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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
One of my favourite le Carré books. Still reads fresh and relevant, with clear echoes into today's world of money laundering and political intrigue. The ending was a bit abrupt but I liked the threads left to imagination.
Conveys the complexity of today's "war on terror" - too many competing agencies/countries - the securitization of charitable donations (where money gets packaged up and sent to many different groups without your knowledge or consent). Made the characters a bit confusing and sometimes two dimensional. Some familiar (and a bit too stock) characters (the British spies). A good escape. Loved the Lipizzaners reference as money laundering accounts (turning black into white).
Really 3.5, but it was so much better than A Perfect Spy, which I couldn't even get through, that I rate it higher.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Caveat emptor: this review is mildly spoilery, in a broad, non-specific way.
John Le Carre does a lot of things very well, like create dense, fascinating plots, and characters that are interesting and feel complex and plausible. A Most Wanted Man has all of that, but I found myself dissatisfied at the very end. Not in the cynical, Le Carre-ian way, where you come to realize that nothing truly positive can come from international intelligence operations (though there was some of that, for sure), but rather in the way he characterized American intelligence operatives as arrogant assholes who do whatever they feel like, everybody else's feelings be damned, and ethics can take a hike, too.
I'm not saying that's an inaccurate portrayal. It likely is, at least in some cases. But it's also lazy and uninteresting and trite. What's more, as an American, I want to see at least complex portrayals of American characters (well, I want to see it in all characters, Americans included), if not positive ones. Simply showing up around the edges of the story being vaguely menacing, then swooping in and effing everybody over, spouting phrases like "ass-kicking justice" like some sort of cartoon isn't enough.
It's frustrating, because Le Carre is so very good at nuance. Everybody's good and everybody's bad. Usually. Just not here.
John Le Carre does a lot of things very well, like create dense, fascinating plots, and characters that are interesting and feel complex and plausible. A Most Wanted Man has all of that, but I found myself dissatisfied at the very end. Not in the cynical, Le Carre-ian way, where you come to realize that nothing truly positive can come from international intelligence operations (though there was some of that, for sure), but rather in the way he characterized American intelligence operatives as arrogant assholes who do whatever they feel like, everybody else's feelings be damned, and ethics can take a hike, too.
I'm not saying that's an inaccurate portrayal. It likely is, at least in some cases. But it's also lazy and uninteresting and trite. What's more, as an American, I want to see at least complex portrayals of American characters (well, I want to see it in all characters, Americans included), if not positive ones. Simply showing up around the edges of the story being vaguely menacing, then swooping in and effing everybody over, spouting phrases like "ass-kicking justice" like some sort of cartoon isn't enough.
It's frustrating, because Le Carre is so very good at nuance. Everybody's good and everybody's bad. Usually. Just not here.
This is the first Le Carre book I have read - but certainly not the best. I shall have to read some of the most famous ones.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Need to go watch the movie again. I always feel like I'm missing half of what le Carre is trying to tell me. Nonetheless I enjoy the ride.
This review reveals more about my limitations than the quality of this book. I had a hard time keeping up with all of the characters and their individual motives. Still enjoyable. That's why I said 'I liked it' but not as satisfying as it would have been to me if I'd been better able to follow the plot.