This was probably a more realistic spy novel than ‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold‘ but I preferred the drama and romance of that novel over so much of the day to day training in this one.
This was probably a more realistic spy novel than ‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold‘ but I preferred the drama and romance of that novel over so much of the day to day training in this one.
My spy-kick from last year shows every sign of continuing into 2024. This 1st George Smiley novel started off strong but seemed to lose focus toward the end-It's a bit of a detective novel with spies in it,and could have used more spies lol-but I'm glad I read it and not just as a prelude to le carré's more famous novels. Smiley is an interesting character already, & I really liked Mendel and hope to see him in later books.
Read for #auldlangspine
Finally put together January's #Bookspin and #BookspinBingo! It's been a long week, haha. I'm working my way through the tagged #AuldLangSpine pick, though, and enjoying it so far!
I‘ve been working my way through the Smiley novels and I think this is my favorite. In addition to his stellar writing, I appreciate le Carré‘s unflinching look at the world of espionage. No sugar-coating here.
It was time to mix it up, and jump into Smiley‘s world for a while. I think I‘ll try to finish up this series. I‘d forgotten how good Le Carré is.
(1964) For readers who thought "The Spy Who Came In from The Cold" was overoptimistic, le Carré offers a cynical gem about a British intelligence agency trying to gather information about a possible military buildup on the East German border. But "The Department" is so plagued by nostalgia, overconfidence, budget constraints, and bureaucratic rivalries that the adventure can end only one dreadful way. I can't say I "enjoyed" it but I do admire it