in fiction。Over the years I have managed to amass a complete collection of his works， from Fatherland to the latest V2 - and I have made it my mission to read all his works by the time his latest book arrives next September。 I’ve had Munich on my shelf for sometime - and I’ve always found the lead up to the Second World War to be one of the great fascinating stories of all time。Munich is a story about that exact event， the lead up to war in 1938 and Chamberlain’s attempts to ensure peace for Europe。 I will admit， upon reading the blurb and discovering that the story would involve two imagined civil servants as the dual protagonists I felt a twinge of disappointment， I was rather hoping for a larger scale look at the geopolitical challenges Chamberlain et al faced。It’s a testament then to the book that I found the two characters endearing and became invested in their story， their backgrounds and histories - the fun memories they shared and ultimately their tragedy at the concluding chapters of the story。 They had me in the first half， as we say。It’s not all perfect however， the story is both small， and large scale - covering the four days in Munich in almost excruciating detail on routine， meals etc etc - it has the potential to be interesting in the moment， but I felt sometimes it got too bogged down in espionage or description， which I felt robbed it of the greater world building and perspective that made Harris’ other Nazi themed novel， Fatherland - so engrossing to me。Munich is a different novel of course and has different aims， it’s about a third shorter than Fatherland， and is based in real history with a message。 It is a humanising and sympathetic depiction of Chamberlain， appeasement and so on - which I think is a valuable perspective， though at times I felt it was somewhat ham fisted and overly direct - you can almost hear Harris speaking directly through his characters at times。 Not a major problem， but something that stuck out to me。Apart from these minor gripes， the sometimes mundane events and the somewhat ham fisted messaging - I really enjoyed the book， another score for Harris， not my favourite so far but well worth a spot in the collection。 The final chapters of the book really bring it all together， the unique horror of the Nazi regime， and the ultimate tragedy for all involved， not least out protagonists - I look forward to the Netflix adaption in the new year and I will sure to watch as soon as it’s available。4 Stars。 。。。more
Saul Warren-Howles
，
Having just read this another great book by a brilliant author。
Maynard Tait
，
Robert Harris can no wrong as far as I'm concerned。 Focusing on two protagonists during the Munich Agreement， this story is shown from their perspectives and give a fresh and alternative insight into a true incident。 Robert Harris can no wrong as far as I'm concerned。 Focusing on two protagonists during the Munich Agreement， this story is shown from their perspectives and give a fresh and alternative insight into a true incident。 。。。more
Nate Hendrix
，
This was disappointing。 This is a fictionalized account of two lower level functionaries during the meeting between Hitler and Chamberlain in Munich before WW2。 Harris writes that he is fascinated by this period of time， but that doesn't translate into a novel worth reading。 The only thing that kept me going was the other books of his that I've read。 There came a point when I was so far into it I had to finish in spite of my lack of interest。 This won't stop me from reading the rest of his novel This was disappointing。 This is a fictionalized account of two lower level functionaries during the meeting between Hitler and Chamberlain in Munich before WW2。 Harris writes that he is fascinated by this period of time， but that doesn't translate into a novel worth reading。 The only thing that kept me going was the other books of his that I've read。 There came a point when I was so far into it I had to finish in spite of my lack of interest。 This won't stop me from reading the rest of his novels。 。。。more
Gintautas Ivanickas
，
Kelios dienos 1938-ųjų rugsėjo pabaigoje。 Hitlerio grasinimai Čekoslovakijai ir britų premjero Neville‘o Chamberlaino siekis neįvelti visos Europos į pražūtingą karą。 Kad ir tų pačių čekoslovakų kaina。 Velniai nematė jų ir prancūzų， kurie įsipareigojo Čekoslovakijai。 Miuncheno konferencija， kurios dėka Sudetai „taikiai“ atiduodami Vokietijai。Miuncheno konferencija， kurioje derasi Hitleris， Chamberlainas， Édouardas Daladier ir Benito Mussolinis， o Čekoslovakijos atstovai sėdi viešbučio kambaryje Kelios dienos 1938-ųjų rugsėjo pabaigoje。 Hitlerio grasinimai Čekoslovakijai ir britų premjero Neville‘o Chamberlaino siekis neįvelti visos Europos į pražūtingą karą。 Kad ir tų pačių čekoslovakų kaina。 Velniai nematė jų ir prancūzų， kurie įsipareigojo Čekoslovakijai。 Miuncheno konferencija， kurios dėka Sudetai „taikiai“ atiduodami Vokietijai。Miuncheno konferencija， kurioje derasi Hitleris， Chamberlainas， Édouardas Daladier ir Benito Mussolinis， o Čekoslovakijos atstovai sėdi viešbučio kambaryje ir laukia， ką nuspręs pasaulio galingieji。Štai tokiame fone rutuliojasi romano veiksmas。 Romano， bene labiausiai paveikiančio savo klaustrofobiška atmosfera， nelaimės nuojauta。 Nelaimės， it Damoklo kalavijas kabančios virš dviejų centrinių romano figūrų， jaunystės bičiulių – vokiečio Hartmano ir anglo Legeto。 Hartmanas iš tų vokiečių， kurie blaiviai regi， kurlink šalį veda Adolfiukas。 Iš tų， kurie stengiasi nors kažkaip tai pakeisti。 Ir štai jo rankose atsiduria dokumentas， galintis atskleisti pasauliui tikrąjį vokiečių vedlio veidą。 Jį būtinai reikėtų parodyti britų premjerui。 Žinodamas， kad su anglų delegacija atvyksta ir jo bičiulis Legetas， Hartmanas supranta， kad tai ir yra jo šansas。Keturi iš penkių。 Ir blaškausi， svarstydamas， kokion lentynėlės pasidėti šį romaną – istorinio romano， detektyvo， trilerio？ Tiktų į bet kurią。 Ir tuo pat metu， ko gero， nei į vieną。 。。。more
Kay
，
3。75
Dawn Lawrence （Australian_Crime_Junkie）
，
Excellent read！Can’t go wrong with a Robert Harris novel， loved this it was really gripping， had a hard time putting it down。
Paul McCormack
，
Very far from his best
Fenn Lilley
，
A solid book but nothing to write home about， an easy 3 stars。 The presentation of Chamberlain as something more than an incompetent optimist is refreshing but the plot can drag at points and I found myself feeling honestly indifferent to what happened to Legat。 Hartmann was a more interesting character but I was more intrigued by him than emotionally attached。 This book is good historical fiction， nothing more， nothing less。
Christopher Tawes
，
I’ve yet to figure out the appeal of Harris’ writing。
Miguel Reis-abreu
，
7/10
Micha Goebig
，
I liked it but I felt it missed the Fatherland style of suspense。 Also， it was a little thin on the story of the woman both men liked。
Lucy Metcalfe
，
Gripping thriller。 Really liked the dual narrative and tense moments。 Could hardly put it down。
Casey
，
My first Robert Harris book -- a pretty good audiobook with delightful British narration by David Rintoul。 （Or Scottish， I suppose， since he's Scottish。）I just read a scathing review by The Irish Times and I agree with much of it。 But I'm allowing four stars since it taught me a lot about the Munich Agreement and its place in history。 Chamberlain， the British Prime Minister， was famous for appeasing Hitler， but I never got the details till now。 I could still learn more from non-fiction but this My first Robert Harris book -- a pretty good audiobook with delightful British narration by David Rintoul。 （Or Scottish， I suppose， since he's Scottish。）I just read a scathing review by The Irish Times and I agree with much of it。 But I'm allowing four stars since it taught me a lot about the Munich Agreement and its place in history。 Chamberlain， the British Prime Minister， was famous for appeasing Hitler， but I never got the details till now。 I could still learn more from non-fiction but this was a good start。The happy， cheering crowds in Munich and London were chilling scenes since we know how long the "peace in our time" lasted and what was to come。I may try another by this author depending on the topic。 。。。more
Niels Broekman
，
Een onvervalste Robert Harris-thriller， met veel oog voor historische feiten en details。
Darryl Tomo
，
A well-researched and taut historical thriller about the Munich crisis， centering around two people from the British and German delegations and their attempts to avert the course of disaster。The fact that it's so obvious how their attempts turn out， and yet the reader is left vainly wishing otherwise， is a sign of good historical fiction in my book。 A well-researched and taut historical thriller about the Munich crisis， centering around two people from the British and German delegations and their attempts to avert the course of disaster。The fact that it's so obvious how their attempts turn out， and yet the reader is left vainly wishing otherwise， is a sign of good historical fiction in my book。 。。。more
Rd
，
Excellent book。 Great story。。。
Gareth Hughes
，
Fast paced， easy to read and enjoyable。
Rob McMinn
，
This was first published in 2017 and is about to be a Netflix movie starring Jeremy Irons as Neville Chamberlain， the hapless Prime Minister who has been portrayed （in my cursory understanding of history） as an appeaser who didn’t stand up to Hitler in the way Churchill did。Of course， Churchill’s reputation is currently in flux， as we fight this endless irrational war about pounds and ounces and misogyny and racism。 Harris clearly wrote this with the intention of re-evaluating Chamberlain。 What This was first published in 2017 and is about to be a Netflix movie starring Jeremy Irons as Neville Chamberlain， the hapless Prime Minister who has been portrayed （in my cursory understanding of history） as an appeaser who didn’t stand up to Hitler in the way Churchill did。Of course， Churchill’s reputation is currently in flux， as we fight this endless irrational war about pounds and ounces and misogyny and racism。 Harris clearly wrote this with the intention of re-evaluating Chamberlain。 