Reviews

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré

the_sunken_library's review against another edition

4.0

A bit of a slow start with an incredibly complicated plot to follow (primarily because everyone seemed to have a drinking problem and referred to the same person in a multitude of ways!) but overall I really enjoyed my first ever John le Carré. It took some of the shine off espionage for me - it's a lot more dull and straight forward than I presumed but I loved the characters and world conjured by the author, especially George Smiley who seems like such a sad and stoic figure, a last tribute to the once Great British Empire.

I am excited to read the next instalment in this trilogy.

sumbum22's review against another edition

2.0

This book is so complicated, it took a while to get into it. It was a tough read for me.

frances_the_red's review against another edition

2.0

Habe mich an manchen Stellen durchgequält, dann war es wieder ganz spannend. Werde mir bald mal den Film anschauen, um zu vergleichen.

mdevlin923's review against another edition

1.0

Set in the 1970s, George Smiley is tasked with identifying a Russian mole in the British Intelligence.

Not a fan of the writing style. The mystery was actually just deciphering what le Carre was writing.

nigellicus's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense

5.0

The definitive mole-hunt of spy literature, a procedural whodunnit mystery as Smiley threads the grubby Whitehall labyrinth of the Circus in search of the elusive Gerald and an unthinkable betrayal. Superbly contructed, intrictately plotted, filled with memorable characters, and proof that you can generate suspense and tension and grip readers in a vice through scenes of people having conversations 

caymoe23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

lordseregil's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

tenpn's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Expected a good page turner, but didn’t expect the writing to be so evocative. Really exciting, for a book that’s basically about a guy reading a few files. 

adholmes3's review against another edition

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

walkie_check's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75