The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

A George Smiley Novel

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John le Carré, Michael Jayston: The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (AudiobookFormat, 2014, Penguin Audio)

audio cd

Published Aug. 28, 2014 by Penguin Audio.

ISBN:
978-1-61176-345-4
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5 stars (2 reviews)

2 editions

le Carré's writing is great

4 stars

I don't have enough experience of spy novels to know if this is, in fact, "one of the greatest spy novels of all time". It's good, and an enjoyable read. Full of plots and counter-plots.

The good thing about these novels is that they're not especially long. This one clocks in at around 240 pages, which makes it easily digestible and nothing drags on. le Carré's writing is good; he seems (to me) to reserve the right amount of space to talk about anything, knowing when to elaborate and build metaphors, and when to throw something else into sudden and sharp focus.

Anyway... Looking Glass War next!

Review of 'The Spy Who Came in From the Cold' on 'Storygraph'

5 stars

Almost perfect. Fully of moral ambiguity and grubby detail. The story of a broken middle aged spy on his last mission; cynically used by both sides which confirms his weary, nihilistic view of the world. It doesn’t really make any difference who wins, but innocent people get trampled in the race. Le Carré is one of the best character writers I’ve ever come across.