Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: A George Smiley Novel

First published in 1974, this well-known novel captures aspects of that period very well.Le Carré can’t be accused of dumbing down for the readers. It is as if he subjects us in a subliminal way to the world of international espionage through the mentioning of countless names, work-name alternatives, organisational affiliations, obtuse exchanges in dialogue, disjointed timelines, story jumps, and awkward sentences that need rereading to clarify who is the subject and who the object.Meanwhile, while we struggle to decipher the plot, Smiley whispers in our ear. Nothing escapes him, except his marriage.The Circus (from Cambridge Circus) is an appropriate term for the freak show of inflated egos and over-clever mental acrobats that rub against each other on its top floor. Meanwhile, the achievements of the narrative are also its downfall, as is the aloofness of Smiley for him. I was pleased to reach the end and be able to leave him to the job of seemingly protecting us all from those appointed to do that.

This book is a masterpiece, which I'm sure other, more well-read people have said many times before. I love how it throws the reader into the deep end from page one. Immediately I found myself lost in the middle of the situation with dozens of characters and secret services lingo I knew nothing about. I can't say I was too familiar with the historical and political context of that time, except from some general knowledge. It took me a while to get my head around it and understand (kind of) what is going on. Bit by bit, mainly from the context, I started unravelling the thread and gaining some understanding of the maze of agendas, relationships, plans and plots. The writer is not short on words, and in my opinion this is not the easy type of beach book you take on holiday, nor is it the type of book you can leave for a month and then get back to it. It took all my attention to follow it, and if I left it even for a week I had a hard time remembering everyone and getting back on. But I thoroughly enjoyed it and I do recommend it. I will say though that, in order to read this in English as a non-native speaker, you need some solid language knowledge and vocabulary, it's on the challenging side.

Maybe this was good in the 70's. I bought this based on glowing reviews, his 'masterpiece' but this is the first book I couldn't finish. It's style is hard work, a book should not be hard work, it should be enjoyable. Too many characters, too much chopping and changing, too much over writing and complication, and to top it off it's just dull! If this was the authors masterpiece then I dread to think what the other works are like. Still, fires always need lighting...

If looking for action on every page this will not be the book for you. A slow burner, but a well written work, probably one of the best of the spy genre. Not an easy read with it's twists and turns, complicated characters and equally complicated plot line, which requires alertness in order to follow. The Cold War period atmosphere is described wonderfully well. as are the characters, and there are all aspects of human nature both good and bad in this book. If prepared for a challenging read this may be the one for you.

I read a great deal and a wide variety of authors. I was informed that this was the spy story to end all spy stories yet I found it completely incomprehensible and gave up on not very far into the book. I suspect that may be more of judgment of myself than John le Carre, but felt I had to be honest however unpalatable my review. Incidentally, my opinion is shared by several people to whom I have lent the book.