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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
From BBC Radia 4 Extra
When word reaches The Department that Soviet missiles are being installed close to the West German border, they seize the opportunity to relive former glories.
When word reaches The Department that Soviet missiles are being installed close to the West German border, they seize the opportunity to relive former glories.
This story was very much not a political thriller and pointedly so. As he points out in the introduction, le Carre wanted to show the muddled and backstabbing nature of actual intelligence agencies. And unlike most stories where our protagonists are gallant heroes, as the story comes to an end you see they're more like a sick dog that needs to be put down. It's certainly a different attempt at storytelling and possibly even a brave one.
If you'd told told me the plot I would say I'd hate this book, but somehow I don't. It's a story of incompetence with consequences but somehow it was still worth reading.
Men in a former military espionage unit in London struggle to train one of their former agents for a mission in East Germany. I thought this was a rather tough read...it never really took off.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
This book carries the hallmarks of le Carre that I don't like and none of those I do. I found it unsatisfying.
A pretty gruelling read -- the character are all involved in espionage, and there's a sketchy plot, but really this is not a spy novel but a merciless anatomisation of male inadequacy in its many forms.
A little bit harder to read than the other's simply because it was such a dramatic shift in place and setting, but still a fantastic read.
jesus ouch. there were some really good parts but the misogyny did get tiring.