What else could he have done？ Far from being the naive appeaser， in this he is the pragmatist who knows exactly how ready Britain is to fight a war in September 1938。 Considerably less ready than we even were a year later。 They may have been digging up London parks and issuing gas masks in 1938， but they didn’t have many working Spitfires。As is usual with Harris’ non-fiction novels， I went in not expecting much only to find myself drawn in to the tension of the espionage plot， which takes place against the backdrop of Chamberlain’s last-minute negotiations about the fate of Czechoslovakia。 As German opposition to Hitler fails to take action， a young British diplomat meets up with an old friend from his University days who has a document that shows Hitler is not negotiating in good faith。But Chamberlain has no choice: Britain is not ready for war， and the cause is weak。 He plays for time and ensures that Hitler’s later actions show him clearly to be the villain of the piece。I called this a non-fiction novel above， and I think that is the best way to think of these books （like V2） that are based on real historical events。 Personally I do prefer Harris’ fiction-fiction novels （like The Second Sleep， or even Conclave， which uses exhaustive research but is not based on anything that really happened）。 What I yearned for a bit in reading this was a counterfactual， in which the plot against Hitler was more than a bunch of old monarchists grumbling in the background。 But Harris， like Chamberlain， is realistic enough to know that that would probably be the wrong choice。 。。。more
Bill
，
Not quite as compelling as his novel about the Dreyfus Affair， but Harris does a good job in setting the table on historical incidents。
Mike Mason
，
What a great writer is Robert Harris。 Could read him all day。 This book about the few days leading up to the Munich Agreement between Chamberlain and Hitler （‘peace in our time’） is riveting。 Alternating chapters between 2 Oxford friends -Hugh Legatt of the Diplomatic Service and Paul Von Hartmann in the German Foreign Ministry。 Harris always good for the depth of his characters。 Unfortunately with all good writers the books are over too quickly。 A cracker。
Paul
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I love historical fiction like this - well-researched， cleaving tightly to the facts， while still injecting enough plot and characterisation to keep the pages turning。 Munich is a lean espionage thriller that covers the 1938 Sudetenland crisis through the eyes of two members of the diplomatic staff on opposing sides - one British， one German。 Both are entangled in a conspiracy to force Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s hand in declaring war on Germany preemptively， so as to enable a Wehrmacht I love historical fiction like this - well-researched， cleaving tightly to the facts， while still injecting enough plot and characterisation to keep the pages turning。 Munich is a lean espionage thriller that covers the 1938 Sudetenland crisis through the eyes of two members of the diplomatic staff on opposing sides - one British， one German。 Both are entangled in a conspiracy to force Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s hand in declaring war on Germany preemptively， so as to enable a Wehrmacht-led coup against Hitler。I have a healthy interest in this period， and no amount of non-fiction can really bring the key players to life quite like a good historical novel。 Harris’ characterisation of Chamberlain actually helped me empathise with him a lot more。 For the most part， he has gone down in history as the flaccid appeaser， betrayer of Czechoslovakia。 However， the Chamberlain we are presented with here is a man between a rock and a hard place - loath to sell out the Czechs yet mindful that Britain was woefully underprepared for war at that time。 Munich does a good job of humanising him， giving a real sense of how utterly exhausting it must have been to fly back and forth to Germany， balance so many opposing interests and deal with the irascible， mercurial Hitler。 Rather than go down the Fatherland route of alternative history though， Munich ultimately has to square the espionage plot with the true course of history。 And so of course it fails， ending with Chamberlain simply ignoring the smoking gun document that our protagonists risk everything to present him with。 Although I appreciate this Greek tragedy style concession to fate， I felt frustrated that in the end the entire main plot was moot， and the actual ending of the novel seems sudden and a little unsatisfactory。 Even so， this novel does such a good job of placing the reader squarely in a point in time and bringing to life the tension and desperation of the proceedings， that it would be a shame to rate it any less than four stars。 。。。more
Mr Jeffery
，
Such a good writer， he really brings this episode to life。You would not need to know about this period to be able to enjoy this book。 I have only recently discovered him but will devour all his works now with great pleasure I am sure。
Adriana Ionescu
，