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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I admit that I am not familiar with this series of British spy/espionage thrillers of the mid to late 20th Century or LeCarre's supposedly "greatest character ever"--Jerry Westerby, the 'schoolboy'! The detailed descriptions of the primarily South East Asia milieu and the various intrigues of the plot are entertaining although grotesque. I suppose I expected more detail about the escapades of that Nelson character who is finally apprehended in the end but dismayed by the fate of Westerby (and the tragic Elizabeth Worthington)!
I admit that I am not familiar with this series of British spy/espionage thrillers of the mid to late 20th Century or LeCarre's supposedly "greatest character ever"--Jerry Westerby, the 'schoolboy'! The detailed descriptions of the primarily South East Asia milieu and the various intrigues of the plot are entertaining although grotesque. I suppose I expected more detail about the escapades of that Nelson character who is finally apprehended in the end but dismayed by the fate of Westerby (and the tragic Elizabeth Worthington)!
Audio version. Excellent reading by Michael Jayston. He's as good as Le Carre was when he read his own books.
Smiley never disappoints.
Smiley never disappoints.
I like Le Carre's plotting and his characterization, but sometimes I find his writing inscrutable, which is to say, extremely hard to follow. That seems partly intentional, as if an extension of the byzantine machinations of the competing conspirators that the book depicts, and yet, it makes it difficult to read. All the same, I intend to finish the trilogy of Karla books, at least, and will likely read others by JLC in the future.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Feel totally gaslit. This book isn’t about Smiley at all. It’s about some wanker named Jerry who’s in love with a femme fetale drug smuggler he never even talks to. The first and last 100 pages are fine but everything in between is an absolute slog to get through. I’d have had more fun watching moss grow.
After several taut and tightly written books by the author, and the flabbier but still excellent Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, this one went more off the rails. The plot is excellent, the schoolboy is well drawn, but damn there was a lot of opaque and incomprehensibly idiomatic text. This was also the first by the author that felt intentionally cinematic. Then there’s the length. I suppose saying the author used too many words is a bit like the quip about Mozart using too many notes, but yeah, sometimes he did. Finally, and the reason I dinged this one a star is that the foreshadowing removed all surprise. Was it intentional? The fact that it still engrosses probably earns the star back, but I’m still irked by all the incomprehensible bits.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes