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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Ye gods this took forever to read, especially for a senior thesis book. I liked it fundamentally, but it read as pretty scattered, especially after Tinker, Tailor, and I just couldn't get in to Jerry Westerby. I mean, "Gosh, super, George, hello," is pretty great, but that's just about all he's got.
Peter Guillam = still awesome, but you can see the streak of frustration, present in the past, bubbling to the surface and his move to France in Smiley's People suddenly makes that much more sense.
Peter Guillam = still awesome, but you can see the streak of frustration, present in the past, bubbling to the surface and his move to France in Smiley's People suddenly makes that much more sense.
(it's not perfect but i am awarding it five stars because the good bits were so good)
le carre is such an understated master of narration. he's got this patient, methodical way of telling you the story and even though the pace of this one was a little slow for quite a while, there's the promise of it all building to something really exciting if you stick around.
once again it's coloured with a lovely cast of very fully realised characters. i was keen on westerby and fairly fond of his journalist pals as well; connie sachs was fantastic as ever, and i was quite impressed with fawn too. can't help but feel guillam didn't have much to do in this one, though, and i did wish smiley got out a bit more -- although it's obvious that he too is uncomfortable with his heavy responsibilities. the asian settings were brilliantly vivid and i loved how it contrasted the somewhat drab familiar landscape of london. you always get the impression that le carre has been to a lot of places, done a lot of things and met a lot of people -- there's a quality to the writing that is so authentic that you feel he must have been there. whether he has or not, it's still impressive.
i was very satisfied with the action, too -- the tension during the warzones was fantastically done throughout, with a real sense of looming unknown. westerby finding luke's body was brilliantly gruesome. i was very impressed with ricardo's car bomb (and i have to say, charlie marshall and the aeroplane was such a cool scene, especially westerby's delayed realisation that ricardo had been there all along was brilliant. i loved charlie marshall's mud houses while he was crying and confessing to westerby. and fawn beating jerry in order to protect smiley had my heart in my throat, i was almost expecting jerry to drop dead then and there. i even drew up some unexpected sympathy for the Ko brothers at the end and the gatsby-esque image of the green lights on the boat, it was all a brilliant finale. i have to say i wasn't expecting jerry to get out of there with his head on his shoulders but it was still a surprise the way he went. i will honestly stick around through any level of dreary file-pushing espionage in order to get to the action bit, le carre just writes so fantastically. can't help but sing his praises, he really is excellent.
le carre is such an understated master of narration. he's got this patient, methodical way of telling you the story and even though the pace of this one was a little slow for quite a while, there's the promise of it all building to something really exciting if you stick around.
once again it's coloured with a lovely cast of very fully realised characters. i was keen on westerby and fairly fond of his journalist pals as well; connie sachs was fantastic as ever, and i was quite impressed with fawn too. can't help but feel guillam didn't have much to do in this one, though, and i did wish smiley got out a bit more -- although it's obvious that he too is uncomfortable with his heavy responsibilities. the asian settings were brilliantly vivid and i loved how it contrasted the somewhat drab familiar landscape of london. you always get the impression that le carre has been to a lot of places, done a lot of things and met a lot of people -- there's a quality to the writing that is so authentic that you feel he must have been there. whether he has or not, it's still impressive.
challenging
dark
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:
Yes
A touch less honorific than Tinker Tailor, a touch more convoluted, and certainly a good deal more exotic, le Carré's style carried Schoolboy where the plot simply fell short. Still, Jerry Westerby is one of the most intriguing characters I've ever read, even if his actions bordered on incoherent in the story's final act. All in all, Schoolboy felt too much like a Bond novel; which, for le Carré, isn't necessarily a good thing. Hopefully Smiley's People, number three in the Trilogy, is a more grounded thriller of political espionage.
Also, Happy New Year!
Also, Happy New Year!
adventurous
mysterious
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
Not quite as astute or brilliantly plotted as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy this is nevertheless a wonderful spy novel, filled with all the care and attention to detail expected from Le Carre, along with some poignant meditations on the dehumanizing nature of spycraft and the moral complexities of the later Cold War .
dark
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-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
"The Honourable Schoolboy" by John Le Carre. Le Carre writes spy novels. As a former spy for MI6, his novels are assumed to be a realistic depiction of the intelligence community. This novel is basically divided into two sections. The first part of the novel (featuring George Smiley, a very unassuming spy that is one of the best in the game) is a very detailed account of putting the pieces of intelligence together and planning the mission to come in the second part. The characters here are all the behind the scenes guys. They are meticulous in their investigation and planning. Also, they use a lot of British spy slang, which can be confusing to some readers. I found that I eventually fell into the flow of the dialogue, even if I didn't understand every term or phrase. The part of the narrative that follows the one on the ground operative is a more exciting, James Bond-esque, account of spying, but nothing over the top. For those interested in a more nuanced account of espionage, this is an excellent book. I would recommend any of the "George Smiley" series by Le Carre. #thehonourableschoolboy #johnlecarré #bookreview #simplebookreview
It used to be that this was my favorite of the George Smiley books. I liked the reporter angle, the exotic Hong Kong setting, the intricacies of running agents, the tragedy waiting to happen throughout. This time I enjoyed it, but less so than the other two books. In some ways I think this is le Carré throwing everything he knows at the wall in hopes that it will stick. It is a testimony to his skill that it all does. In other ways it's almost too tainted with the Vietnam War, although that is not its subject matter it permeates the entire construct and makes things feel a bit dated.
There are great moments in this, but they tend to be the smaller quiet ones - the reporters' bar on a rainy day, Craw visiting his little ship, the plane ride into Pnomh Penh. Don't get me wrong, all the big sweeping moments are good, too, but somehow didn't catch me as much.
A good middle book between two excellent ones.
There are great moments in this, but they tend to be the smaller quiet ones - the reporters' bar on a rainy day, Craw visiting his little ship, the plane ride into Pnomh Penh. Don't get me wrong, all the big sweeping moments are good, too, but somehow didn't catch me as much.
A good middle book between two excellent ones.