Smiley's People

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Summary: Splendid Conclusion to the "Karla Trilogy"
Review: George Smiley returns, called out from retirement, with one last, fateful encounter with his Soviet nemesis Karla. John Le Carre's writing has never been better, with elegant insights into the minds of his intelligence operatives, most notably George Smiley, in finely crafted, often poetic, prose. Le Carre slowly cranks up the suspense as we venture through the inner workings of an Estonian resistance group in Paris and London, before we are plunged headlong into a series of encounters between Smiley and Eastern European agents working on behalf of Karla's Soviet agency. Here at least do we see a human side to Karla; a serious flaw in Karla's character which inexorably leads to a powerful, spellbinding conclusion. Fans of George Smiley will not be disappointed in this satisfying conclusion to the "Karla" trilogy that includes "The Honourable Schoolboy" and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy".

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Summary: Portraying human nature in the world of spycraft.
Review: I have recently become a fan of Le Carre, and this is my favorite book of his that I have read thus far. The immediacy of the personalities, amdist the larger world of geopolitics, shines through in an unforgettable way.

I have read and enjoyed most Robert Ludlum novels with their fantastic, yet unrealistic story lines. Le Carre's protagonists, particularly George Smiley, do not possess the near superhuman powers, the "eyes in the back of the head", that are necessary for a Ludlum protagonist to survive from chapter to chapter. But Le Carre's stories have more of a poignance, an immediacy, and an appeal to the human element that connects his readers to his protagonists. His writing is exceptional, as well as his style of portraying British speech and outlook. He reveals the minds of the persons whose lives have been continuously shaped and buffeted by the vagaries of the cold war.

Foremost, is Le Carre's hero George Smiley, whose personal life history has been irretrievably shaped by his immersion in cold war espionage, and for whom, no victory or defeat will ever come without mixed emotions.

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Summary: Didn't bring a smile to my face
Review: In his Smiley sequel, this bloke has filled countless pages with the most boring stuff. He cannot hold my attention for more than a few phrases at a time. Mr. LeCarre writes like a pedant and probably is one, fills the cliche of Honorable Schoolboy, that's why he could fill page after page with nonsense maintaining best behavior with a straight face. There is no doubt that he is a Tinker, less Tailor or Soldier, failed lousy as Spy. gerborg

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Summary: The Spy Master Trilogy Concludes!
Review: Like most of the best-selling works that come from the unchallenged master of the intelligent spy thriller John LeCarre, this is a fictional but absorbing treatise on the hidden and conflicted corners of the human heart, the many ways in which our own natures feed into and extend the darker impulse of a society bent on pursuing the secrets and treachery that ever lurks for the unsuspecting victim. Here, in the final of three best-selling novels tracing the pilgrim's progress of George Smiley, the intrepid and unlikely hero of the post-industrial Western world, LeCarre concludes his marvelously convoluted narrative tracing the continuing history of the Smiley chronicles, a spell-binding and endlessly intricate treatise detailing the perfidy, moral compromises, and treachery of the world of British intelligence.

In "Smiley's People", the object of Smiley's ministrations is once again thrust toward achieving final revenge against the legendary Karla, the Chief of the Soviet Covert Espionage Bureau. Having stuck a devastating blow against Karla previously through the ingenious employment of Jerry Westerby in the Far East, Smiley now turns to using an assassination in London of an obscure Eastern European émigré and would-be counter-revolutionary into an entry-point into Karla's domain, and as the Circus (British Intelligence) begins to unravel the many points of light this careful sifting of signs through tradecraft, they discover the one irresistible lure they need to tempt Karla out of the darkness and into their waiting clutches. Given all the murder and mayhem that Karla has visited both on the Circus in general and on George Smiley in particular, there is a number of levels of revenges operating here, and these LeCarre mines superbly in exploring the impulses rational and otherwise, that propel such urges.

The plot, as usual, is ingenious, intricate, and horrific in its human toll, played out against a landscape of the far-flung persons and places across the European landscape, from London to Berne to Deep inside the former Soviet Union. Once again LeCarre takes us on a cautious yet beautifully choreographed adventure into the heart of darkness of ourselves, and we shouldn't be surprised to find some scar tissue and broken bones as we descend deeper into the tortuous caverns we keep hidden in our subconscious realms. LeCarre is nothing if not a superb chronicler of the ways in which our own natures become a battle ground for the struggle between good and evil, the good we can be for others, and the evil we do to them and ourselves by subscribing to ideologies, almost any ideology, that finally forces us to choose between our values and our duty. This is a marvelous book, an entertaining read, and a stunning example of the sophistication, complexity, and sheer intelligence of the author in detailing the subterranean world of international espionage. Enjoy!

