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8797999's review against another edition
4.0
Raced through this one, time flies via whispersync.
A very enjoyable read featuring Ned and tales of his past assignments leading to his final assignment, instersected with a talk from George Smiley to up and coming future spymasters. An enjoyable read, chapter 10 for me was the peak, and sums up the loveable charcater and nature of Smiley.
I haven't noticed in other works but there was a lot more use of langauage in this one, lots of fucks given.
A very enjoyable read featuring Ned and tales of his past assignments leading to his final assignment, instersected with a talk from George Smiley to up and coming future spymasters. An enjoyable read, chapter 10 for me was the peak, and sums up the loveable charcater and nature of Smiley.
I haven't noticed in other works but there was a lot more use of langauage in this one, lots of fucks given.
jarrigy's review against another edition
4.5
Maugham's Ashenden as written by Ishiguro. Very nearly a masterpiece.
georgesquires123's review against another edition
5.0
A great collection of (almost) short stories that trace 25 years of themes between East and West
johninnes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Loved this clever return to the world of George Smiley
mkru's review
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
duparker's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this final installment in the Smiley series. The text flowed with a quick pace and felt natural in the stories settings and the umbrella story worked very well as well. Le Carre did a great job of closing out the series and also not making it not the story feel like an after thought.
thisisstephenbetts's review against another edition
4.0
A very welcome, nostalgic return for Smiley. But this time he is reminiscing for the students of the service. This is essentially a framing device for a bunch of short stories. As such, it is probably one for those already into le Carré, not one to create converts. That said, there are some beautiful passages here — it kinda feels like pieces that he couldn't work into the novels (there is one which feels like it emerged from the writing of The Honourable Schoolboy for example). Written in the aftermath of the fall of the Soviet regime there is a lot which still feels very highly relevant —toward the end of the book Smiley reflects on the negative effect that untrammeled capitalism has on democracy, which feels incredibly relevant at the moment. Recommended, but don't start here.
sandin954's review against another edition
5.0
While this is billed as a George Smiley novel he is just used as a framing device for the narrator, Ned (last seen in [b:The Russia House|270521|The Russia House|John le Carré|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348229603l/270521._SY75_.jpg|1129195]), to reflect back on his career in the clandestine service. Very episodic but well written in the usual le Carre style and the audio narration by Michael Jayston was excellent.
rhihill's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0