Rating: 
Summary: It is Le Carre, but the novel wobbles a bit (3.5 *s)
Review: Le Carre, author of numerous intriguing novels concerning the spy-world of the Cold War, is concerned with both spies no longer needed by the British Foreign Office and the resurgent nationalism in the Caucasian Mountain region amidst the breakup of the Soviet Union in this novel, "Our Game." The story is told from the perspective of the ultimate, unflappable bureaucrat, Tim Cranmer, a controller of spies in the field, who has been forced to retire. "Timbo's" idyllic country-estate life, with his vineyards and young exotic, artistic live-in girlfriend, Emma, is blown sky-high with the disappearance of both Emma and Larry, his former star double-agent, now turned college lecturer and indulger of radical causes. But Tim is sharply questioned by the police and his old office and realizes that he has been implicated in some clandestine scheme concocted by Larry and his old Russian contacts. The book follows Tim's thoughts as he is constantly examining the past, questioning his remembrances and his understandings in his dealings with Emma and mostly Larry. He is both wary and envious of Larry's capacity for action and his ability to capture others, in this case, Emma. At times the introspections and doubts bring the pace of the book to a slow crawl. Tim is forced into a game of investigation and evasion. The trail leads to support for the cause of the oppressed Ingushetians of the Caucasians. However, the resolution of the entire affair may leave many readers grasping for a more definitive conclusion. As usual Le Carre is unsurpassed in capturing the subtleties and tone of the spy world and its uncertainties. But that may not be enough to rescue this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Hotdog of a book!
Review: Lest anyone get the wrong impression, let me explain my review headline. I compare this book to a hotdog, because it has a very good story trapped between two pieces of bland bread. The first hundred or so pages move at a glacial pace, and the author's disjointed manner of storytelling soon becomes confusing and annoying. LeCarre spends a lot of pages to give us a great understanding of the three main players, but I don't know if it is all worth it. The middle 130-160 pages of the book were much better. The scenes held my attention, the dialogue was marvelous, and I was really concerned about the characters. Then came the last thirty or forty pages. Some nice descriptive work, but it seems as if LeCarre was trying to meet some sort of word-count quota. Overall, a very good book that could have easily been a four-star novel if some of the dead weight would have been cut. I did enjoy witnessing the transformation of the main character, and I think it was handled in a very realistic manner.
Rating: 
Summary: A complex and wonderful book
Review: Like many of John Le Carre's other novels, the the novel is layered with truths, some obvious some hidden and some devious. The story is essentially a love story which transforms itself into a spy's search for meaning in the post cold war age. I suspect it reveals much about John Le Carre himself in the process. Chechnya and Kosovo are very relevant to this story and I found the novel to be increasingly compelling as it reached it's climax.
Rating: 
Summary: Novel of spies adjusting to the post-cold war world.
Review: OUR GAME is a complex novel of spies adjusting (or not) to the post-cold war world. Le Carre shows his characters growth and adjustment by showing one spy who is unable to make the change, his "handler" who has made the adjustment, albeit uncomfortably, and a beautiful, idealistic woman who attracts the interest of both.
Le Carre's novel explores these characters using a plot very similar to a mystery novel - as the reader learns about the characters he or she begins to learn what has happened. The structure is complex, and can be difficult to follow at the beginning of the novel, but the rewards for making it through are satisfying. The reader is quickly engulfed in Le Carre's world, and once that happens the book moves very quickly and effectively towards its conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Our Game
Review: Stylish, well-written and intelligent. So why was I so impatient to finish this book and get on to another one? Because, for me, it's entertainment 'density' was only borderline acceptable. I feel like I've been reading that book for half my life and now I'm finally free - not a good sign. Maybe that's too strong, because I wouldn't say I disliked the book. It just wasn't satifying enough. Tim Cranmer is a boring old man with too much money, a vineyard and a liking for pretensious old jewelry. How can you engage properly with a book narrated by this man? OK, you can feel sorry for him as the life in his life deserts and betrays him, but a whole book with this man gets a bit tedious.
Rating:
Summary: Our Games' Emma grabs our attention
Review: The plot device of Tim Cranmers' unrequited love for Emma was what kept me reading Our Game. The spy plot was old hat, but the love story was actually quite poignant. Any man out there that has loved a woman who does not love him back, feels an ache that is like no other.
