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andrewspink's review against another edition
5.0
John le Carré has always been one of my favourite authors and so I started this autobiography with some anticipation. I was not disappointed. I learnt that his books were far more thoroughly researched and based on personal experience, also the post.cold war ones, than I had imagined. Like his fiction, this collection of anecdotes is very well written. I especially enjoyed the way that he slips from straight forward narrative to his clipped spy-thriller style as he takes us into some more action packed events, so that it almost feels like it is fiction. I will re-read some of his old books with new eyes now.
zohal99's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the first 50% but my interest dropped after that. It did catch my attention in the end though. I liked the dry humour. His life is very adventurous and seeing his insights into British intelligence was fascinating. I also loved learning about how he created his characters from real-life experiences to ground his work. I only ever read his novel The Spy Who Came in From the Cold which is a very confusing but intellectually stimulating spy novel. I look forward to reading more of his work. I just wish his writing style wasn't so dry.
mactammonty's review against another edition
4.0
I understand why he has so many well loved novels and novels aspired to film. His writing drew me into the stories he wished to share.
This book is a difficult read in parts, as he himself acknowledges, because I did not recognize the people he was referencing. His insights and questioning attitude about how Germany and Russia rebuilt themselves after WWII has less me to add his books to my TBR.
His dedication to research is remarkable. This has lead me to believe that his books will hopefully not be white washed as much as others tend to be. If only all of us could say the same of our own opinions of other people's today.
This book is a difficult read in parts, as he himself acknowledges, because I did not recognize the people he was referencing. His insights and questioning attitude about how Germany and Russia rebuilt themselves after WWII has less me to add his books to my TBR.
His dedication to research is remarkable. This has lead me to believe that his books will hopefully not be white washed as much as others tend to be. If only all of us could say the same of our own opinions of other people's today.
bobbo49's review against another edition
3.0
I have long been a fan of le Carre's, going back to The Spy Who Came In From the Cold. Some of these tales from his life story are brilliant and evocative, providing the background and settings for his novels (with many characters drawn from reality, noted here). On the other hand, the pieces about his ne'er do well, financial criminal father seem overlong and, in my view, not entirely relevant - except, of course, to let us know a major piece of how le Carre came to be the man, and the writer, that he became. Overall, a mixed review.
sbro's review against another edition
3.0
Some interesting parts, but overall, this was just a collection of disconnected stories. The extent of some of them were, "I had dinner with this famous person and this is generally what we talked about." I think I'll probably stick with his novels.
jackieeh's review against another edition
3.0
And a good time was had by all*.
*Me, a Le Carré fan
Is this the greatest memoir of all time? Of course not; it's a series of anecdotes. But/and I will always love Le Carré's voice with its particular brand of know it all humility. Reading this, I was struck (but not, upon reflection, surprised) by how Le Carré can just show up in Russia and say, "I want to meet a mobster," and lo, a mobster is provided to him. Or, "I'm going to the Congo now." Etc. etc. All of this is born of a promise he made to himself to never write a book without examining the terrain, which, I mean, it helps to be John Le Carré.
Obviously, despite my spy obsession, the best chapter in this book is the long one devoted to Le Carré's relationship with his father, Ronnie. It's a doozy.
*Me, a Le Carré fan
Is this the greatest memoir of all time? Of course not; it's a series of anecdotes. But/and I will always love Le Carré's voice with its particular brand of know it all humility. Reading this, I was struck (but not, upon reflection, surprised) by how Le Carré can just show up in Russia and say, "I want to meet a mobster," and lo, a mobster is provided to him. Or, "I'm going to the Congo now." Etc. etc. All of this is born of a promise he made to himself to never write a book without examining the terrain, which, I mean, it helps to be John Le Carré.
Obviously, despite my spy obsession, the best chapter in this book is the long one devoted to Le Carré's relationship with his father, Ronnie. It's a doozy.
vsbedford's review against another edition
4.0
Memoirs generally are not my thing; it's feels like hearing about someone's dream for 30 chapters. Memoirs hang their hat on the "my" and "I" - a perilous business - and the assumption that somehow, some way, this memory/story can demand and command the reader's time and attention in a way that no other life can. That's chancy when you're an elder but a 28 year old? Pssshhh....
Anyway, none of these traps befall The Pigeon Tunnel - perhaps because Mr. Le Carre has built his literary reputation on the subtle turn, the unspoken sentence, the empty space between action and meaning. In this way his memoir is constantly and consistently interesting, occasionally funny, and especially sharp when depicting how the circumstances on the ground shaped his work (see the three chapters entitled Theater of the Real) and how the Service's own prejudices and blind spots allowed a traitor to thrive (His brother's keeper). Less interesting, for me, are the bits exploring his troubled relationship with his father, as unusual as his father is. A strong, strong recommend.
Anyway, none of these traps befall The Pigeon Tunnel - perhaps because Mr. Le Carre has built his literary reputation on the subtle turn, the unspoken sentence, the empty space between action and meaning. In this way his memoir is constantly and consistently interesting, occasionally funny, and especially sharp when depicting how the circumstances on the ground shaped his work (see the three chapters entitled Theater of the Real) and how the Service's own prejudices and blind spots allowed a traitor to thrive (His brother's keeper). Less interesting, for me, are the bits exploring his troubled relationship with his father, as unusual as his father is. A strong, strong recommend.
kehei225's review against another edition
Interesting but not exactly what I want to read right now.
thatgirl1's review against another edition
2.0
This book just isn't for me. No disrespect for the author I just found too many of the chapters tedious. However, there were some I did enjoy. My favourite was the one about Alec Guiness...beautiful prose.