false <![CDATA[A Perfect Spy]]> http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167175768m/19001.jpg 19001 37 John le Carré's classic novels deftly navigate readers through the intricate shadow worlds of international espionage with unsurpassed skill and knowledge, and have earned him unprecedented worldwide acclaim.<P>Immersing readers in two parallel dramas -- one about the making of a spy, the other chronicling his seemingly imminent demise -- le Carré offers one of his richest and most morally resonant novels.<P>Magnus Pym -- son of Rick, father of Tom, and a successful career officer of British Intelligence -- has vanished, to the dismay of his friends, enemies, and wife. Who is he? Who was he? Who owns him? Who trained him? Secrets of state are at risk. As the truth about Pym gradually emerges, the reader joins Pym's pursuers to explore the unsettling life and motives of a man who fought the wars he inherited with the only weapons he knew, and so became a perfect spy.<P> 2492347 1986 A Perfect Spy total:625|5:154|4:236|3:178|2:46|1:11| 625 2351 900 57 5 1 false false Thu Dec 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 14:22:38 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 14:25:55 -0800 2008 here ) that notes that A Perfect Spy is a kind of what-if autobiographical account of John LeCarre himself (fictionalized, obviously). Whether this is or is not the case, this is one of the best novels I've read this year.

Magnus Pym, intelligen...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1995 Fri Feb 06 17:49:45 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 07 18:47:13 -0800 2009
The narrative time from the first act...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Sep 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 08:30:06 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 09:21:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Jul 15 10:26:34 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 10:29:37 -0700 2009
The bad news? Apparently to be the perfect spy, you need to have a trickster father and grow up in Britain, so I'm thinking my odds are get...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Nov 24 19:37:40 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 24 20:52:43 -0800 2008
An old cliche, but even I found myself - whilst reading this book alone on a train from Sydney to Newcastle (circa 1988)- deciding that I was henceforth, or at least for the duration of...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1991 Fri Dec 28 00:35:28 -0800 2007 Mon Feb 18 18:51:34 -0800 2008
Magnus Pym is as robust and elsuive a character you will find among Le carre's books.

To classify John Le Carre as a ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun May 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun May 18 10:46:27 -0700 2008 Sun May 18 10:58:37 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 11 11:25:28 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 11 11:37:05 -0800 2008 reread this book. As I do every so often with the brilliant novels of John Le Carre, aka David Cornwell, former British intelligence analyst and god-knows-what-he-can't-say. I reread them because, genre aside, he's such a masterful stylist of the English language.

The...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jun 07 14:28:28 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 07 14:34:14 -0700 2009
Magnus Pym, Britain's premier spy, has vanished. An international manhunt ensues. But the most powerful drama of all comes from exploring Pym's background. His education as a spy and how he was transformed into a master of guile and deception.

From o...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jan 18 17:49:38 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 05:44:16 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 18 17:49:38 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 22 08:24:51 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 29 08:52:53 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false true Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Mar 26 18:22:55 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 31 19:41:56 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 11 03:26:13 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 11 03:28:51 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Wed Feb 25 15:39:41 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 15:41:54 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1982 Sat Jul 26 16:48:24 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 26 17:02:09 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Mar 05 07:48:52 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 07:50:14 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Feb 15 21:36:08 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 15 21:36:08 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Tue Oct 06 17:27:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 17:30:15 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Aug 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jan 18 05:35:15 -0800 2008 Sat Sep 06 05:14:13 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Aug 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 14:29:43 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 15:37:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=19001