Rating: 
Summary: Not his best
Review: OK, not even close to his best. If you are an exhaustive Le Carre fan, then proceed otherwise, you would be better served by many others, including 'The Spy Who Came In from the Cold', 'Tinker, Tailor, SOldier, Spy', or 'The Perfect Spy'.Those were masterful. This one is about the politics of competing, emasculated spy buracracies.
Rating: 
Summary: Depressing, but on the mark
Review: This book deals with conflicts without and within: how does British intelligence deal with the communist threat, and how do the different departments in the British government vie for supremecy. I thought it a good study on how oftentimes the outside threat is forgotten. In this book, governments are ruthless, and men are driven by ambition and then are shocked by where that ambition leads them. Characters are very human, each working for different reasons, and in the end very believable. Le Carre is the best at examining the psychology of control and lying: what are the consequences of a life of deceit? No, it is not an action thiller. Don't read it if that is what you are looking for. But if you want a realistic portrayal of what goes on behind the government scenes in the spy game, this is definitely for you.
Rating:
Summary: The hearts and minds of marginalized intelligence agents
Review: This is a actually a beautifully written little story of foolishness, arrogance and betrayal. It's true the plot is a bit thinner than most of this great writer's work, but this tragedy is about the the souls (or lack thereof) of the men who send other men ill-prepared into mortal danger, and their twisted thought processes. Not Le Carre's best work, but darn good.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst spy book I have ever read.
Review: This whole book is absolutely pointless. All that happens is the individuals train up a spy to go into Soviet territory and then they leave him. Big Story!! I could write that! To me it is not believable or relevant or anything. Maybe this is the way that it really is or something, but I cannot even believe that, for one simple reason: money. A government cannot waste money like that on risking security breaches, it is just not feasible
Rating:
Summary: Terrible!Don't know why writing such ridiculous book!?
Review: Very ridiculous and tasteless story, but might be the first book with gay complex description, very obscure but if you read carefully, you would get the message. Anyway, it got nothing to do with the whole book. A 100% BOMB!
Rating:
Summary: Solid early le Carre
Review: While not as polished as some of his later work, especially the "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", "Honourable Schoolboy", "Smiley's People" trilogy, this book does a pretty good job examining some of the themes that have characterized le Carre's work over the years (loyalty, betrayal, disillusionment). I can only assume the negative reviewers were expecting something more in the vein of James Bond.
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