Rating: 
Summary: the incisive mind of le carre
Review: when i read john le carre, i have to put the book down, reflect, go back a few pages sometimes. other times, his observations of human nature hit so close to home that i am absolutely amazed.
the clothes his characters wear, he knows about "persona" and what a pair of well worn boots, polished and cared for stand for.
he is not just a spy writer, he is a keen observer of the human condition.
May Bingham
Rating:
Summary: the incisive mind of le carre
Review: when i read john le carre, i have to put the book down, reflect, go back a few pages sometimes. other times, his observations of human nature hit so close to home that i am absolutely amazed.
the clothes his characters wear, he knows about "persona" and what a pair of well worn boots, polished and cared for stand for.
he is not just a spy writer, he is a keen observer of the human condition.
May Bingham
Rating:
Summary: Tough to get through, but rewarding in the end.
Review: Whew. It literally took me three years to read this book. I would start the book and quit reading by page 80, 90, sometimes 100. I never had the resolve to get past those first few chapters."A Perfect Spy" is as close to an autobiography as I think we'll get from LeCarre. While his later "Single and Single" touched on the same things, I greatly preferred "A Perfect Spy". It's a much darker, much more emotionally draining novel than "Single". What a sad, disappointing, mesmerizing, depressing, ultimately satisfying novel LeCarre has written for us. It's too tough to talk about the book without giving some spoilers, so all I'll say is that the story picks up gradually. The first bit is a bit tough, in my opinion, because of the flashbacks to the Magnus's childhood. Keep reading. It becomes clear later why you are spending time there. What a story. I had a previously enjoyed "Tinker, Tailor" the most of his books, but I think "A Perfect Spy" might replace that. I'm off to finish the rest of the Karla trilogy now, but I'll always be thinking of Magnus, and how wonderfully he was written.
Rating:
Summary: Tough to get through, but rewarding in the end.
Review: Whew. It literally took me three years to read this book. I would start the book and quit reading by page 80, 90, sometimes 100. I never had the resolve to get past those first few chapters. "A Perfect Spy" is as close to an autobiography as I think we'll get from LeCarre. While his later "Single and Single" touched on the same things, I greatly preferred "A Perfect Spy". It's a much darker, much more emotionally draining novel than "Single". What a sad, disappointing, mesmerizing, depressing, ultimately satisfying novel LeCarre has written for us. It's too tough to talk about the book without giving some spoilers, so all I'll say is that the story picks up gradually. The first bit is a bit tough, in my opinion, because of the flashbacks to the Magnus's childhood. Keep reading. It becomes clear later why you are spending time there. What a story. I had a previously enjoyed "Tinker, Tailor" the most of his books, but I think "A Perfect Spy" might replace that. I'm off to finish the rest of the Karla trilogy now, but I'll always be thinking of Magnus, and how wonderfully he was written.
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