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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
The 686 pages felt like 200, I didn't want to finish it but rushed to the end. A brilliant picture of spying and it's unglamorous side. Smiley enigmatic and knowing yet flawed, Westerby comic but efficient and similarly flawed. Planning to swiftly move to Smileys people.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
slow-paced
En su momento los críticos quisieron convencerse de que The Honourable Schoolboy era una digna secuela, algo deshilachada, de Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Tiene poca relación con esa novela tan buena. El pelotón chiflado de Smiley (Guillam el fisiognomista, la alcohólica y aguda Sachs, el matarife Fawn...) aparecen ocasionalmente, el héroe es un periodista aventurero de cliché llamado Jerry Westerby.
Westerby, la fusión de Tintin y James Bond, se puede colar en cualquier fiesta, enamora a la rubia del villano chino, escapa de coches bomba... ya se imaginarán el resto. Se entiende el plan de le Carré, construye al súper-agente al servicio de su Majestad para hacerle pagar las facturas que Ian Fleming le perdonaba, pero la aventura es larga, carece de interés y el lector acaba más interesado por las escaramuzas burocráticas de Smiley.
Le Carré parece ser de la misma opinión que Alan Moore: un James Bond nunca podría ser un héroe, sería necesariamente un fastidio para su país, para cada persona en su entorno, para el planeta. Es sólo que le toma 500 páginas contar este chiste tan sencillo.
Westerby, la fusión de Tintin y James Bond, se puede colar en cualquier fiesta, enamora a la rubia del villano chino, escapa de coches bomba... ya se imaginarán el resto. Se entiende el plan de le Carré, construye al súper-agente al servicio de su Majestad para hacerle pagar las facturas que Ian Fleming le perdonaba, pero la aventura es larga, carece de interés y el lector acaba más interesado por las escaramuzas burocráticas de Smiley.
Le Carré parece ser de la misma opinión que Alan Moore: un James Bond nunca podría ser un héroe, sería necesariamente un fastidio para su país, para cada persona en su entorno, para el planeta. Es sólo que le toma 500 páginas contar este chiste tan sencillo.
This is le Carré at his finest. He has a sure grasp on plot, character, drama, and humor, not a scene out of place. This is one of those novels where the craftsmanship is as much to be enjoyed as the story itself. A very worthy sequel to Tinker, Tailor
The plot thickens slowly like a good Southern gravy. There seems to be more foreshadowing and general signposting here than in Le Carre’s earlier novels so the reader doesn’t have to keep notes or wait until the last chapter to find out what the heck was going on. It strikes me that most of the characters are ambivalent about their own motivations and just trying to get by in a very confusing time and place. Very well done though.
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
took a while to get going, but it was good after that. jlc had A LOT to say about SE Asia around the time of the end of the vietnam war. two chapters towards the end were very reminiscent of the rome chapter towards the end of catch-22.
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes