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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
Yes
adventurous
tense
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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Interesting, slow-burn of a book about east and west Germany, and the relationship of spymasters and spies, and who is expendable and who is not. This book will certainly be better on a re-read as I am pretty certain I missed some subtle details.
Overall, very good. I would not call it a George Smiley book. Yes, he's in it, but makes two appearances, and makes no difference in the story (just a get a bit about his character as a person) This is a standalone book.
Overall, very good. I would not call it a George Smiley book. Yes, he's in it, but makes two appearances, and makes no difference in the story (just a get a bit about his character as a person) This is a standalone book.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I'd go 3.5 if I could, but didn't like it enough to bump up to 4. This novel is the one which is generally known as LeCarre's masterpiece, but I didn't like it as much as the preceding one in the series. There are, however, lots of twists in the plot, so it is engaging.
As much of a classic as Tinker Tailor, this was Le Carrè's breakout novel. It follows Alec Leamas, a former station head in Berlin who lost his agent Karl Riemeck to counterintelligence operations headed by Hans-Dieter Mundt. Upon his return to Britain, Control approaches him about a feigned defection that could turn Mundt's deputy Jens Fiedler against him. So Leamas "leaves" the service, turns to drink, and strikes up a relationship with Liz Gold, a young woman and member of the Communist Party of Great Britain, but whom he tries to keep out of the plans. The back half of the book is Leamas's defection, interrogation, and Mundt's trial, though, as befits a Le Carré novel it is never entirely clear who is on trial. I find the twists of this novel are buried just touch more deeply than I care for. Nothing is as it seems in this world, but both the evidence for and consequences of the duplicity lands beyond the scope of Leamas's plot, which simply wasn't as interesting to me. Still a gripping story.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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:
Yes