Single & Single

Rating:
Summary: an aborted takeoff
Review: Like an airliner taxiing around a foggy airport, Single and Single nears but never quite reaches the takeoff end of the runway. It revs its engines but fails to achieve the power required for takeoff. After several attempts to lift off it just shuts everything down and gets towed back to the terminal and deplanes its passengers. Maybe we'll go tomorrow

Rating:
Summary: LeCarre is back to old form. A sensational book.
Review: I have been a fan of John LeCarre since "The Spy Who Came in From The Cold" was released. With Smiley's People, he hit the top of his form. Then the cold war ended and he appeared to lost his way with "The Night Manager" and "The Tailor of Panama." With "Single & Single" he has entered a new era. International Intrigue, Fathers, Sons, lovers, betrayal, all are part of this engrossing book. A truly enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: Single & Single is Tedious & Tedious
Review: This book should be recommended reading for anyone suffering from insomnia. I could hardly stay awake after reading two or three pages. The characters have little depth. There isn't a likeable or sympathetic character in the book. While some critics might call this Le Carre's best novel in years, this might be because it is only slightly more interesting than anything he may have done in years. This book is next to impossible to read. I would characterize Le Carre's writing style as both tedious and boring. Much of the dialog is crytic and virtually incomprehensible. I found the plot only slightly more interesting than a Martha Stewart cookbook. I really felt cheated after reading this book in light of the hype that came with its publication. Reading this book is a waste of time.

Rating:
Summary: I would give it 2 and 1/2 stars if I could
Review: Reading Single & Single reminded me of having to read Crime and Punishment while in college, even though Single & Single was not as long it was as torturous to read. I admired Oliver but got lost in the world of the magician, the spy, the merchant, the lawyer, his dear dad Tiger, the russian mafia and the various love interests. I am afraid time has passed a great writer by, and his attempt to catch up was just about a failure.

Rating:
Summary: Who needs The Cold War?
Review: Hooray! John LeCarre has given us his best novel since Smiley's People. Everything is here, troubled hero, hateful villains, even LeCarre's obligatory sad Russian woman. No one writing today matches LeCarre's ability to mix sheer mass market excitement with literary craft superior to what usually passes for literary. I am a happy reader.

Rating:
Summary: Another Excellent Le Carre Classic
Review: Le Carre is a true master, getting better and better. Single and Single is another excellent example of Le Carre's talents, superbly written in classic Le Carre style. A well researched and convincing story with vivid characters. Truly enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Good read, but tails off at end.
Review: This is the first Le Carre book I've read. I enjoyed it, but it was only above average. The ending was somewhat forced and seemed slapped together. As though the author had a page limit, realized he was almost out of space , and brought the book to an abrupt ending. All in all, though, it was a good read.

Rating:
Summary: a lost opportunity for a possibly greater book
Review: As time goes by, the Cold war is giving new cannon fodder to spy-stories, but the thrilling and mistery of the East-West secret conflict are all but gone. It is rather clumsy to follow the adventure of a Custom and Excise Officer and his buddies once Mr. LeCarre' had been serving us so juicy MI5 or KGB's stories, and apart from some rare sparkle, the plot is somewhat dull, the gist can be inferred from the first pages and, well, everything seems become trivial and meaningless, just as perhaps Mr. LeCarre' honestly wants us to understand.

Rating:
Summary: Le Carre in close to top form
Review: Single & Single is marvelous. Because Le Carre has set such a high standard--he is after all, the greatest writer in the genre since Joseph Conrad--it is high praise indeed to say that he is in close to top form. Tiger Single is a compelling character, and the interaction between him and the principle protagonist, his son Oliver, is the heart of this exciting novel.

Rating:
Summary: Le Carre does it again!
Review: This is classic Le Carre. It's a page turner. You will be burning the midnight oil to finish it!