book data
724 ratings,
3.65
average rating, 40 reviews
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published
June 1st 1990
by Bantam
(first published 1985)
details
Mass Market Paperback, 464 pages
isbn
0553285343
(isbn13: 9780553285345)
description
From premier spy novelist John le Carre, a magnificent thriller, a love story and an ethical puzzle for our time.
We are in the third year of perestroi…more
We are in the third year of perestroi…more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 977)
All ratings
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5 stars (129)
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4 stars (279)
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3 stars (258)
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2 stars (50)
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1 star (8)
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avg 3.65
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in January, 2009
The Russia House is a love story wrapped in a spy story. The love story is somewhat less convincing than the spy story, but more compelling. Le Carre is a strong storyteller nonetheless, achieving vivid atmospheric effects (Moscow, London, an island off the coast of Maine, Leningrad) and driving scenes forward with deft, spirited dialogue.
The peculiar satisfaction of the book lies in the main character, Barley, shaking off the chains he's been wrapped in by the British and American i...more
The peculiar satisfaction of the book lies in the main character, Barley, shaking off the chains he's been wrapped in by the British and American i...more
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Já li uns quantos livros do John Le Carré mas quando começo um livro novo dele, nunca sei se vai ser dos bons ou dos mais ou menos bons. Gostei muito do Amigos Até ao Fim e do Espião que Veio do Frio. Quanto ao A Casa da Rússia, é uma história típica de espionagem e contra-espionagem, bem ao jeito do autor.
Mais uma vez acho os livros do John Le Carré um bocado óbvios, sem grandes surpresas, onde ao longo das páginas vamos confirmando o que já desconfiávamos. Neste A Cas...more
Mais uma vez acho os livros do John Le Carré um bocado óbvios, sem grandes surpresas, onde ao longo das páginas vamos confirmando o que já desconfiávamos. Neste A Cas...more
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Read in January, 2010
Strangely, it's closest to a thriller in genre but there were no swerves in the plotline -- you pretty much see everything coming before it happens. I don't view that as a flaw in the book, more that le Carre is offering a point of view on the world of spying. ("Spying is waiting," he writes.) For about half the book, I wished the first character we met, Niki Landau, was the main character. Barley isn't particularly likeable, but I took that as intentional as well. My only real complai...more
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Read in November, 2009
Durante uma feira áudio realizada em Moscovo, Katya Orlova entrega a Nikki Landau importantes obras de um amigo dirigidas a Bartholomew "Barley" Blair, um editor inglês, para que estas fossem publicadas em Inglaterra. À chegada a Londres, Landau leva as obras aos Serviços Secretos, tendo depois de analisadas se concluído que o material misterioso continha informações vitais para a defesa do Ocidente. Blair é chamado a colaborar com os Serviços no sentido de ir ao encontro de K...more
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Read in September, 2009
This was one of those books I had put off for many years. I finally got to it (probably motivated due to a recent trip to Eastern Europe). le Carre's writing is fabulous; the tension and human innuendos, the patterns of those who are involved with spying versus those who would rather just live and love, and Mr. Barley's place in both as a reluctant hero sets the probably-realistic tone for the glamorous gray life of secret service.
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Read in December, 2008
Typical LeCarre spy stuff. A British publisher is drafted into the spy service to make contact, through a Russian publisher's assistant, with a Russian scientist who may know secrets about the Soviet military capability. The British guy and the Russian assistant fall in love, of course, and in the end nobody know what was accomplished. Which is only reality, right?
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I'm not embarrassed to give this my first five star review. This is a book I return to every so often in the hopes of recapturing some of the joy of the initial reading. It does not disappoint. "The Russia House" does what a good book should, it envelopes the reader, embraces them. I remember coming out of my readings a little dazed, perhaps a little vulnerable?
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Read in January, 2010
My first experience with Le Carre - not gripping, a bit slow, some interesting character development and insights in to Russian society (like I'd know whether it was accurate or not !) - story got better towards the end and a bit of a plot/twist emerged.
I can only assume the 'Smiley' books are more gripping - to justify the reputation
I can only assume the 'Smiley' books are more gripping - to justify the reputation
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Read in July, 2008
this is a spy novel set at the end of the cold war and beginning of perestroika . it is brilliant on the grey men in the intelligence services and their thought processes and on the smoke and mirrors of spying and trust . the world weary conclusion , that the bluff and counterbluff between Russia and the West were essentially empty , seems to ring true .
the scenes in Russia were great , although the Ruskies seemed a little bit stereotyped or perhaps absolutely everyone there really drinks...more
the scenes in Russia were great , although the Ruskies seemed a little bit stereotyped or perhaps absolutely everyone there really drinks...more
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Read in March, 2009
Well written as per usual by John Le Carrie. It is an exciting cold war spy mystery where you are left wondering what really happened at the completion of the book. His characters are multi-layered and real. I thoroughly enjoyed a closer look at the Russian people, their customs and their history.
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Read in October, 2009
Fairly typical Le Carre, with very detailed descriptions of characters who disappear once they've served their purpose in the story. Typical plot of the British amateur asked to help bring in a defecting physicist -- but is it all a trick? He gives it all up for love.
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Great work over all, but I had a hard time getting into it. It took a few chapters, but then it became classic le Carre. It is a classic cold war era spy game with a twist; the action all comes from common everyday people, not spies. Far better than the movie!!
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Read in February, 2009
More cerebral than the Bancroft Strategy, with lots of"who's really working for who here" kind of questions, is there a double or triple cross going on? Not a lot of action, but lots of puzzle! Another great vacation read.
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Read in March, 2010
It ended up being more subtle and sad than thrilling, which is what had expected. The narrator broke my heart. Anyway, it was well-written and interesting, but didn't grip me the way some books do, hence the three stars.
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Read in February, 2009
Another great book by LeCarre, though I slighly preferred The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. The transitioning narrator of this book distracted me somewhat.
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After four attempts I 'got into it'--sounding familiar, eh?--and was rewarded for my efforts. A very good film with Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer.
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A spy novel at its best complete with a story of love and lovers. John LeCarre's characters are unforgettable!
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I love John Lecarre, his books are like a wonderful gourmet meal!
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Read in January, 1990
recommends it for:
everyone
With his deep familiarity with both the world of spies and Soviet Russia, John LeCarre presents Barley Blair, who may be the most improbable secret agent in the history of espionage. This is classic LeCarre, both in plot and setting. After reading this book, I felt that I could navigate through parts of Moscow without a map. I recommend this book not just for the scenery, but because LeCarre's uses espionage as a canvas to paint very large pictures on the universal themes of life and death, ...more
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fiction (on 29 people's shelves)
currently-reading (on 14 people's shelves)
spy (on 10 people's shelves)
thriller (on 10 people's shelves)
espionage (on 9 people's shelves)
mystery-thriller (on 6 people's shelves)
thrillers (on 5 people's shelves)
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