337 reviews for:

The Honourable Schoolboy

John le Carré

3.75 AVERAGE

gukgakguy's review against another edition

3.0

mysterious reflective slow-paced

kelizascope's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

tessjvl's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

isolated_matrix's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Exceptionally slow

theseventhl's review against another edition

4.0

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Part spy thriller, part political potboiler, part romantic tragedy, the second part of the Karla trilogy does not fail to deliver. Smiley is just as clever and unassumingly devious as before and his pawn, Westerby, is a classic le Carre creation who is sent into the heart of Hong Kong to further the Circus' war against the spectre of Karla. Despite some slight dips in the story where it seems Westerby's narrative threatens to overshadow the whole show, it's a solid engaging read that effectively sets the stage for a monumental showdown between long-term enemies, like pieces on a chessboard.

jonbongeorge's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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: Complicated

georgesquires123's review against another edition

2.0

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Too long by half and very dull

jessln23's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

burruss's review against another edition

3.0

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I wanted to like this book, I really did. The fact is there's really two stories going on in this novel, one centered around Smiley and the other around Westerby. Both are good stories but they do not complement each other. Instead they clash and fight for space and break up each other's momentum. The result is a book that's definitely worth reading for Le Carre fans, but ultimately a let-down; certainly nowhere near as good as it could've or should've been.

elmst13's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes