|
| |||||||||||
What are readers saying about Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy?
| Reviews of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Page 1 of 2 |
|
Peter posted a review at 2009-03-20 02:58:05.
(Language: English)
  
A classic espionage novel, George Smiley comes out of enforced retirement to find the Russian mole sitting at the top of the British intelligence tree. THe writing is excellent, the characterisation of George Smiley as the anonymous civil servant spy is superb, and le Carre evokes the old school tie and clubmanship that was, and probably still is, at the heart of civil service. Other than that, I didn't understand a bloody word of it!! Still, I have The Honourable Schoolboy, so maybe by the end of the trilogy I will have worked out what the hell is going on.
|
Yes (0) 
No (0)
|
John posted a review at 2011-09-16 08:29:02.
(Language: English)
Terrific book, the inspiration for the masterful TV miniseries starring Alec Guinness... with Honorable Schoolboy and Smiley's People on of the best multi-book series in spy fiction... and terrific literature to boot!
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-15 10:23:44.
(Language: English)
Yet another le carre classic.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-02 01:38:31.
(Language: English)
This is a sensational book. It has a disturbing and complex plot, an atmosphere of claustrophobic terror and a cast of characters that are never what they seem to be. The romantic, enigmatic Smiley presides over the shabby genteel London of gentleman's clubs, old-tie chumminess and oxbridge snobbery. Relly good side-ways take on the drab fall-out of the cold war
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-22 04:05:32.
(Language: English)
There's really nothing like a Le Carre novel, and this is one of his best. Insanely complex storylines, lengthy discussions where much is still left unsaid, and heavy settings mark Le Carre apart from the rather disappointing and often cliched thrill-seeking style of most 'spy' novels. Watching Smiley plod through the mystery makes us feel that we have the inside scoop on what real, sleeves-rolled-up sort of spying is all about. Bond, Bourne, and Jack Ryan: eat your heart out
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-02-05 03:39:14.
(Language: English)
The book
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-10-23 10:45:04.
(Language: English)
Possibly the best from this great spy thriller writer. His characters, Smiley in particular, are very believable and this book has to be the iconic portrayal of the murky world of spying during the cold war years. An excellent read! Best Spy thriller ever... IMHO! Just love John Le Carre's characters. Well researched, Le Carre also recreates a great and very believable atmospheric background of the times we lived through during the 'Cold War'. Excellent!
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-06-12 04:56:26.
(Language: English)
Just Finished, Great Book. First 100 pages is a little confusing but worth it when it all comes together.
|
|
Andrew posted a review at 2009-03-06 05:15:10.
(Language: English)
Great writing, I just don't understand half the time what's going on until the past part of the book ;(
|
|
Apurva posted a review at 2007-09-17 01:11:58.
(Language: English)
The best George Smiley novel of Le Carre, rich with its own unique language Le Carre scales new heights at weaving an enthralling tale of catching a Mole at the Circus. Though some may find the language twists that he employs difficult to understand at first you can generally understand whats going on and its the language which takes you closer to the world of a cold war spy; It is a book that I re read often and every time get something more out of it. This is my fav Le Carre novel along with Russia House.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-16 01:07:08.
(Language: English)
Tinker Tailor Solider Spy is a spy novel depicting the discovery and unmasking of a double agent, or mole, in the British secret service. Le Carre is a master of characterisation and ‘Tinker Tailor’ abounds with captivating characters and their stories: George Smiley, Jim Prideaux, Peter Guillam, Ricki Tarr, Connie Sachs, Bill Hayden, Toby Esterhase, and Jerry Westerby - to name a few. Le Carre has the knack of telling us much about each, through the careful selection of details. His narrative is rich with sensory information that enables us to live the events along with his characters, without being obtrusive. George Smiley is a remarkable creation, the antithesis of the traditional spy hero. He is dull, rather than dashing; more chameleon than charismatic; not fit, but flabby; the jilted husband, not the gigolo lover. Smiley has been so deeply drawn by Le Carre that he becomes real and, like real people, too complex to analyse with certainty. As a woman, I can understand how his wife, the delicious Ann, could love him profoundly in theory, but not in practice. He is certainly a character I love and return to for comfort.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2010-10-28 12:44:09.
(Language: English)
I tried to read this when a teenager but couldn't get into it. I thought I'd try it again. This time I was hooked. I did enjoy it but it was a little on the slow side. A bit like putting together a complicated puzzle without knowing what the final picture should look like. And, once the picture is complete, there are still some pieces missing. Still, it was worth reading.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-24 10:20:32.
