Absolute Friends
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Amazon.co.uk Review
John le Carré's Absolute Friends is his best in years, capturing the verve and mastery of the magnificent early work. In fact, as a prelude to the book, you could do worse than reread The Spy Who Came in from the Cold again, and be forcibly reminded how le Carré transformed the spy thriller 40 or so years ago. And the consolidation of his achievement came with the George Smiley sequence (inaugurated with Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy). As the Cold War came to an end, le Carré seemed to be in need of a new focus for his literary universe, but this was soon to come as the author explored newer social threats, with The Constant Gardener utilising the power of the pharmaceutical companies as nemesis, and producing yet another critical and popular success.
Absolute Friends, even before publication, had some of the best word of mouth any le Carré novel had enjoyed, and every word of it was justified. As a penetrating character study, it's nonpareil, with the (very different) friends of the title brilliantly realised.
Ted Mundy is the son of a British Infantry officer who left India under a cloud after partition, while Sasha is the crippled son of a religious German family who became a star of Far Left politics in the 1960s, at which point he encounters the ungainly Ted, taught by his father--and a committed girlfriend--to loathe British imperialism and all its current offshoots. In the present, Ted finds himself acting as an eccentric tour guide at Ludwig's palaces in Bavaria. When the two men meet again, they once more become involved in clandestine activities--with lethal results. If the author's own anti-Blair/Bush feelings are sometimes foregrounded, this is still le Carré at his considerable best, and a reminder of what a great talent the UK has in this writer. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Praise for THE CONSTANT GARDENER:
'Nobody writing today manipulates suspense better ... Essential reading' (Chris Woodhead, Sunday Telegraph )
'Richly detailed, full of righteous fire ... one of John le Carré's best books' (Sean O'Brien, The Times Literary Supplement )
'This is le Carré with a twist, the Old Master developing new techniques for a new age' (Raymond Seitz, The Times )
'The book breathes life, anger and excitement' (Nigel Williams, Observer )
Praise for ABSOLUTE FRIENDS audio: 'Fans of le Carre will not be disappointed...this reading is not just about telling a story. He is fuming about the Iraq war and uses the brilliantly portrayed Sasha as a vehicle to express his opinions...the abridgement keeps the story on track.' (Observer )
'Nobody writing today manipulates suspense better ... Essential reading' (Chris Woodhead, Sunday Telegraph )
'Richly detailed, full of righteous fire ... one of John le Carré's best books' (Sean O'Brien, The Times Literary Supplement )
'This is le Carré with a twist, the Old Master developing new techniques for a new age' (Raymond Seitz, The Times )
'The book breathes life, anger and excitement' (Nigel Williams, Observer )
Praise for ABSOLUTE FRIENDS audio: 'Fans of le Carre will not be disappointed...this reading is not just about telling a story. He is fuming about the Iraq war and uses the brilliantly portrayed Sasha as a vehicle to express his opinions...the abridgement keeps the story on track.' (Observer )
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As with any author you read frequently, you do often get the sense that the same type of book is just being written over and over again. Whilst I don't think this one is a world away from what Le Carre has written before, it is certainly different in that it is the bravest novel he has written to date. Whilst in other books he was content to snipe the odd remark at our leaders, or to puncture the western world's self-satisfaction at being less evil than the Soviet Union, in this book, it's an all-out political attack on the American Neo-cons, and the unquestioning, uncritical helpfulness of Blair and his chums towards our American friends. At the time it was published, this book had some pretty mixed reviews. A few were probably because the political climate of the time polarised people into for or against the war, and such a passionate, angry anti-war book was hardly going to find favour in the pro-war camp. But perhaps now we can look at it more dispassionately, as nearly everyone agrees the whole war was a total disaster anyway.
I think this is a strong work by Le Carre - not his best, but better than average. Post Cold War, Le Carre has been sniffing out issues that have been overlooked by the popular media, be it the struggle of the ethnic minorities in the Caucasus (Our Game), gangsterism being exported from the former Soviet Union, with the connivance of western financiers (Single and Single), or cynical pharmaceutical companies `testing' products on poor Africans who no-one cares about in the west anyway (The Constant Gardener). Absolute Friends feels slightly apart - more like Our Game or The Perfect Spy in its flashback structure. Some of it creaks a little, as other reviewers have pointed out - it feels a little bit artificial and inauthentic at points. I think this would be the only criticism. Otherwise, it's fast paced, and unpredicatable.
The denouement is as excellent a one I have read, and not as unbelievable as other posters have stated. The more the political and intelligence failures and shenanigans following the war come into the light of day, the less and less unlikely the ending seems. When this book was published, it was a pretty risky ending to throw in. Now, it just pretty much falls into line with what we already know about the lead-up to Iraq.
I think the problem Le Carre has is that he has written another good book, but once you've read his greatest works - The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Tinker Tailer, Secret Pilgrim - it doesn't really compare. But think for a moment about how many other authors are writing intelligent political thrillers today, and I think you will agree there is very few. And even these few would probably be delighted to have this novel against their name. Five stars.
