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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
A tricky bugger of a book, constantly shifting in time, tone and the revelations that it shares with its reader. We go from our protagonist's view of the present, to (unannounced) our protagonist's memories of childhood. Then flip over to the boss of our protagonist's memories of the past. Then our protagonist's wife's view of the present. Then back to our protagonist's view of the present. Then back to the boss of our protagonist's memories of the past. Then the boss of our protagonist's view of the present. Past. Present. Present. Past. Past. Past. Present. Past.
All the while revealing more, yet concealing much more.
That is, this is not an easy, breezy read. You'll work for this one.
All the while revealing more, yet concealing much more.
That is, this is not an easy, breezy read. You'll work for this one.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A gripping and emotionally profound work by a contemporary genius of the form. John Le Carré is more than just a writer of tense potboilers; he's a staggeringly gifted writer and artist of the fictional narrative. A Perfect Spy is not necessarily an easy read — it will take some investment in time and attention. The structure is original, there's a lot of backstory, and there are deep autobiographical elements that give this espionage/suspense novel its unusual gravitas. But like many works of artistic genius, what you get out of it is proportional to what you put in, and this novel rewards the attentive reader in spades. Seriously, you don't want to miss this. It's a great, great novel.
Spy thriller as character study rather than plot driven or more evenly divided between the two is certainly an unusual approach but it more than works in the hands of the master, Le Carre. There are coded messages, clandestine meetings, concealed cameras and film, and all the rest one would expect from a Cold War spy thriller, but they are background details. This is the life story of Magnus Pym and what he does is far less important than trying to understand why.
I battled through this. There was some fantastic writing, but I found the main character talking about himself in third person and first person confusing and the early story of his father slow and tedious.
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the story of a man who spends his whole life keeping secrets from everyone, including himself, and how he finally finds himself out. It's full of social and psychological notes that only a keen observer would put into words. It takes a long time to get where it's finally going. If you want a classic spy story, read The Spy Who Came In from the Cold. If you want a whodunit, read A Murder of Quality. If you want a novel, this is the LeCarre to read.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a masterwork. dense and disorientating at the beginning, but i think le Carré intends it so. it's like he is throwing his readers into the deep end for the joy of it. then, like by magic, it all begins to make sense. brilliantly crafted characters right down to the bit players. no wonder this thing is 600+ pages long.
This is my second reading, seven years after the first. I was not nearly as charmed by this the second time around. This time I was annoyed by how fractured the storytelling was and wised it was told in a more straightforward sort of way. But I don’t regret spending the time. Three stars.
This is my second reading, seven years after the first. I was not nearly as charmed by this the second time around. This time I was annoyed by how fractured the storytelling was and wised it was told in a more straightforward sort of way. But I don’t regret spending the time. Three stars.