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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
The book ran long, but the life and inner workings of vanished British spy Magnus Pym kept me involved to the end. Early in the story the reader discovers what the protagonist must resolve for himself, but his story of why he has done what he has and his search for resolution made the tale of schoolboy grown to spy a captivating read.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Incredibly well written, if not fast paced book. I really enjoyed the detail and the deliberate nature of the story. The tone is perfect for a spy novel and in many ways it has a timeless feel.
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It is difficult to convey, without giving much away, just how compelling this novel is. Le Carré’s genius is that he can make you care for this deeply flawed character and keep you riveted by his story. A Perfect Spy is said to be the most autobiographical of le Carré’s books. It is certainly an involving novel.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/a-perfect-spy/
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/a-perfect-spy/
I read a lot of Le Carré in my genre-happy adolescence and I remember liking all those Smiley novels, but not quite understanding what all the hype was about. Then I got to this book in college and thinking there was something more here but still too dumb and naive to know what it was. Then, as artistic pretention will often do to you, I eschewed this type of literature for the more highbrow.
Reading A Perfect Spy again, three decades and some change later (spurred by watching the recent Errol Morris documentary on Le Carré), I can vouch for it as literature of the highest order, despite its genre trappings. Certainly writerly craft is here, but it’s the melancholy that the author cloaks this particular story in that makes it resonate. Le Carré’s spies have always had rich inner lives. But here Magnus Pym’s story amplifies the inevitable tragedies of ALL lives lived, no matter what the profession, and that makes it the most haunting of Le Carré’s works, if not the most moving spy novel of all time.
Reading A Perfect Spy again, three decades and some change later (spurred by watching the recent Errol Morris documentary on Le Carré), I can vouch for it as literature of the highest order, despite its genre trappings. Certainly writerly craft is here, but it’s the melancholy that the author cloaks this particular story in that makes it resonate. Le Carré’s spies have always had rich inner lives. But here Magnus Pym’s story amplifies the inevitable tragedies of ALL lives lived, no matter what the profession, and that makes it the most haunting of Le Carré’s works, if not the most moving spy novel of all time.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very slow paced, more the life story of man in espionage and his jack-the-lad father than a thriller or spy novel. The father’s court is kind of low rent equivalent of the one in the Night Manager, which I enjoyed. Each episode is vividly written and the different viewpoints weave together in an interesting way.I found myself unintentionally reading the dialogue in the Bit of Fry and Laurie spy voices, which detracted from the overall effect, and I was glad to get to the end, but mostly enjoyed it, though not as much as the few other of the author’s books I’ve read.
An incredibly compelling portrait of a life, beautifully written, but le Carré's overwhelming sexism almost ruins it.