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A review by jackieeh
The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life by John le Carré
3.0
And a good time was had by all*.
*Me, a Le Carré fan
Is this the greatest memoir of all time? Of course not; it's a series of anecdotes. But/and I will always love Le Carré's voice with its particular brand of know it all humility. Reading this, I was struck (but not, upon reflection, surprised) by how Le Carré can just show up in Russia and say, "I want to meet a mobster," and lo, a mobster is provided to him. Or, "I'm going to the Congo now." Etc. etc. All of this is born of a promise he made to himself to never write a book without examining the terrain, which, I mean, it helps to be John Le Carré.
Obviously, despite my spy obsession, the best chapter in this book is the long one devoted to Le Carré's relationship with his father, Ronnie. It's a doozy.
*Me, a Le Carré fan
Is this the greatest memoir of all time? Of course not; it's a series of anecdotes. But/and I will always love Le Carré's voice with its particular brand of know it all humility. Reading this, I was struck (but not, upon reflection, surprised) by how Le Carré can just show up in Russia and say, "I want to meet a mobster," and lo, a mobster is provided to him. Or, "I'm going to the Congo now." Etc. etc. All of this is born of a promise he made to himself to never write a book without examining the terrain, which, I mean, it helps to be John Le Carré.
Obviously, despite my spy obsession, the best chapter in this book is the long one devoted to Le Carré's relationship with his father, Ronnie. It's a doozy.