You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Καταπληκτικό. Αργό, εξαντλητικά επεξηγηματικο, τον Λε Καρε αγαπάς να τον απολαμβάνεις.
This is an example of wrong book at the wrong time.
Working my way through the Smiley novels has been an experience but after the taut Tinker Tailor..., we have a different beast. Broader in scope and reach, it's denser, slower, more complex and more colourful. It's also really hard to keep focus - I read this in the midst of the US election/insurrection attempt, Brexit and covid plus being on holiday. Too many more pressing distractions.
My attention wandered and by the end, I wasn't really sure what had transpired. Perhaps a re-read down the line will be in order. Credit still due to Michael Jayston for an excellent narration. I think I'll take a breather before completing the Karla trilogy.
Working my way through the Smiley novels has been an experience but after the taut Tinker Tailor..., we have a different beast. Broader in scope and reach, it's denser, slower, more complex and more colourful. It's also really hard to keep focus - I read this in the midst of the US election/insurrection attempt, Brexit and covid plus being on holiday. Too many more pressing distractions.
My attention wandered and by the end, I wasn't really sure what had transpired. Perhaps a re-read down the line will be in order. Credit still due to Michael Jayston for an excellent narration. I think I'll take a breather before completing the Karla trilogy.
Not the tightest, most focused of Le Carré's that I've read so far, but ultimately the slow burn paid off rather well. I struggled with the first 1/3, before it became gripping.
Excellent Smiley as always, while the landscape around him has shifted - the disrepute and decline of the Circus, and the rise of the might of the Cousins as they prepare to pull out of Vietnam. And Jerry Westerby of course, the title character.
As a Karla novel, it does seem a bit tenuous, but it was so much fun in the end that I didn't care. I also love all the detail of the procedure personally.
Excellent Smiley as always, while the landscape around him has shifted - the disrepute and decline of the Circus, and the rise of the might of the Cousins as they prepare to pull out of Vietnam. And Jerry Westerby of course, the title character.
As a Karla novel, it does seem a bit tenuous, but it was so much fun in the end that I didn't care. I also love all the detail of the procedure personally.
slow-paced
I really wanted to like this one. It was a slog. The main character Westerby went from being a great side character to someone I didn't particularly care for by the end. It picks up once he's out in the warzone, but comes to a sudden halt that felt like a disservice to the character. Smiley, as always, is the best part.
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have started reading The Honorable Schoolboy half a dozen times. Often I wouldn’t make it passed the first chapter. This time I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook, at 1.5 speed, which helped keep the pace of the reading up. I’ve really liked all of the Smiley novels to this point. I thought The Honorable Schoolboy was fine, but it is my least favorite of the Smiley novels I’ve read so far.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I might have to re-attempt this someday. I couldn't get through the first couple dozen pages.
This book gets a bad rap because of Tinker Tailor is so revered. It's also longer than Tinker but I enjoyed it, more so because I had seen the Tinker movie and knew what was coming. They'll never make this one into a movie because they'd probably have to change the plot substantially to make it palatable to a movie going audience which would spoil the brew of what makes this novel great.