I think this is a strong work by Le Carre - not his best, but better than average. Post Cold War, Le Carre has been sniffing out issues that have been overlooked by the popular media, be it the struggle of the ethnic minorities in the Caucasus (Our Game), gangsterism being exported from the former Soviet Union, with the connivance of western financiers (Single and Single), or cynical pharmaceutical companies `testing' products on poor Africans who no-one cares about in the west anyway (The Constant Gardener). Absolute Friends feels slightly apart - more like Our Game or The Perfect Spy in its flashback structure. Some of it creaks a little, as other reviewers have pointed out - it feels a little bit artificial and inauthentic at points. I think this would be the only criticism. Otherwise, it's fast paced, and unpredicatable.
The denouement is as excellent a one I have read, and not as unbelievable as other posters have stated. The more the political and intelligence failures and shenanigans following the war come into the light of day, the less and less unlikely the ending seems. When this book was published, it was a pretty risky ending to throw in. Now, it just pretty much falls into line with what we already know about the lead-up to Iraq.
I think the problem Le Carre has is that he has written another good book, but once you've read his greatest works - The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, Tinker Tailer, Secret Pilgrim - it doesn't really compare. But think for a moment about how many other authors are writing intelligent political thrillers today, and I think you will agree there is very few. And even these few would probably be delighted to have this novel against their name. Five stars.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
From the inside cover's blurb, plus the pre-release press it had received, I was expecting a rather dour diatribe against the UK and USA governments' taste in international relations. Whilst Le Carre does indeed mount his soapbox occasionally, he nevertheless builds a highly successful relationship between two opposing, yet essentially congruous spies - Mundy and Sasha.
The plot itself is quite basic, though it succinctly spans six decades in less than 400 pages: the lives and times of two spies. All the while intertwining their lives, the story charts their respective careers through the day-to-day double-dealing and clandestine chinwags of the spying fraternity. However, the descriptive power, richness of character, all-round knowledge and the insightful wit Le Carre brings to the book is huge. Whilst a book probably not for those averse to international politics, it is still a book well worth reading simply for the artistic talent on display.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Smiley and Karla, Magnus and Rick Pym, now Ted and Sasha - Le Carre is at his best when he creates pairs of characters who lead each other to their fates, and in Absolute Friends he comes up with two true immortals.
Ted, in earlier Le Carre books, would've been a perfectly normal member of the espiocracy, the kind of dependable, solid agent who would've discharged his Circus duties without conscience or controversy. But contemporary le Carre characters have even more tangled depths - Ted's concern for justice and equality is rooted in a loathing of the mess that Britain left behind in India and Pakistan; this obviously leads him into anti-imperialism and the shadowy world of espionage. It is in Germany that he encounters the brilliant, disabled Sasha - firebrand politician and also committed to his own brand of liberty.
Absolute Friends shows two figures bound up into their systems striving to find their own individual justice, their own places in the world. States, systems, organisations are not to be trusted in the new Le Carre - loyalty is individual, morality is absolute. There are probably more overt attacks on Western liberalism and capitalism in this book than in the rest of his work put together; what was formerly presented as the "right" way is now merely the less repulsive of a set of fairly unpleasant alternatives.
Yet how can men like Sasha and Ted build a better world?
This is possibly Le Carre's finest book yet. It lacks the immediacy and some of the intimacy of "A Perfect Spy", although rivals it in scope. It lacks the intense intrigue and 'tradecraft' of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" though matches it for density and depth of tone.
It is a fine, mature and humane novel by a superb writer with an clear yet idiosyncratic view of honour, morality and duty. Wonderfully readable.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Enjoyably different and very readable indeed
Am reading this, stuck at home with flu, but inbetween sleeping I'm having difficulty putting it down and can't wait to see how it ends. Read more
Published 4 months ago by G. Roberts
Told with verve, humour, irony and anger
One of the two friends of the title is Ted Munday, son of a hilariously portrayed major in the ex-Indian, ex-Pakistani army. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Ralph Blumenau
Shows Strong Influence of His Mentor Graham Greene
"Absolute Friends," a 2003 publication by renowned British spy author John LeCarre, is considered by many reviewers to be one of his greatest works. Read more
Published on 13 May 2010 by Stephanie DePue
Good, if sad
This is a really good story, I found it hard to get into, but it was great once I got into it. It is well worth a read. Le Carre is really good at this.Absolute Friends
Published on 30 Aug 2009 by Sa King
Slow burn, but fantastic read
This is just a fantastic story, incredibly detailed and well researched (where it follows the historical/factual stuff). Read more
Published on 22 May 2009 by J. Kemp
A good read with silly characters
Le Carre is a great writer but his characters here are such stupid, silly dupes it kind of spoils the fun even before the polemic kicks in. Read more
Published on 16 Jan 2009 by expatina
Struggles to gain momentum, and only does so within the last breath
Based on the reviews on the back cover of this book, I expected a fast paced and intelligently written spy novel. Read more
Published on 29 July 2008 by D. J. Burton
Absent friend
John Le Carre's an angry man. Years of working at intelligence and writing of the spy's world, you'd think he'd earned a rest. Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2008 by Stephen A. Haines
Spies, Lies, Politics and Tragedy in John le Carre's Best
Ted Mundy was born in India, in what later became Pakistan. His father was a British soldier who drank too much. His mother died in childbirth. Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2008 by Laurel Whitehead
A fine read ... but eventually polemic?
A story of two co-operatives, Edward Mundy and Sasha. They are cold war people who have also been also urban terror people back of the West German variety. Read more
Published on 23 Aug 2007 by Philip Spires
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