The outlines of this diplomatic mission may have been written about before but what makes this book so enjoyable is the character of the British ambassador, Archie Clark Kerr, about whom history has been coy. Brilliant, funny, bisexual and attractive, ACK habitually wrote with goose quills that he snatched from embassy geese that he kept for the purpose. A fine judge of character and of the moment, he was able to deal with both Stalin and Churchill, and was essential to the success of that relationship.