A review by ilovelucy
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

I read this book almost a year ago, and I have been thinking about it ever since.  I started this novel and became immediately interested in where the story was going, however I was a big fan of tinker tailor and wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this one as much.
I was intrigued by the story, specifically seeing the story unravel that Leamas was feeding to Fiedler. I felt I was following along pleasantly until I neared the end, and suddenly I could not keep reading quickly enough.
When I read the final pages I felt like my heart had stopped. It was like was gut punched with a sack of bricks. The reveal of Control’s plan, Leamas’s place in it all, the horribly unethical inclusion of Liz in these plans… the conversation between the two in the car on the way to their demise was some of the most thought provoking and emotion invoking dialogue I have ever read, especially in an espionage novel.  


All of this to say - there were definitely some dated elements to the writing, but Le Carre’s style and substance vastly (in my opinion) outweighs these cons. 
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