See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

98 used & new from £0.01
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Absolute Friends
 
 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

Absolute Friends (Hardcover)

by John Le Carre (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


8 new from £1.43 78 used from £0.01 12 collectible from £0.95
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover Order it used
Paperback (New Ed) £7.99 £5.99 24 used & new from £3.00
Audio CD (Audiobook) £19.56 £19.56 11 used & new from £3.99
Audio Cassette (Audiobook) 2 used & new from £4.95

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

A Most Wanted Man

A Most Wanted Man

by John le Carré
4.0 out of 5 stars (28)  £3.86
The Mission Song

The Mission Song

by John le Carré
3.4 out of 5 stars (24)  £5.99
Our Game

Our Game

by John le Carré
3.8 out of 5 stars (8)  £5.99
The Night Manager

The Night Manager

by John le Carré
4.5 out of 5 stars (8)  £6.99
Single and Single

Single and Single

by John le Carré
3.4 out of 5 stars (14)  £5.99
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 383 pages
  • Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd; First Edition edition (1 Dec 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0340832878
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340832875
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.2 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 243,514 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #62 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Authors, A-Z > L > Le Carre, John > Complete List

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

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

Sean O'Brien, The Times Literary Supplement
‘Richly detailed, full of righteous fire ... one of John le Carré's best books'

See all Product Description

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
spy stories

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Absolute Friends
63% buy the item featured on this page:
Absolute Friends 3.9 out of 5 stars (21)
A Most Wanted Man
23% buy
A Most Wanted Man 4.0 out of 5 stars (28)
£3.86
A Murder of Quality
6% buy
A Murder of Quality 3.6 out of 5 stars (7)
£5.99
Our Game
5% buy
Our Game 3.8 out of 5 stars (8)
£5.99
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

21 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Gem, 16 Jan 2004
By Mme Roslyn Mor "rosmor3" (Fontainebleau, France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Is it still possible that a writer can create a so historically aware novel which is fiction and fabulation, but speaks directly to those who have experienced first hand the events and socio-political climates he weaves into his story? Le Carré is foremost a storyteller and his protagonists are fictious, albeit symbols. But to a person who demonstrated against the Vietnam war as a student, was there when Aldo Moro was kidnapped, lived through the Baader Meinhof era in Germany, and is proud of being a resident in a country where a stand was made about the intervention in Iraq, his book makes lots of sense.I disagree with other reviews about the end. Mundy and Sasha are two sides of the one coin united in a hopeless battle. Their demise is as symbolic as the rest of their very existence. They are incidental to the overall message. I revel in the clarity of the writing and the erudition which is a hallmark of le Carré's later writing. The Constant Gardner was his best book to date for me. This comes a close second. And I've read them all.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievably up-to-date thriller, 25 Dec 2003
This has got to be the book of the year. I'm not normally a great fan of spy stories but this book had me engrosed from the first page. The hero, Ted Mundy, is so believable that I'm sure that he exists. The story is based on fact and, if it were sold as a true story, I'd accept it. I'm giving this book to my friends as a christmas present and I anticipate a lot of e-mails of thanks in the new year.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A splendid return to form., 29 Dec 2003
By Peter Fenelon - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
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.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 1 month ago by J. Kemp

3.0 out of 5 stars 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 5 months ago by expatina

2.0 out of 5 stars 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 11 months ago by D. J. Burton

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 17 months ago by Stephen A. Haines

5.0 out of 5 stars 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 18 months ago by Katie Osborne

4.0 out of 5 stars 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 22 months ago by Philip Spires

4.0 out of 5 stars Believable, but it takes a long time before the action begins
Ted Mundy is the son of a British officer who, after being expelled from Pakistan, spends his days drinking. Read more
Published on 14 May 2007 by Linda Oskam

4.0 out of 5 stars The quintessential dupe
ABSOLUTE FRIENDS is perhaps John le Carré's most elegant construct in some time. By its conclusion, it also reflects the author's anger against America's and Britain's overt... Read more
Published on 14 Jan 2006 by Joseph Haschka

1.0 out of 5 stars Desperately disappointing
It seems Le Carre still hasn't come to terms with the end of the Cold War, and blames the West for having won it. Read more
Published on 31 Aug 2004 by nelsondog97

3.0 out of 5 stars Your Resume Is Your Fate
In the beginning of Absolute Friends, I found myself wondering why Mr. Le Carre had put together such an unusual resume for his main character, Ted Mundy. Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2004 by Professor Donald Mitchell

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject






i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

More From John Le Carre

A Most Wanted Man

A Most Wanted Man by John le Carré

'A formidably sophisticated work of fiction, full of energy, rage and... Read more
£7.99 £3.86

 

Up to 53% off Braun Series Shavers

Braun Series 3 390cc Clean & Renew System Rechargeable Foil Electric Shaver
Get in touch with your smooth side with Braun Series shavers, now with Gillette blade technology.

›Discover Braun Series at Amazon.co.uk

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates