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kathrynirena's review against another edition
4.0
What a fascinating collection of stories. I've only read one book by le Carré so far (The Spy Who Came In From The Cold) and remember highly enjoying it--this memoir was a surprising and delightful look into snapshots of the life of David Cornwell as he wrote the novel that launched his career and his other works.
Unsurprisingly, he is a very compelling writer--it's a shame the ARC was riddled with so many typos and formatting issues.
Unsurprisingly, he is a very compelling writer--it's a shame the ARC was riddled with so many typos and formatting issues.
zoey1999's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed the first 50% but my interest dropped after that. It did catch my attention in the end though. I liked the dry humour. His life is very adventurous and seeing his insights into British intelligence was fascinating. I also loved learning about how he created his characters from real-life experiences to ground his work. I only ever read his novel The Spy Who Came in From the Cold which is a very confusing but intellectually stimulating spy novel. I look forward to reading more of his work. I just wish his writing style wasn't so dry.
onecrab's review against another edition
3.0
Ordinary and extraordinary stories from a remarkable storyteller.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Le Carre’s book is more a collection of essays that may or may not be true (at least according to his disclaimer). The essays range from the very personal (about his father) to the funny (about a credit card) to the historic (about Philby). There are stories about the development of his novels for movies – including stories about Burton and Guinness. There is a funny bit about Robert Redford.
But Le Carre’s boo isn’t just name dropping, or to be more exact, it’s not about name dropping at all. In part, Le Carre talks about his thinking, about how he sees things, flaws and all. And while he doesn’t have the easy-going style of Neil Simon’s memoirs, there is a charm and breeziness to the essays.
But Le Carre’s boo isn’t just name dropping, or to be more exact, it’s not about name dropping at all. In part, Le Carre talks about his thinking, about how he sees things, flaws and all. And while he doesn’t have the easy-going style of Neil Simon’s memoirs, there is a charm and breeziness to the essays.
komet2020's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
"THE PIGEON TUNNEL: Stories from My life" is a collection of stories attesting to the colorful and complicated life that was led by its author, John le Carré.
For anyone who has had the privilege of listening to the interviews that John le Carré gave at various times in his life, it quickly becomes apparent that he has lots of interesting things to say about his life and the people who helped shape it, or figured tangentially in it (e.g. his mother, who left him and his older brother when he was 5 and whom he wouldn't meet til he was in his early 20s). Le Carré also had a remarkable gift for mimicry. (Anyone who has heard his imitation of Sir Alec Guinness is in for a treat.)
Through these stories the reader is taken to places as diverse as Switzerland (where le Carré had studied for a time and later became fluent in German); Bonn, West Germany in the early 1960s (where he served as a spy under diplomatic cover); the Soviet Union in the late 1980s; Phnom Penh, Cambodia in the 1970s (where he had gone to do research for his novel, "The Honourable Schoolboy" - which is my favorite John le Carré novel); his home in Cornwall; a New York hotel in 1963 (where he had been sent by his publisher to promote his novel, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", which was a best-seller in the U.S. at the time); war-wracked Beirut, Lebanon in 1982; and the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The chapter "Son of the Author's Father" is the longest in the book. It is John le Carré's way of coming to terms with the very complicated relationship he had with his father Ronnie, who was a confidence man, gun runner, inveterate charmer, seducer, con artist, and thief. In reading this story, it became apparent to me that le Carré struggled through most of his life to fully understand how his father had impacted on it. The two men had an on-and-off, uneasy relationship that ran hot and cold.
I enjoyed reading "The Pigeon Tunnel" and highly recommend it to anyone who loves to read engaging, well-told stories.
For anyone who has had the privilege of listening to the interviews that John le Carré gave at various times in his life, it quickly becomes apparent that he has lots of interesting things to say about his life and the people who helped shape it, or figured tangentially in it (e.g. his mother, who left him and his older brother when he was 5 and whom he wouldn't meet til he was in his early 20s). Le Carré also had a remarkable gift for mimicry. (Anyone who has heard his imitation of Sir Alec Guinness is in for a treat.)
Through these stories the reader is taken to places as diverse as Switzerland (where le Carré had studied for a time and later became fluent in German); Bonn, West Germany in the early 1960s (where he served as a spy under diplomatic cover); the Soviet Union in the late 1980s; Phnom Penh, Cambodia in the 1970s (where he had gone to do research for his novel, "The Honourable Schoolboy" - which is my favorite John le Carré novel); his home in Cornwall; a New York hotel in 1963 (where he had been sent by his publisher to promote his novel, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", which was a best-seller in the U.S. at the time); war-wracked Beirut, Lebanon in 1982; and the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The chapter "Son of the Author's Father" is the longest in the book. It is John le Carré's way of coming to terms with the very complicated relationship he had with his father Ronnie, who was a confidence man, gun runner, inveterate charmer, seducer, con artist, and thief. In reading this story, it became apparent to me that le Carré struggled through most of his life to fully understand how his father had impacted on it. The two men had an on-and-off, uneasy relationship that ran hot and cold.
I enjoyed reading "The Pigeon Tunnel" and highly recommend it to anyone who loves to read engaging, well-told stories.
veniasum's review against another edition
Fascinating vignettes in themselves and as windows into the intensive research (into persons and places) that le Carre puts into his novels. Writing is a lot of work.
dgrachel's review against another edition
4.0
I read this in a combination of print and audiobook read by the author. I loved le Carre's narration and found the stories within to be fascinating. The end was a bit of a surprise, and I turned the page expecting more. So, the way it ended was a bit disappointing. I enjoyed the details of events and people who inspired some of his novels. A great read for fans.
rosienreads's review against another edition
5.0
If there was ever a book I was not expecting to enjoy it’s this one. I got this book as part of an audible deal when all the TV adaptions of the author’s books were appearing, but I never got into the shows. As a result, it took a long time before I decided to pick up this book. I sincerely regret not listening to this book earlier. The Pigeon Tunnel is an autobiography, told through a series of episodic stories from John Le Carré’s life.
One of the reasons why I found myself enjoying this book so much is that, while the books discusses Le Carré’s life in politics, in the secret service and throughout the cold war, it is easily accessible to anyone and very difficult to turn away from – there were always more stories to hear. A large part of this could be attributed to Le Carré’s narration – his voice was clear and personable, not to mention that the fact he’s narrating his own stories meant that there was a certain emphasis and depth to the narration which could not have been achieved with another narrator. I found myself constantly thinking about this book and the life Le Carré led, as well as found myself learning things which I had no idea had occurred. While I don’t know if I would have enjoyed it so much has I read it in print rather than listened to the audiobook, I would still highly recommend it to anyone vaguely interested in the various number of topics covered in this book.
One of the reasons why I found myself enjoying this book so much is that, while the books discusses Le Carré’s life in politics, in the secret service and throughout the cold war, it is easily accessible to anyone and very difficult to turn away from – there were always more stories to hear. A large part of this could be attributed to Le Carré’s narration – his voice was clear and personable, not to mention that the fact he’s narrating his own stories meant that there was a certain emphasis and depth to the narration which could not have been achieved with another narrator. I found myself constantly thinking about this book and the life Le Carré led, as well as found myself learning things which I had no idea had occurred. While I don’t know if I would have enjoyed it so much has I read it in print rather than listened to the audiobook, I would still highly recommend it to anyone vaguely interested in the various number of topics covered in this book.