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chloekg's review against another edition
3.0
Formerly, and more accurately, titled Call for the Dead, this short Le Carré novel is a gripping detective tale except with spies and broad cultural observations that are charming and insightful. This was my first Carré. The first impressive feat was masterful conjuration. With one or two sentences, maybe a paragraph, he caricatures an appearance, personality, and reader affinity for each player on his literary stage. That the player’s relationships are congenial-at-best struck me as possibly intentional. Is lack of emotional connection a characteristic of spy-craft? Of Britishness? Both? My impression is a world of supreme loneliness, and this has implications for plot and my attachment to characters as things develop.
The second masterful feat is the breadth of cultural commentary (well woven into the third mastery of a gripping and intricate plot). Each character, however devious, has a brilliance in their own capacity. Whether through a character or the narrative world building, this novel addresses German literary critique, political theory, architecture, material culture, theater, and psychology. It made me grateful to be reading in the time of instant search results for as many times as I needed context for a reference.
Outside of the masterful elements, it was a little convoluted and the motivations were so-so and there were a few disjoint epiphanies and by the end I started glazing over the words and I didn’t like anyone, but it was fun and pleasurable and thoughtfully stimulating and an elevated murder mystery romp through international espionage circles.
The second masterful feat is the breadth of cultural commentary (well woven into the third mastery of a gripping and intricate plot). Each character, however devious, has a brilliance in their own capacity. Whether through a character or the narrative world building, this novel addresses German literary critique, political theory, architecture, material culture, theater, and psychology. It made me grateful to be reading in the time of instant search results for as many times as I needed context for a reference.
Outside of the masterful elements, it was a little convoluted and the motivations were so-so and there were a few disjoint epiphanies and by the end I started glazing over the words and I didn’t like anyone, but it was fun and pleasurable and thoughtfully stimulating and an elevated murder mystery romp through international espionage circles.
badmc's review against another edition
4.0
I'm pleasantly surprised.
First of all, Smiley is not what I had expected. He's intelligent without being arrogant and insensitive - I mean, I like House and Sherlock, but I'm a bit tired of that particular kind of character.
Also, the narrative voice is comforting and somehow seems familiar , there are some powerful scenes, the plot is not overexplained, the characters are vivid, the psychology stands (especially considering the time the book is written) and it recognizes emotions as vital and normal parts of human experience (I'm also tired of "logic above all reason" narratives).
I find it surprisingly progressive (sexist and racist comments are properly addressed as such) and the fact that violence is not praised is also a huge plus. AND it's fun.
Woo!
First of all, Smiley is not what I had expected. He's intelligent without being arrogant and insensitive - I mean, I like House and Sherlock, but I'm a bit tired of that particular kind of character.
Also, the narrative voice is comforting and somehow seems familiar , there are some powerful scenes
Spoiler
(the arrest of Fielding left me gaping for a good minute)I find it surprisingly progressive (sexist and racist comments are properly addressed as such) and the fact that violence is not praised is also a huge plus. AND it's fun.
Woo!
nadyne's review
4.0
My first spy-thrillers ever, I think. I lovend these, nut not as much as I love murder-mysteries
Other thoughts/reviews:
Mysteries in Paradise: http://paradise-mysteries.blogspot.be/2013/04/forgotten-book-murder-of-quality-john.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+MysteriesInParadise+%28MYSTERIES+in+PARADISE%29
Other thoughts/reviews:
Mysteries in Paradise: http://paradise-mysteries.blogspot.be/2013/04/forgotten-book-murder-of-quality-john.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+MysteriesInParadise+%28MYSTERIES+in+PARADISE%29
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