(Language: English)
This is the third book that I've read by Le Carre, (the other two being The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and Absolute Friends) and one thing I've learned about him is that you have to be careful. Le Carre has an odd way of structuring his sentences sometimes, which can make reading him slightly confusing. Also, I've noticed, he likes to begin his novels in the middle of a story, letting the main character figure out the beginning, and then move on to the end from there. Finally, Le Carre is different than other spy or thriller writers in that there is almost no action at all. All of the suspense comes from dialogue between the characters. All of this makes Le Carre slightly difficult to read, so you have to take your time with his work. However, he is a very talented writer, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is possibly one of his best works. Take your time with this one, be careful and pay attention, and you'll find a highly engaging and thrilling novel about espionage that will keep you hooked until the very end.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-23 10:09:28.
(Language: English)
Complexed!
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-21 09:31:35.
(Language: English)
Absolutely excellent spy-behind-the-desk kind of reading. Love it. The BBC version with Guiness is as good an adaptation of a book as I've ever seen. Your library has it, and you should rent it from them now.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-09 02:00:26.
(Language: English)
engrossing till the end. Very fun book.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2010-09-18 08:00:22.
(Language: English)
I can see why this is one of the classic spy novels, but I have to admit it wasn't exactly a pleasure to read. I struggled a bit with keeping track of the characters - most all of them are spies and they're never really fleshed out beyond their roles in the story. I think that's an intentional part of the overall dry, stoic feel of the book, and the story line does build steadily with suspense and intensity throughout. I think this book would work well if read over a short period of time - several hours over a weekend maybe - rather than the hour a night over a few weeks like I did.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-08-12 10:47:09.
(Language: English)
REally enjoyed my first ever Le Carre. Kept me gripped right until the end. Perfect holiday reading!
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-22 07:28:06.
(Language: English)
Book #1 in the Karla Trilogy. Smiley hunts for Karla's "mole," in the British secret service. Great writing! Great plot! Loosely based on the actual British double agent, Kim Philby, who by chance was responsible for revealing to the Soviets that Le Carre was an agent and thus ended his spying career. And if you have never seen the BBC mini-series starring Alec Guiness as George Smiley - rent it.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-19 01:55:16.
(Language: English)
Amazing ! An insight into a world of Gentlemen's clubs & privelige I'll never experience. Also a ' ripping yarn '
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-30 08:58:45.
(Language: English)
George Smiley is called out of forced retirement to uncover a mole burrowed deep in the highest ranks of British spy intelligence. A well-written yarn about betrayal, this is one of the few books I've read several times, possibly because it's so easy to imagine Alec Guinness, who played Smiley in the TV series version, as the understated Smiley, who overlooks the wrongs done him to do the right thing for his country.
|
|
Gamal posted a review at 2009-05-05 07:15:27.
(Language: English)
Decent plot and description of tradecraft, but the bashing of traditional intelligence agencies is often heavy handed. It's less of a modern spy novel and more of a classic mystery with spy flavoring, but a very satisfying book either way you look at it.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2008-03-24 11:00:26.
(Language: English)
Perhaps the greatest spy novel ever written. John LeCarre has written a lot of retread, anti-Western garbage over the last 25 years or so, but in 1974 he wrote this, and it's a masterpiece. It has just enough cynicism in it to keep it far away from the glamor of Ian Fleming, but the plot and the protagonist (the remarkable George Smiley) have a an actual and attainable goal - unearthing the Soviet mole in MI 6.
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2010-07-28 12:10:29.
(Language: English)
So far, its boring
|
|
|
A Reader posted a review at 2009-05-30 02:49:29.
(Language: English)
I've had my copy of this book sitting around in my book collection for, it turns out, nearly 30 years, but I have only just, in the past couple of weeks, decided to read it (important lesson: it's worth keeping all those old books around--you just never know when you might feel the urge to have a read). Sadly, the spine was pretty dried out, and the print very small, so enjoyment was a tricky thing to extract from the ancient, fragile paperback. But enjoyment there was, though also bafflement: the plot machinations were highly complex and intricate. Often felt like I needed a flowchart to keep up with everything. On other hand, depth of character and level of prose writing was superior and richly enjoyable in itself. I wanted to read this after recently reading a Stella Rimington novel about shenanigans in MI5 (of which she was an agent and director), which was very disappointing. LeCarre, unsurprisingly, writes a superior spy thriller. Will now have to get a new copy, with bigger print (God, age sucks, doesn't it?) and a better spine, and go through it again properly, taking in details, no doubt while keeping a notebook nearby to keep track of everything! :)
|
| Reviews of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Page 1 of 2 |
Share your views!
Similar books
