Karl Marlantes: Cold Victory, a Novel

Cold Victory: A Novel — Karl Marlantes — Atlantic Monthly Press – 978-0-8021-6142-0 – Hardcover — 352 pages — $28.00 — January 9, 2024 — ebook versions available at lower prices

I have to confess at the outset that Karl Marlantes has become one of my favorite authors of recent times and his latest book Cold Victory, is yet another outstanding novel from this author, whose first novel, Matterhorn, was published in 2010 after a full thirty years of effort. I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of interviewing Karl for all three of his previous books, each of them very different in subject matter and approach. A characteristic that is common to all of this author’s books is his extraordinary ability to create believable, wonderful characters that truly come to life on the page.

Cold Victory is related Karl’s 2019 novel Deep River, through a single common character. Deep River is set in the Northwestern United States in the early twentieth century, while this new book takes place in Finland right after the close of World War II. It’s safe to guess that most readers, like me, will be unaware of Finland’s complex role in that war, allying first with Germany to fight the Soviet Union to keep the latter from taking over its much smaller neighbor, and then allied itself with the Allies to fight Germany. Basically, Finland fought anyone and everyone to maintain its independence. In the aftermath of WWII, Finland was forced to pay reparations to the Soviets and gave up 10% of its land to the USSR.

In Cold Victory, the main characters are American and Russian, but the countries and the people of Finland have equal importance to the story. The American and Russian protagonists are two couples of similar age, but with such different life experiences that they must relate to each other on what they do share — honor, and love of soldiering for the men, commitment to their children and friendship for the women.

In the early parts of the novel, Marlantes sets the scene – his knowledge and appreciation for Finland, its culture and history, is palpable, and he uses his extensive knowledge to build a solid background for what develops into a riveting story that is sometimes extremely uplifting and often painful, as the tragedy at the center of the book unfolds. Marlantes’ story telling is vivid and powerful, the energy of his words always pulling us forward.

And I have to note that Karl has mastered his material – the descriptions of cross country skiing through bitter cold Finland are brilliantly portrayed. Be prepared to feel the cold in your soul.

This is another terrific novel from an outstanding writer whose skills are constantly evolving. And Karl is always a pleasure to speak with. Please enjoy our conversation and I hope you will pick up this book.

“For the history lesson alone, Cold Victory is memorable.”—Mark Steve’s, NY Journal of Books

Karl Marlantes graduated from Yale University and then was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, before serving as a Marine in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals for valor, two Purple Hearts, and ten air medals. He lives in Washington State.

Interview about Deep River

Interview about Matterhorn

Interview about What It Is Like to Go to War

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Caroline Leavitt: Girls in Trouble

978-0312339739 – paperback – St. Martin’s Griffin – $14.95

Sometimes you get lucky.  There are books you find by accident, maybe you choose them just to browse, not meaning to become engaged, they’re discoveries, books you would not “normally” have picked up to read, they surprise you, you’re hooked, and then you can’t stop reading.  For me, reading Caroline Leavitt’s Girls in Trouble was just that sort of a book.  In this case I read it because she wrote me an email and asked if she could send me a copy of the book, which was easy enough for me to agree to.  When it came, I picked it up, the story line described on the cover has some personal resonance, so I took a chance and started reading.  And then found I could not put it down.  Reading Girls in Trouble was a constant surprise and revelation.  It took me places I did not expect to go, it gave me characters I wanted to know and know better, and I believed in their experiences.  And it’s a big plus that Caroline can really write.

I don’t want to give any of the story away, but suffice to say, what happens to the people in this book is not what you expect, and reading it will help you understand something important about families, relationships, and parenting.  Not the easy, feel-good poster stuff from the movies either.  I recommend this book to almost any kind of reader, male or female, old or young, literature readers and even those who just like to be entertained.  It’s that good.

Given how much I liked this book, interviewing Caroline Leavitt was quite a pleasure.  She has a lot to say about writing, and the way she interacts and lives with her characters, and how this and her other books came into being.  Girls in Trouble is a rich vein to mine for an interview too, as it works on so many different levels and across so many lives and years, and of course because it is centered around an open adoption gone terribly wrong, it generates a certain amount of controversy and that gives the author another great subject to talk about.  I am very much looking forward to reading her next novel, Pictures of You (which we also talked about in this interview).

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Alice Eve Cohen – What I Thought I Knew: A Memoir

978-0670020959 – Hardcover

Viking – $24.95

Alice Eve Cohen’s memoir tells an incredible story – a writer and playwright, she was diagnosed as infertile in her thirties, she adopted a daughter with her then-husband (whom she later divorced).  At 44 she began to experience strange physical symptoms – after six months of suffering she was finally recognized as being pregnant.  In many ways that was only the beginning of her story – which is an incredible, honest, sometimes funny but as often a painful journey of discovery.

I generally am not that interested in the modern memoir – most people’s stories are just not that interesting.  But I was attracted to Alice’s story right away, partly because of my own experience with DES and its damages to the children whose mothers took that fertility drug.  Alice’s persona shines through her story.  She is vivid and clear about everything that happened to her and how she felt at the time, and later, and she pulls no punches, including her own foibles, fears, and weaknesses throughout.

Overall What I Thought I Knew is a wonderful book that holds our attention throughout.  It’s transformative for the author and for the reader.  In my interview with Alice Eve Cohen, we talked in detail about the book and her experiences then and now (the events took place several years ago).  She’s not only a wonderful writer but a great interview subject as well.

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