I couldn't put this book down. Margarita Morrison has captured so well the grimness of the Soviet occupation of Budapest, as it was described by the BBC at the time. That same atmosphere prevailed in other Soviet satelite countries. The author has a gift for descibing the stifling existence experienced by ordinary men and women who just wished to live in peace in their beloved homeland. But she's also captured the joys of friendship and family life, as well as the great courage that couldn't be extinguished by the invaders.
