The Looking Glass War

Rating:
Summary: LeCarre's sharp eye for detail shines through
Review: I enjoyed this early work from LeCarre, as one dying branch of British Intelligence attempts desperately to win back some of its WWII glory. After a tension-filled opening, LeCarre slips a bit by spending too much time on the operation setup. But then the suspense picks up and LeCarre delivers real insight into the nature of the treacherous and unfulfilling spy game.

While uneven at times, Looking Glass War demonstrates LeCarre's sense of detail and his constant dark message: with so many unforseen forces that could wipe out months of hard work in a moment's notice, the only real motivation his characters have is a single personal connection.

Rating:
Summary: A fair summary of the book in a short tape format
Review: The problem I have with this tape set is that in my view the book is probably Le Carre's best, and I feel that the tape version doesn't fully do it justice.

The twisted tortured souls who are the main characters in the book and the subtly drawn lines of deceit, love and despair don't come across in the tape version.

The problem is that breaking the story down to its bare minimum - means that it becomes a bit thin.