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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
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Review
'A great thriller, the best le Carre has written' -- Spectator 'A stunning story' -- Wall Street Journal 'John le Carre is the great master of the spy story ... the constant flow of emotion lifts him above most novelists now practising.' -- Financial Times
Review
'A great thriller, the best le Carré has written'
(Spectator )
'A stunning story'
(Wall Street Journal )'John le Carré is the great master of the spy story . . . the constant flow of emotion lifts him above most novelists now practising.'
(Financial Times )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
79 of 81 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a great change in pace against normal spy books. There are no wiz bangs and gorgeous women. It just revolves around old fashioned atmosphere and storytelling.
We follow the expolits of George Smiley, one of the Cold War's heroes, as he is tasked with finding a Soviet mole imbedded within MI6. He was ousted in a shake-up following the overthrow, and demise, of the previous "Control" of MI6 - another name for James Bond's M.
He is outside the current regime that the mole is part of and his search is therefore reliant on old fashioned techniques of infiltarion and intelligence gathering.
I hadn't read this in about 20 years but was swept back into Smiley's world. Le Carre has a reputation for outstanding work and this is one of his best.
I won't give the game away as I hate plot spoilers. If you want to read an authentic Cold War spy story then this is for you.
We follow the expolits of George Smiley, one of the Cold War's heroes, as he is tasked with finding a Soviet mole imbedded within MI6. He was ousted in a shake-up following the overthrow, and demise, of the previous "Control" of MI6 - another name for James Bond's M.
He is outside the current regime that the mole is part of and his search is therefore reliant on old fashioned techniques of infiltarion and intelligence gathering.
I hadn't read this in about 20 years but was swept back into Smiley's world. Le Carre has a reputation for outstanding work and this is one of his best.
I won't give the game away as I hate plot spoilers. If you want to read an authentic Cold War spy story then this is for you.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Not only is this probably Le Carre's best work, but I'd rate it as one of the best novels of the 1970s. It perfectly captures the feeling of Britain's post-war decline and nostalgia for a greater time. It is a beautifully written, highly convincing story of the hunt for a high-ranking mole in the British Secret Service, with the effect of this on the memorable central characters (not least unlikely hero George Smiley) subtly portrayed. A gripping, immensely satisfying Cold-War thriller. And a great novel.
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is probably the finest of Le Carre's novels. His great creation, George Smiley, is repsonsible for finding a Soviet mole in the heirarchy of British Intelligence which has done immeasureable damage for decades. George is the most unlikely hero - ponderous, old, shy, retiring, but posessed of enormous compassion and iron will. This who-dunnit story plays against a general background of betrayal - the betrayal of the mole against the British state, the betrayal of the agents run by the mole, the betrayal of Smiley's wife's infidelity, the general betrayal of idealism in the Circus to the mundane self-serving ends of its leaders.
And then there is the setting - Britain in all its drab, mundane 1960's/70's glory. Drab colours, poor food, rain soaked days, steamed up car windows, snobbery and poverty. And the dialogue is second to none. So world weary, so wise. And the intelligence world rings true in this book too, it feels realistic, it feels about right. The moral ambiguity is embraced by Le Carre. Though there are heroes and villians in this book, the boundaries are fairly blurred.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Seriously bad
It must be the easiest thing in the world for an author to write a book like this. All you have to do is create a load of characters; some significant others completely irrelevant,... Read more
Published 24 days ago by W. R. Robinson
Confusing & self indulgent - sorry, dont waste your time
Deeply disappointed with this confusing and complex novel. Nothing seems to get explained or cleared up and I ploughed through the book carefully, thinking it would have an "ahh,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Liz Lucas
A Classic in the genre
The world-weariness of the times, of the characters and the lugubrious routines of the Great Game are one suspects, rendered with a verisimilitude, that are born of first hand... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Olly
Genuine Classic
I read this several years ago and thought it was due for a re read. Glad that I did, it really is a classic of its genre, beautifully paced, the characters wonderfully described, a... Read more
Published 1 month ago by GlorG
excellent read
Read this when first published many years ago and decided to revisit again after it was recently made into an excellent film and found it still as good a read as the first time. Read more
Published 1 month ago by sunshine505
A great piece of spy fiction
It's a very well written book, I'll start by saying that. I've never been one for spy stories or thrillers before, but I really liked Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Read more
Published 2 months ago by sandrineec
Cold war espionage
I have read a few reviews that expressed problems with following the book and the reviewer had to watch the film to understand what was going on or vice versa. Read more
Published 2 months ago by pigsmayfly
An unintelligible, boring struggle to read
Thought I'd give John Le Carre a go as the TV series was so highly thought of. What a mistake. The book has no pace, is difficult to follow and has unrealistic characters that you... Read more
Published 2 months ago by stu
Could not put it down!
This book was a delight to read, although a trifle confusing. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes books that have action, deduction, and a little bit of everything really. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Alberfoyle Mookerje
Love This Book
I have read this book many, many times and each time that I put it away I look forward to rereading it the following year. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Isla
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