Charity (Wheeler Large Print Book Series (Cloth))

Rating:
Summary: Bernard Samson takes his bow at last
Review: I approached Len Deighton's final entry in the Bernard Samson series with some degree of sadness. In the 10+ years that I have been reading the books, my empathy with the character has become more and more pronounced.( As a measure of my devotion...my wife and I named our firstborn daughter Fiona...even though we did not like the character, we loved the name...) This particular novel was decidedly elegiac; Bernard muses on growing old, losing friends and family and trying to retain his hold on what is really valuable, all while he doggedly pursues many unsavory truths. While I was very disappointed with the resolution of the Bernard/Fiona/Gloria triangle- the marriage is clearly beyond help, and Gloria is MUCH more appealing than Fiona - I enjoyed the book quite a bit,mostly due to Deighton's masterful portrait of Bernard Samson as a tired, cynical, middle-aged seeker, tilting with windmills that all too often turn out to be monsters after all. Bravo, Len and Farewell Bernard. I'll even miss Dicky.

What now, Mr. Deighton? I for one have always been intrigued by the legendary Samson Senior...might we ever get a peek at his own career exploits...?

Rating:
Summary: Don't Start With This One
Review: Let me start by saying that this whole series is best suited to be read in order. I picked one up here and there and in doing so mixed the order up. What that meant is that I had to do a little extra thinking at times and on some books the light bulbs went off for some of my earlier questions. I also think these books are best suited to someone that is looking for a real characters driven spy story and not a action packed James Bond shoot em up. Deighton is a writer, therefore he spends time getting to know the characters, their personalities - what they are thinking, not just when they are reloading their gun. This being said I did think this end of the line book could have used a bit more action to punch it up, get the pace up a notch or two. Overall it is a good, solid book that gives a satisfying ending to the series.

Rating:
Summary: Goodbye, Bernard and Fiona
Review: Never before have I encountered a trilogy of trilogies (plus one more about the Winters) and I've loved Bernard Samson from the start. Still, it's a relief to have it over. The plot has grown increasingly bizarre from one book to the next. Mr. Deighton could not seriously believe that any woman, however ambitious and well-placed, would actually become a double double agent, going to the East Germany and abandoning her hapless spy-spouse and their much loved offspring. And then she returns! But wait, her sister has been murdered. But by whom? Shall we guess? Several times? It's also interesting, frequently amusing, but not up to Game, Set,or Match or Mr. Deighton's much earlier fiction, such as Funeral in Berlin.