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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
It has a slow start, but it picks up an unrelenting steam and by the half way point in the book, all I could think about was—what will Magnus write about next? This is my 2nd favorite John le Carre book to date.
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I listened to the BBC dramatization. It was fantastic. This is a real perfect classic. I can’t believe I’ve never read this before.
It is said that starting with The Little Drummer Girl, Le Carré changes his style. His Smiley series books have some character development but are mainly a backdrop for a spy novel plot. Drummer Girl and A Perfect Spy (I'm reading his novels in published order) do a role reversal where espionage is the backdrop for fully fleshed out characters. They are satisfying novels to read, but a little longer (500 page range), requiring a commitment by the reader.
I really enjoyed this one. There were only a few places I felt the story could go near the end but that didn't really matter. I had lived with Pym and I felt for him.
I really enjoyed this one. There were only a few places I felt the story could go near the end but that didn't really matter. I had lived with Pym and I felt for him.
Three stars might be a little harsh and I may change it later. This book was incredibly well written and of the Le Carré books I’ve read, this may be the most “literature” of them all. It’s an endearing, heartbreaking, extremely personal story wrapped in excellent prose and yet…I was somewhat bored the whole time. Glad I took the time to finish it, as it’s certainly a pseudo-autobiographical novel and gave me a lot of insight into Le Carré himself.
The writing is good, but as usual in a le Carré novel, I have no idea what is going on and the characters are all so unsympathetic, I don't care either.
Now my favorite JLC novel, even better than any of The Karla Trilogy. Echoes of Gatsby, “All The Kings Men,” and the best of Graham Greene, in a twisted, slowly unwinding plot. About spies in the same way that “Citizen Kane” is about newspapers.