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A review by lokroma
Agent Running in the Field by John le Carré
4.0
This was my second reading, in preparation for leading a discussion. I've always been a fan of Le Carre as a storyteller, but I now have an appreciation for what a fine writer he was. Conventional in form, but his attention to detail, and his exploration of the importance of the zeitgeist in the lives of those who are aware is incisive.
It's Brexit, this time, rather than the Cold War, that provides the backdrop for an agent runner who is facing the end of his career, and who finds an unlikely companion in a young man who challenges him at badminton. The two develop a sort of friendship as they move through a series of complex MI6 operations that work to destroy their illusions about the British government and intelligence services.
A clever plot, with lots of twists and turns and surprises, I found the book hard to put down. That an 88 year old author could close his career with such a fine book is remarkable. (There was a posthumous book published last month, but I haven't read it yet.)
It's Brexit, this time, rather than the Cold War, that provides the backdrop for an agent runner who is facing the end of his career, and who finds an unlikely companion in a young man who challenges him at badminton. The two develop a sort of friendship as they move through a series of complex MI6 operations that work to destroy their illusions about the British government and intelligence services.
A clever plot, with lots of twists and turns and surprises, I found the book hard to put down. That an 88 year old author could close his career with such a fine book is remarkable. (There was a posthumous book published last month, but I haven't read it yet.)