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Summary: The Best of the Quest for Karla
Review: Smiley's people does not have the suspense of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; or have the action and tension of The Honourable Schoolboy. Smiley's people is a about people, and the weakness of character that spy craft thrives on. There are no poorly written characters in this book and I could not put the book down because I was drawn into the life and emotions of George Smiley. I could sympathize with his inability to use scotch tape, amoung other defining charactistics. A brillent book, and recommended.

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Summary: The very best there is
Review: Smiley's People is simply the very best there is. There is absorbing power in its dramatic narrative that won't let go. At the beginning, you have no idea what's going on, and as you move through, you don't want to find out, because you don't want it to end. I read this book over 20 years, saw the movie with Alec Guiness. The burning of agent Gregorian, while Smiley wipes his tie with his glasses, is a stunning piece of writing, as is Karla coming across the bridge at the end into Smiley's ambiguous victory (yes, I suppose I did [win]). Thank you John Le Carre for the pleasure of reading this book!

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Summary: Superb
Review: This book is a classic because of the intricacies of its plot and its singular quality as a work of literature. It is, in fact, the finest spy novel ever written.

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Summary: Conclusion of one of the best modern trilogies ever written
Review: This is the last volume in a trilogy which, without any doubt, the best spy story ever written in English. _Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy_ began it with the story of George Smiley?s uncovering of the mole in British Intelligence HQ, known as "the Circus." _The Honourable Schoolboy_ -- which largely stands alone from the first and third books, and is a superior piece of work by itself -- tells of Smiley?s first steps toward revenge against Karla, head of Moscow Centre and his personal enemy for nearly thirty years . . . only to be denied the fruits of his own success by political machinations at home. _Smiley?s People_ brings everything to a very satisfying conclusion, via the discovery that Karla has an unsuspected human side, which makes him vulnerable. As always, Le Carre?s development of his characters is masterful and his dialogue and descriptive passages make it clear why, at his best, he is considered an exceptional stylist. The pace of the action in the early part of the book is purposely rather slow, drawing you in, making you pay attention to what?s happening and thinking about what secrets might be behind it all -- just as one imagines George is doing. But as the story develops, the pace picks up, until the last quarter is nearly a headlong gallop toward a triumphant final chapter. Unreservedly recommended.

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Summary: More than just a spy novel
Review: Tinker, tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People are the greatest espionage novels. Not only are they exceptionally well plotted, but are explorations into the ultimately self destructive characters of divided men. These two novels should be read after reading may other thriller/espionage novels, otherwise few other tales will meet expectations.

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Summary: A disappointing book with an artificial ending
Review: TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY is one of the best fictions I've ever read. The 'sequel' THE HOURABLE SCHOOLBOY - which is really an independent story in its own right - disappointed me but that did not stop me from getting this third book. Again I was disappointed.

Part of the reason is probably because I am familiar with le Carre's bag of tricks by now. The repetitous moralizings, for one, which I enjoyed in TINKER, TAILOR where he compared the traitor in the intelligence network to the lost of heart of the British Empire - when the grandeur of the empire could no longer inspire loyal subjects. However, in SMILEY's PEOPLE, we caught le Carre moralizing for the sake of moralizing even when there was nothing to moralize about. He simply overdid it this time.

SMILEY'S PEOPLE could be rightly called the sequel to TINKER, TAILOR and as such, resolved what le Carre started in that book, namely the rivalry between Smiley and Karla. I find the ending artificial and rather unconvincing. It was as if this book was only written to justify Smiley's assertion in the first book: something about Karla's extremity will bring about his end.

There are still good things in this book. For example, we are gradually shown that Smiley has become a bit of the monster he has been fighting - his cutting off from Ann, a glimmer of quick temperedness, and not wanting to recover the lighter from Ann. One cannot help but wonders what will become of him had there been another book on Smiley of a later day.

I am still a great fan of John le Carre and will probably re-read TINKER, TAILOR. I really miss the organic, believable and unforgettable characters such as Jim Prideaux and Roach.