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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
This was so hard to get into. I slogged through it, but I probably shouldn't have. It's odd, I've liked other books in this series. I'm not sure why this one was such a difficult read for me.
sad
medium-paced
A nice little spy story. Not as engaging at later work, but a decent read.
3.5 stars. The opening is awesome, and the way that Smiley comes in and corrects missteps towards the end is really well done. I like the depiction of espionage in these books because it appears to be more designed and plotted than executed. Unlike say the Bourne books or some recent thriller styles, these books are about cause and effect, and the impact actions have on reactions and emotions.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Dipping into a little bit of le Carré every so often has been a fun venture in my reading life over the past year or so. His books differ slightly from my usual tastes in terms of subject matter and, well, heavy male focus, but the three books I've so far read of the Smiley series have all been solidly enjoyable reads for me.
This installment, however, fell a bit flat.
The setup in the beginning really intrigued me — austere Scandanavian airport in the middle of nowhere, a spy who's not the brightest, a mysterious Citeron, a roll of film, a snowbank. When we return to London and the picture bigger is slowly revealed, that was all intriguing, too. But after about the halfway point, everything interesting to me just dissipated almost entirely.
The rest was a lot of men hanging around, complaining about women, 'preparing' for a mission that only came at the very end. It was clear throughout this that there was something larger than the Department going on, but I never felt like this was satisfactorily explained, at least enough to justify all of the build-up that, to me, never seemed to really go anywhere. The ending was a bit boring and rather confusing, and, again, no true motive was ever really revealed — it was more left to the reader to see how the characters had been played.
However, I am hopeful that this was just a brief dip in terms of my overall enjoyment of the Smiley books. Thankfully, this book closes a chapter in the series that opens on to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy which I am very excited to get to soon.
This installment, however, fell a bit flat.
The setup in the beginning really intrigued me — austere Scandanavian airport in the middle of nowhere, a spy who's not the brightest, a mysterious Citeron, a roll of film, a snowbank. When we return to London and the picture bigger is slowly revealed, that was all intriguing, too. But after about the halfway point, everything interesting to me just dissipated almost entirely.
The rest was a lot of men hanging around, complaining about women, 'preparing' for a mission that only came at the very end. It was clear throughout this that there was something larger than the Department going on, but I never felt like this was satisfactorily explained, at least enough to justify all of the build-up that, to me, never seemed to really go anywhere. The ending was a bit boring and rather confusing, and, again, no true motive was ever really revealed — it was more left to the reader to see how the characters had been played.
However, I am hopeful that this was just a brief dip in terms of my overall enjoyment of the Smiley books. Thankfully, this book closes a chapter in the series that opens on to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy which I am very excited to get to soon.
adventurous
tense
fast-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
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes