Rating: 
Summary: I've read better LeCarre's
Review: I tried it, I thought - it was first, it should be best. But I must admit, although it's quite good piece of espionage literature, I've read better LeCarre's. So if you want to try some LeCarre I would recommend to read Russia House instead.
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Summary: Frost Bite
Review: Alec Leamas is not an easy man to have affection for, in the beginning, yet as the story builds I could not help but become his advocator. I was reminded of the stoic character of Kurt Russell in the movie Soldiers and that became a good personality model for the character of Leamas. He is a spy. Of course, and a British spy to boot. The year is 1960 and Berlin wall is high and thick. To be called in from the "cold" is for a field operator (a spy) to be called back to the safety of the Home office. In this case our paladin spends a good more time out than in from the cold. True to de Carré the story is complex with seemingly dark corners and dead ends at every turn. Written in 1963 when the Cold War was certainly at it's height there is a disturbing contrast between the value of the individual weighed against the good of the whole with a harsh look at both sides of the Wall. Communism is presented as the enemy, certainly. However about half way through the book it becomes clear that the good old boys back at the Circus in London just may be up to a bit of double crossing, at Leamas' expense. And then there is the young Jewess, a Communist, back in London that he must protect, no matter the cost, to himself or his mission. A most enjoyable read, right up to the very last paragraph.
February 2003
Rating: 
Summary: A spy novel with it all
Review: John Le Carre's masterful novel, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, has all the elements one could ever want from a great spy story. Le Carre brilliantly combines suspense, mystery, location, romance, and a story line that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.
Keeping with the tradition of all well-written spy novels, the action of Le Carre's book grabs the reader from the first scene, and doesn't let go. Set in the midst of the Cold War in Germany, the author, a former spy himself, has no shortage of material to work with. He uses it all in creating a brilliant story of a spy who finds himself a part of a complicated plan in a spy war in which all the things he thinks he knows turn out to be lies. As this unwitting pawn in a dangerous game understands just how deeply the untruths he has been told run, the reader constantly finds himself wrongly guessing as to the extent of the circumstances the character is really in.
The reader stumbles in this manner until the very end, when the whole thing finally makes sense and an unthinkable conclusion is drawn. Here the brilliance of Le Carre's work realy shines, for the reader discovers he, just as the main character, has been led along a path of powerful deceit for the entire story. For those looking for a great spy novel, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold truly has it all.
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Summary: East vs West in 1962 Berlin
Review: I can say from personal experience that John Le Carre's description of early '60s Cold War Berlin is deadly accurate-- from the feel of the cold rain on cobblestone streets to the tension of waiting at a border checkpoint. Many reviewers have used words like "dreary", "dark", "cold", and "bleak" to describe this novel and they are right. The Soviet Zone of Berlin was all of that and more-- a depressing, grey and colorless prison whose inmates lived in constant fear. In those days, East Berliners were afraid to be seen talking to-- or even looking at--an American soldier. For example, they would look only at my reflection in a glass store window-- afraid of being picked up and questioned by the DDR Staats Polezei. Le Carre captures that depressing climate of fear and imparts it to his reader. The 1965 movie of the same name starring Richard Burton also captures this mood. It is not coincidental that it was filmed in Black & White. This medium reinforces the crushing dreariness of East Berlin in 1962. I consider this espionage "film noire" one of the best ever made. On a different plane, I can also recommend the original movie "Day of the Jackal" (not that dreadful remake!) and the book is even better. I think many readers and even editorial reviewers missed an important point-- Alec Leamas was supposed to start drinking and fighting so that he would be arrested-- that was the set-up to make his disaffection with his "former" agency believable to the Staasi. His descent into bitterness and alcoholism was contrived but, like so much of the story, one does not know how much was a sham and how much underlying truth may have been revealed.
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Summary: If You Read Only One Le Carre Novel, Then Read This One...
Review: John Le Carre (David Cornwell) took the espionage novel away from the ridiculous and campy world of James Bond and the Man from U.N.C.L.E. and made it into serious literature with this, his third published novel.
Readers may be struck by how bleak Le Carre's world is in this book. The story, Alec Leamas, a veteran agent goes on his last mission into the Zone (East Germany) in an effort to combat the East German intelligence (The Abteilung) from discovering a deeply planted British agent. Le Carre's staple character, George Smiley makes an appearance here, but it's Leamas who dominates the book. He's angry and cynical, but a dedicated agent. The other characters, Liz, Fiedler and Mundt are also wonderfully drawn and believeable. Le Carre keeps the plot moving without sacrificing his characters (sometimes difficult to do in the thriller genre). The result is a deeply felt, wonderfully written thriller. The final twist (if you're smart, you'll figure it out) is very satisfying and reveals the hypocrisy of the Communists and Western Powers and the callous regard for human life and dedication to one's cause. A core of high intelligence runs through this novel, yet you never have to reread passages to find out what happened. It's beautifully written and highly controlled. Le Carre is in total control of the reader and we're seduced by his dazzling prose. The most amazing thing is forty years later with the end of the Cold War, this ageless work still holds up. It has gone from a commentary piece to historical literature and retains it's power. What more can be said for a classic than that? I noticed that Cliff's Notes has a companion to this work. That, I think shows what a classic Mr. Cornwell has penned. It's that good. This is a novel to read, digest and ponder.
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Summary: Delicious, not nutritious
Review: The two cardinal rules of criticism are: 1) A critic must distinguish what he likes or dislikes personally for subjective reasons and what is objectively good or bad, and 2) a critic must judge works on their own terms. "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" is a spy novel, a story about espionage. It is not concerned with evil-genius super-crooks and science-fiction gadgetry; it is not a cops-and-robbers concoction. You may prefer super-crooks, etc., but as far as your review is concerned, that is neither here nor there. "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" is hard-boiled fiction. You may prefer Agatha Christie to Dashiell Hammett, Fitzgerald to Hemingway; you may prefer "colorful" characters and settings, but that's you. "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" is not and does not purport to be "realistic". It is genre-fiction (not "literature") just realistic enough to draw you into its web. (In his introduction to "The Looking-Glass War", the author himself makes this point clearly and, one might say, vehemently.) "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" is plot-driven, not character-driven. Essentially, in fact, it's a small puzzle for you to work out. (The solution is given.) Only readers who enjoy working out puzzles, readers who like to think, need apply. With the possible exception of "The Russia House" (which I also heartily recommend), "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" is John Le Carre's best spy novel (he has also published detective stories and non-genre fiction), and the best he is likely ever to write. (Ian Fleming's James Bond short stories, by the way, are much better than his James Bond novels, and I recommend these -- the short stories -- too.)
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Summary: Spy LITERATURE
Review: Le Carre is an unusual writer in the spy/thriller genre in that he creates real people with real problems who also happen to be spies. The story of Leamas, a spy for Britain during the cold war, is well discussed in the many reviews here. So instead I will briefly focus on why this is such a great read. The book works at several levels. First, one could characterize this as a page-turner because of the subject matter of the cold war and intrigue. But the story is also very complex and demands the reader pay attention to fully benefit. LeCarre does not spell out everything for the reader and I found myself having to go back several times to understand what had transpired. I actually rented the movie - a gloomy B&W portrayal with Richard Burton as Leamas - in order to sort out a few things from the book. Secondly, one is never sure, even when finished, who the good guys are and vice versa. This causes the reader to think and contemplate issues of right and wrong, and moral values. At the end I was very sorry that the book ended but also looking forward to reading more of this authors work. This was a great book!
Rating: 
Summary: Not Le Carré's best work...
Review: Quite frankly, I don't understand why this book is lauded as Le Carré's greatest novel. It seems that the only purpose of this novel is to show us how immoral espionage is and to show how know in the Cold War was "right". However, it does this by long and boring dialogues throughout the protagonist's many interrogations. By the time the book starts to pick up, it seems Le Carré decides he has said enough and rather abruptly ends it. If you want a better example of Le Carré's work stick to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and the other books in that series
Rating:
Summary: Ambitious, Well Done, and Tarnished
Review: This is a well-crafted story with universal themes:
-The necessity and the costs of moral compromise.
-The ambiguities that cloud the atmosphere on both sides of our political lines-in-the-sand (even the Berlin Wall).
-The manipulation and/or supression of human sentiment by liberal societies and authoritarian regimes alike.
-The modern complexities that ultimately overwhelm personal choice. Because of the transcendent themes and the expertise of the narration, this book will be read for many years to come. Time, however, has eroded some of the plot devices which were employed once so perfectly by this redoubtable book. 1. The use of the tribunal as a device of discovery now seems quaint and naive, if not actually medieval. Today we see "trials" as spin contests or campaigns of persuasion based on known sets of evidence. Our trials are dramatic only for the jury; the rest of us already know everything about the case. Unfortunately, LeCarre relies heavily on the tribunal to unfold his plot. Consequently, this thriller resonates today primarily as a courtroom drama plus aftermath. 2. The Author's Message of moral skepticism is no longer thrillingly provocative as it must have been for the mass market in 1963. The characters have lost some of their facination as representatives of "the way we live" and their fates don't hold us in as much suspense as they once must have. The heavy-duty Author's Message passage runs two or three pages and is integrated into one of the most dramatic scenes of the plot. All novels are affected by time and this one, already, seems old. Yet we still admire the novel's ambitions and execution--and yes, discerning readers will enjoy its patina. LeCarre's next book, A Looking Glass War, is more artfully made, I think, so I value it more highly, even if the story is not so gripping. I look forward to reading some of LeCarre's more recent books.
Rating:
Summary: Transcends Genre
Review: This is the book that really launched Le Carre's career as a writer. It displays all the qualities that make his work attractive. The subtle presentation of the complicated and surprising plot makes a very unlikely series of events seem natural. The character development is superb with real psychological insight and rigorous attention to detail. The quality of writing is excellent and miles above the usual standard of thrillers. Animating this book and all his best books are concerns with substantial moral issues. Do the ends justify the means? If so, then what amount of betrayal and deception is acceptable? If both sides in conflict like the Cold War employ the same immoral methods, is there a real difference between them? Finally, what are the moral and personal costs of using these methods, even in an apparently good cause? Le Carre posed these questions in the context of stories about the small world of espionage, but they apply equally well to many facets of national policy during the Cold War.
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