Dragon's Teeth

This the third of Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd novels picks up Lanny's tale shortly after the events of [book:Between Two Worlds 642423]. It is the early 1930's and the world has been plunged into the great depression. The book starts slowly, following the events of Lanny and his family as they cope with the changing times. As wealthy folk, they are largely unaffected by the economic turmoil. However, there are clouds on the horizon in the form of the rise of the Nazis. In the second half of the book, the pace clicks into high gear as Lanny struggles to rescue Jewish relatives from imprisonment and torture in Germany. In doing so he strains some relationships within his family and also places himself in extreme danger.While reading [book:Dragon's Teeth 28601293] I found it useful to keep in mind that it is a book of its time. It was published in 1943 while World War 2 was raging and the outcome was still in doubt. The events it depicts were still fresh in the memories of the readership of the time. The fact that it is still a good read 73 years later is a testament to Sinclair's skill as a storyteller. 4.5 stars rounded up.