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A review by mubeenirfan
The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life by John le Carré
3.0
Reason of picking up any memoir is through the author's name and whatever you know about that author. Strangely, this was not the case for me here. I knew virtually nothing about John le Carre. I did not even know that it was a pseudonym for David Cornwell. I only knew one fact that John le Carre wrote a book called 'The Night Manager' and Tom Hiddleston acted brilliantly in a British tv series by that name.
David Cornwell was a spy when he was young and when it was much more fashionable than it is now. He is also a proper English man (Eton & Oxford) and his father was a con artist who served jail time in various countries but kept working towards one final catch which never happened.
The memoirs are divided into small bite sized chapters where David Cornwell introduces the reader to the background of his books & characters in addition to very colourful anecdotes from his life. This book is witty in classic English sense and you smile through majority of the book but there is melancholy too as expected of an ageing writer who has lead a long active life and is now reflecting on various stories from his past.
A good quick read, suitable for someone looking for a light read. I might have given it higher ratings had I known about the stories & books he has written in order to be able to relate well (The Spy who came in from the cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Constant Gardener etc.) but the fault is entirely mine.
David Cornwell was a spy when he was young and when it was much more fashionable than it is now. He is also a proper English man (Eton & Oxford) and his father was a con artist who served jail time in various countries but kept working towards one final catch which never happened.
The memoirs are divided into small bite sized chapters where David Cornwell introduces the reader to the background of his books & characters in addition to very colourful anecdotes from his life. This book is witty in classic English sense and you smile through majority of the book but there is melancholy too as expected of an ageing writer who has lead a long active life and is now reflecting on various stories from his past.
A good quick read, suitable for someone looking for a light read. I might have given it higher ratings had I known about the stories & books he has written in order to be able to relate well (The Spy who came in from the cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Constant Gardener etc.) but the fault is entirely mine.