The Secret Pilgrim

Rating:
Summary: Disappointment from a Master
Review: When first released, it was said that this "novel" was actually a compendium of scenes that Le Carre had sketched out for inclusion in future works featuring George Smiley. The end of the Cold War made future Smiley novels irrelevant, but instead of shelving the sketches, he stitched them together into this book. Is this true? I don't know, but I can certainly believe it. The book reads like a patchwork, but an engrossing one nonetheless. Reading Le Carre is NEVER a waste - hence 3 stars - but this is far from his best effort, and one gets the uncomfortable feeling that this was a shallow attempt at wringing more lucre from the Smiley franchise. Read the Karla trilogy (Tinker, Tailor; Honourable Schoolboy; Smiley's People): they are wonderful, wonderful books. (I re-read my first copy of Tinker, Tailor so much, I reduced it to tatters) But stop there. The Secret Pilgrim should have remained Le Carre's secret.