Penguin Classics Reissues Duff Cooper's Moving WWII Novel Operation Heartbreak
Operation Heartbreak by Duff Cooper is now available from the Mail Bookshop as part of the Penguin Classics collection, priced at £9.99 for 146 pages. This compelling novel draws inspiration from the famous Operation Mincemeat, a real World War II deception where a corpse carrying false Allied invasion plans was planted off the coast of Spain to mislead Hitler. While that story has spawned numerous books, films, and even musicals, Cooper's unique perspective as a wartime Cabinet minister infuses his narrative with authentic detail and emotional depth.
A Tale of Longing and Fate
The book centres on the fictional character William Maryngton, an orphaned son of a soldier who is consumed by a desperate desire to serve his country. Tragically, he finds himself caught between historical eras: too young to fight in the First World War and too old for active duty in the Second World War. His professional disappointments are compounded by personal missteps in romance and friendship, painting a portrait of a man grappling with unfulfilled ambitions.
In a cruel twist of fate, William's story takes a poignant turn as he achieves the heroism he always yearned for, but only posthumously. This moving and bittersweet conclusion serves as a tribute to Glyndwr Michael, the real individual whose body was used in the Operation Mincemeat plot, adding a layer of historical resonance to the novel's fictional narrative.
Other Notable Reissues from the Mail Bookshop
Poor Cow by Nell Dunn is also available now from the Mail Bookshop, published by Virago at £10.99 for 138 pages. First released in 1967, this groundbreaking work was considered shocking for its candid portrayal of Joy, a sexually promiscuous working-class Londoner based on a friend of Dunn's. The story follows Joy as she navigates life alone with her baby Jonny after her abusive, thieving husband Tom is imprisoned.
Joy briefly finds hope and happiness with Tom's kind friend Dave, but when Dave is also sent to jail, she resorts to survival tactics including pub work, nude modelling, and casual sexual encounters for money. Despite her amoral and contradictory nature, Joy's sensual love for her son provides her with purpose and dreams as she faces a dismal future, making this novel an exhilarating and enduring exploration of resilience.
Owls Do Cry by Janet Frame, another Virago publication priced at £10.99 for 256 pages, rounds out this selection. Frame's debut modernist novel is heavily influenced by her own troubled life, set in the fictional 1950s New Zealand town of Waimaru. It chronicles the impoverished Withers family, focusing on four children: Francie, epileptic Toby, Daphne, and baby Chicks.
A truly shocking tragedy shatters their lives, leading to Daphne's years in psychiatric units—mirroring Frame's experiences—where she is unvisited by family and lost in dream-like visions. The novel also follows Toby's battle against ignorance and rejection, and Chicks' snobbish reinvention as Teresa, as each character descends into darkness. This powerful howl against conventional life and the treatment of the mentally ill is renowned for its memorable use of language and haunting storytelling.
