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jackiebranz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
oedipa_maas's review against another edition
2.0
A more literary thriller. It took time to read and although some parts grew tedious, I appreciated the descriptions le Carre gave of the subtle actions, gestures, and facial expressions of the characters that reveal so much of their motivations.
As plots go, it was a bit muddled; I followed along hoping for some clue as to what Charlie was actually going to be doing with the Palestinians, and it kind of made sense towards the end.
But character-wise, blech. Charlie got pretty clingy and weak at the end, which went against her character, especially for someone who's been in a war-torn camp and a terrorist training facility. At the near-end, after performing quite kick-assly, she basically says, "Ohhhh please don't make me go back to him he wants to fuck meeeee and I just wanna stay with yoooou even though I don't even know whyyyy." Ugh. Why cop out at the last minute, le Carre? Couldn't follow through with a strong female character? And then you had to have her call herself a whore? Multiple times? And beg to stay with the guy who tricked her into the whole thing to begin with?
Come to think of it, I didn't really enjoy this as much as I thought I did. I guess I wanted to like Charlie since there are few female leads in spy/thriller novels, but she wasn't written consistently enough. We don't get to see her thoughts enough to explain why her actions and desires fluctuate so wildly.
Meh. I'm leaving this book in the lobby of the hotel I'm at.
As plots go, it was a bit muddled; I followed along hoping for some clue as to what Charlie was actually going to be doing with the Palestinians, and it kind of made sense towards the end.
But character-wise, blech. Charlie got pretty clingy and weak at the end, which went against her character, especially for someone who's been in a war-torn camp and a terrorist training facility. At the near-end, after performing quite kick-assly, she basically says, "Ohhhh please don't make me go back to him he wants to fuck meeeee and I just wanna stay with yoooou even though I don't even know whyyyy." Ugh. Why cop out at the last minute, le Carre? Couldn't follow through with a strong female character? And then you had to have her call herself a whore? Multiple times? And beg to stay with the guy who tricked her into the whole thing to begin with?
Come to think of it, I didn't really enjoy this as much as I thought I did. I guess I wanted to like Charlie since there are few female leads in spy/thriller novels, but she wasn't written consistently enough. We don't get to see her thoughts enough to explain why her actions and desires fluctuate so wildly.
Meh. I'm leaving this book in the lobby of the hotel I'm at.
brvmama's review against another edition
3.0
The protagonist is a girl without roots and a drifter. Exploited by the Israel secret service and inserted into Palestinian terrorists net work to ferret out the elusive one. When I read the novel I could not make out the motivation of the girl to agree for the mission. The novel takes a contorted route to develop the characters, which sometimes borDers on the boredom. The details are not convincing at least by le carre standards.
Being a fan of the author I trudged on and on to finish the novel.
Being a fan of the author I trudged on and on to finish the novel.
nachtvlucht's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Death, Gun violence, and Blood
martyfried's review against another edition
5.0
I think I would have enjoyed this more if it were not an audiobook, mainly because it was a little hard to follow, but I think I did OK by going back a few times.
If you're looking for a typical spy novel, you'll probably be disappointed. This had a bit in common with the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva, but not a lot. However, having read a lot of the Silva novels, I think it helped me follow the action a little better.
The hardest part of following this book is the fact that Charlie, the "girl", is sometimes one person, and sometimes another; this is her special talent. But it's hard to know what she's really thinking. Also, her controller moves in and out of two characters while preparing her, and that's confusing at times too. A very unusual story in my opinion, and very creative in what they do.
If you're looking for a typical spy novel, you'll probably be disappointed. This had a bit in common with the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva, but not a lot. However, having read a lot of the Silva novels, I think it helped me follow the action a little better.
The hardest part of following this book is the fact that Charlie, the "girl", is sometimes one person, and sometimes another; this is her special talent. But it's hard to know what she's really thinking. Also, her controller moves in and out of two characters while preparing her, and that's confusing at times too. A very unusual story in my opinion, and very creative in what they do.
manavisharma's review against another edition
5.0
This book has me caught up in a whirlwind of emotions. The first part had me confused and unsure of how it would play out and towards the end I literally swatted away anyone who tried to talk to me so that I could read it. It's complex and alluring and confusing and absorbing all at once. A must read for anyone interested in spy novels.
pluginsteadman's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
claudials215's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5