Rating:
Summary: This Game is Missing Something
Review: The title of "Our Game" plays on a version of Winchester football (English football), a version so arcane that even the players don't always know the rules. Le Carre follows his title with strict adherence, refusing to let his characters--or even his readers--understand the goal of this "game." What purports to be an espionage thriller is much more a whodunit set against the drab backdrop of post-Cold War England and the haunted memories of one of Her Majesty's secret servants, Tim Cranmer. Cranmer's girlfriend and top agent have disappeared and the authorities are demanding answers from him. Even Cranmer begins to doubt his innocence--although this interesting sidestep was quickly righted. As is to be expected, le Carre develops Cranmer's personality with depth and sincerity, but this numbing dive into the depths of one man's self-absorption left me gasping for air. Even compared to the typically dreary atmosphere of le Carre's other books, this novel seems dark and pointless. Aside from his protagonist, he never truly allows us to become familiar with the other people involved. Through the use of first person, le Carre cheats us from experiencing much of the story. If this was intentional, to set us up for future surprises, for example, I would understand. Instead, I knew the basic ending long before our hero seemed to, and I found myself waiting impatiently for him to catch up. I held out hope for a worthwhile revelation...but it never came. I'm a dedicated le Carre fan, but this novel was much simpler and less satisfying than I've come to expect from him. Even his shorter works had more actually story to them. Le Carre will always be the master of the Cold War angst and zeitgeist, but this expose of a tired former agent left me mostly tired. For better post-Cold War works, try the same author's "The Night Manager" or "The Constant Gardner."
Rating:
Summary: This Game is Missing Something
Review: The title of "Our Game" plays on a version of Winchester football (English football), a version so arcane that even the players don't always know the rules. Le Carre follows his title with strict adherence, refusing to let his characters--or even his readers--understand the goal of this "game." What purports to be an espionage thriller is much more a whodunit set against the drab backdrop of post-Cold War England and the haunted memories of one of Her Majesty's secret servants, Tim Cranmer. Cranmer's girlfriend and top agent have disappeared and the authorities are demanding answers from him. Even Cranmer begins to doubt his innocence--although this interesting sidestep was quickly righted. As is to be expected, le Carre develops Cranmer's personality with depth and sincerity, but this numbing dive into the depths of one man's self-absorption left me gasping for air. Even compared to the typically dreary atmosphere of le Carre's other books, this novel seems dark and pointless. Aside from his protagonist, he never truly allows us to become familiar with the other people involved. Through the use of first person, le Carre cheats us from experiencing much of the story. If this was intentional, to set us up for future surprises, for example, I would understand. Instead, I knew the basic ending long before our hero seemed to, and I found myself waiting impatiently for him to catch up. I held out hope for a worthwhile revelation...but it never came. I'm a dedicated le Carre fan, but this novel was much simpler and less satisfying than I've come to expect from him. Even his shorter works had more actually story to them. Le Carre will always be the master of the Cold War angst and zeitgeist, but this expose of a tired former agent left me mostly tired. For better post-Cold War works, try the same author's "The Night Manager" or "The Constant Gardner."
Rating:
Summary: An exceptional novel...
Review: This book was one of the most exciting, exhilirating, and enriching reading experiences I have ever had. I have read my share of novels, too, and I have no qualms putting this modern masterpiece near the top of my all-time favorites. Brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Post-Cold War spy thriller
Review: This is not Le Carre's best book. If you haven't already read them, I suggest you read the Smiley trilogy which begins with "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" -- one of the great masterpieces of the last century in my humble opinion. "Our Game" by contrast is good -- not great. One of the problems is that the characters aren't very appealing. Tim is an insufferable public-school Englishman about whose fate we care nil plus the square root of zero. Larry is a professor who's committment to the downtrodden of the world seems an ego trip, the female lead is an airheaded artist who doesn't seem to merit the sort of admiration she gets. But the subject matter is interesting. Who ever heard of the Ingush people until Le Carre wrote about them? His portayal of them is superb: the downtrodden ethnic groups of the former Soviet Union asseting themselves brutally, stupidly, unsuccesfully, but with doomed courage and dedication. "Our Game" is kind of thin gruel compared to Le Carre's great cold war novels, but it's worth a read.
| 
