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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm always pleased when my last book of the year is a good one. I found this to be an absorbing story from the first page, which isn't always true for me with le Carré.
His books are often quite dense and as much as I enjoy them, I'm also sometimes quite confused for a while. That wasn't the case with this one though. I had a firm grip on the plot throughout and I thought the way the narrative moves back and forth between timelines and perspectives was really clever. I've had this since 2015 and for some reason never picked it up until now, so I'm pleased it turned out to be so good.
His books are often quite dense and as much as I enjoy them, I'm also sometimes quite confused for a while. That wasn't the case with this one though. I had a firm grip on the plot throughout and I thought the way the narrative moves back and forth between timelines and perspectives was really clever. I've had this since 2015 and for some reason never picked it up until now, so I'm pleased it turned out to be so good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
This was a decent le Carre book, but not up there with his best. You can tell he is pissed at the western contract mercenary trend, and this is a rant dressed up in a book. The character motivations seemed a bit weak - they seemed to do what the author wanted them to. It's pretty clear throughout what is going on, so you mostly get to hear a predictable story told by a master. There are far better choices for a first foray into le Carre, though.
I enjoyed this book and rather forgot to make notes for my book club's discussion of it - I was too caught up in the complexities of the story.
It moves back and forth in time so that we are gradually given more information as we need it. Le Carré's anger is palpable, and the premise of his story is frighteningly believable. A supposed "rendition" of a terrorist gone wrong, and the ensuing cover-ups are bad enough. The really horrible thing, which we know to be true, is that there is no longer any moral high ground. The tactics of "our" side are just as questionable, if not downright evil, as those of the terrorists. Nobody wears a white hat anymore.
"What is the moral distinction, if any, between the man who applies the electrodes and the man who sits behind a desk and pretends he doesn't know it's happening, although he knows very well."
Exactly. Three and a half stars.
It moves back and forth in time so that we are gradually given more information as we need it. Le Carré's anger is palpable, and the premise of his story is frighteningly believable. A supposed "rendition" of a terrorist gone wrong, and the ensuing cover-ups are bad enough. The really horrible thing, which we know to be true, is that there is no longer any moral high ground. The tactics of "our" side are just as questionable, if not downright evil, as those of the terrorists. Nobody wears a white hat anymore.
"What is the moral distinction, if any, between the man who applies the electrodes and the man who sits behind a desk and pretends he doesn't know it's happening, although he knows very well."
Exactly. Three and a half stars.
A good novel about the rot at the heart of our systems (in this case the British government but it still holds). Well worth reading.
I spent a lot of time figuring out how the British Foreign Service works as I read this, which is my geekiness on display.
I spent a lot of time figuring out how the British Foreign Service works as I read this, which is my geekiness on display.
Enjoyable, briskly paced book from the master of old-school spy craft. Le Carré writes with such precision, his sentences these declarative rods of succinct description, that you can lose sight of his more nuanced achievements. Chief among these achievements is the way that the omniscient narrator takes on the point of view, the language, of whatever character is the current focus of the narrative.
This book tells of two members of the British intelligence services who have to come to grips with bad acts relating to the American enterprise in Iraq. The repercussions aren't pretty, no surprise. What's especially effective is how the author insinuates paranoia into the goings on. Anxiety about surveillance is a natural state in any story about spying, but somehow the way the claustrophobic intensity of it builds here is intense precisely because it gathers so slowly.
There’s been a lot of talk since the fall of the Berlin Wall about how le Carré has had to find new subjects to write about. But if anything, this book — even with its modern focus on mercenary armies and on the commercial market for intelligence gathering — shows just how little has changed since he first started writing fiction about the fictions that fuel espionage.
This book tells of two members of the British intelligence services who have to come to grips with bad acts relating to the American enterprise in Iraq. The repercussions aren't pretty, no surprise. What's especially effective is how the author insinuates paranoia into the goings on. Anxiety about surveillance is a natural state in any story about spying, but somehow the way the claustrophobic intensity of it builds here is intense precisely because it gathers so slowly.
There’s been a lot of talk since the fall of the Berlin Wall about how le Carré has had to find new subjects to write about. But if anything, this book — even with its modern focus on mercenary armies and on the commercial market for intelligence gathering — shows just how little has changed since he first started writing fiction about the fictions that fuel espionage.
John le Carré még mindig nagyon ott van kém-regény téren. Nagyon érdekes problémákat vet fel a hírszerzés elüzletiesedésével kapcsolatban. Vajon hogyan tussolnak el egy teljesen elcseszett "black-ops" hadműveletet. Kinek milyen érdeke fűződik hozzá? És mit csinál az a külügyi tisztviselő aki ki akar pakolni? Ezek mind kiderülnek egy nagyon érdekes regényben.
adventurous
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great narration from le Carre and a very solid enjoyable story
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A nice update/reboot of le Carre's territory. Le Carre never gives the reader the easy explanation and expects him or her to meet the story about 70% of the way, which can be challenging but is never boring. An ambiguous ending left me a little disappointed but othwerwise I greatly enjoyed this outing.