Spy - A George Smiley Novel

I saw the Gary Oldman movie and decided to reread and see how closely the movie followed the book. I became immersed in 'Smiley's World' and forgot the comparison. The characters are so well drawn and the plot has such interesting twists. Definitely worth a re (or first) read.

This was an amazing read. It is very well written, with twists and turns appropriate for a spy novel, and characters with depth and stories and abilities that make them relatable and fantastic at the same time. The book arrived on time in good condition, I would definitely recommend this seller as well as this novel.

I slogged through this book. I stuck with it but often just could not proceed. The jargon takes some time.
Actually, it was not until I watched the Alec Guinness films, that I understood enough to go back and finish the book.
I have not read another George Smiley Novel.

Sad poignant beautifully written. Filled with worlds of tragedy pain but while constrained not really depressing. More honest with wonderful bits of tradecraft strewn about. Far far more than a spy novel.

After reading The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (another Le Carre book), I ended up being disappointed by this one in comparison. I'm a bit torn because I did tear through it in a week and read the last half of the book today, so I obviously didn't hate it, but I don't plan to read the rest of the trilogy.

One thing I didn't like is that I think I'm missing a lot of cultural references and nuance because I'm not English and I wasn't alive in the 1970s. I found this to be less of a problem in Spy Who Came In. It sometimes felt like I was reading something in translation--and I'm well educated and well read. There's much more spycraft jargon in this one that goes unexplained, which can also be frustrating.

But I think the biggest issue is much more is kept hidden from the reader in this book and the revelations that come out are ultimately unsatisfying. In Spy Who Came In, we essentially know what the protaganist, Alec Leamas, knows (and a little bit more) and sort things out with him. In this book, more of what George Smiley knows and what he is plotting is kept hidden from us until late in the book, and we're given only pieces of it. We don't get to sort things out with George in quite the same way as we did with Alec.

On the other hand, perhaps the increased complexity of this book made it more difficult to follow and reason along with George Smiley. Now that I know who the double agent is (which is the big mystery), I can think of some details that I missed at the time which ended up being important. It could be that a more careful reader would get more out of it than I did.

A very good espionage thriller. John Le Carre has was a way of building up his stories. They all start slow and tedious but build chapter by chapter into wonderful thrilling tales. This is one of his first books and is a little more detail oriented then his most recent stuff and often seems to suffer from detail overkill, but by the end of the book and we learn more and more about the story the earlier details have a way of making you feel for each character in very specific ways. The hero of the story George Smiley is just as flawed as the villan "Karla" is and I like this. So if you are into very honest detailed character leaning stories read this wonderful mole hunt espionage story.

A well developed story with interesting character profiles. Don't expect a lot of action as this is a slow moving but intriguing look at spy operations back in the Cold War. I was particularly impressed with Le Carre's depth of character development.

I have said in reviewing another of his books, that my issue with Mr. le Carre is that he writes in the King's English, which I do not speak. That said, this book has good character development, a good story, is suspenseful and is well written.

Compulsively readable fictionalized account of the Kim Philby decades-long infiltration of the British spy services. Nuanced, layered, suspenseful. Even though I knew the true story, I was guessing as to the outcome of this one. Highly recommend.

Fantastically well-written presentation of the seedy, paranoic, and unglamorous workings of a secret service. It's not an easy tale to follow but it's a rewarding one. At times cynical and at times laugh-out-loud funny, it's a book of wit and realism and contempt; a condemnation of the way nations conduct their private business.

George is out of fashion. He is unfashionable. But he keeps on trudging along, sometimes spending time with some odd characters who might represent Britain's super-spies of yore. And in the end he gets his man. Quite a good read, although in some bits I felt a bit like George, plodding along.

Le Carre writes really well, but sometimes his books can be tiresomely long, not too long to stop reading, but off-putting. Frankly, after reading it, I much prefer the BBC television series made in the 70's, I think.

Marvelous period piece about the Cold War. Have reread it several times and always find new delights. Watching Smiley relentlessly search for the mole in MI6 is a tour de force. Every character seems real; I don't think there is a false note in the book. My favorite John LeCarre. Like a bottle of fine wine, to be savored.

This is probably the best of the LeCarre books. Sometimes, the action is too complicated, too fast, and really stretches the readers imagination and belief into what is really possible and what is not; however, many of the scenes so well depicted by LeCarre could have been based upon real events of the past. LeCarre tends to depict the Soviet Russian spy masters as invincible which they were/are not. As long as they are in their own territory they are able to control the circumstances. Once they leave their own area they are not too bright. The Brits seem to have too many problems with the sexuality of their intelligence staffs, the excessive use of alcoholic drinks, the infidelities in their marriages and it is a wonder that they were ever able to provide security to their secret service operations. They certainly spoiled/ruined a lot of the American Operations. Of course, we had our own problems with our own CIA, NSA and FBI traitors.

Difficult to read and boring. I liked "The spy who came in from the cold" a lot. "A call for the dead" I found to be more of a drag to get through but at least I was able to finish it. This one I will probably never bother finishing.

This story is an intriguing and complex narrative that is often made confusing in the Kindle edition by the absence of appropriate formatting to indicate when the story shifts to resume plots revolving around other characters. It is disappointing that the experience of reading this excellent story for the first time is diminished by the poor standard of electronic formatting.

This story is an intriguing and complex narrative that is often made confusing in the Kindle edition by the absence of appropriate formatting to indicate when the story shifts to resume plots revolving around other characters. It is disappointing that the experience of reading this excellent story for the first time is diminished by the poor standard of electronic formatting.

Although not recent, this book has a certain asset: it brings the reader back to the early seventies where spies were everywhere. A book with a certain slowness, as we got used to at John le Carré which, towards the end, is very exciting. A must.

Really in a class by itself. Intrigue in the large picture and in the details. Complex and well developed characters. Motivations for actions at the basest and highest levels. All in pursuit of the truth behind a compelling lie.

A two hour movie can never do justice to a story this well told.

I found the characterisations and plot very believable, and much clearer to follow than the movie. Even though the actors were brilliant, the plot is, to my mind, too elaborate to fit into a movie of 1 or 2 hours. I should like to see the TV mini- series with Alec Guinness. Perhaps the multi hour format will be more true to the excellent book!

Of course reading John LeCarre requires more attention that "Angels and Demons," etc. but it is a superb read...great writing, vivid characters, original plot and I think "Tinker, Tailor..." is the best of the bunch.