John Le Carré : Three Complete Novels -- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy / The Honourable Schoolboy ...
Three thrilling tales of espionage from the superselling author of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. Le Carre's highly acclaimed spy thrillers enj...
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Sep 08, 2011
Leah
rated it: 
It took me way longer than I expected to read all three of these classic spy novels by Le Carré. I read T,T,S,S last year, but ended up reading it again, just so I remembered the back story for the second and third novels.
The good news is that these are great books, full of fascinating detail about the Cold War spy world. The characters, especially the secondary characters, are subtly drawn, but they're memorable for sure. Le Carré doesn't spend a lot of time on straight-up descriptio More...
The good news is that these are great books, full of fascinating detail about the Cold War spy world. The characters, especially the secondary characters, are subtly drawn, but they're memorable for sure. Le Carré doesn't spend a lot of time on straight-up descriptio More...
Jan 13, 2010
Espen
rated it: 
I just reread this collection of the three "Smiley" novels (in a Norwegian, which isn't quite the same thing, though the translator is good). The arena John le Carré creates here (or, rather, reports from, since he was a part of the real thing for a while) is the stealthy and paranoid world of Cold War espionage and counter-espionage, with the physically unimpressive spy-hunter George Smiley as the absent-minded and socially inept anti-hero.
The three books follow each other More...
The three books follow each other More...
Feb 05, 2010
The Complete Smiley - The Karla Trilogy-
Book 2: The Honourable Schoolboy - Part 1
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Dramatisation of John le Carre's classic novel featuring intelligence officer George Smiley.
Set against the backdrop of the war in Indochina in 1975, spymaster George Smiley uncovers a trail of Russian money leading to a prominent Hong Kong citizen. But what is the money for?
George Smiley ...... Simon Russell Beale
Jerry Westerby ...... Hugh Bon More...
Book 2: The Honourable Schoolboy - Part 1
Hide information
Dramatisation of John le Carre's classic novel featuring intelligence officer George Smiley.
Set against the backdrop of the war in Indochina in 1975, spymaster George Smiley uncovers a trail of Russian money leading to a prominent Hong Kong citizen. But what is the money for?
George Smiley ...... Simon Russell Beale
Jerry Westerby ...... Hugh Bon More...
Feb 10, 2012
Endre
rated it:
In fairness to disclosure, I have almost every John le Carre's books. This one, I read when it came out and the impetus was to re-read it, since the movie is coming out soon and I had virtually no recollection of the story. Well I am glad I re-read it. This book is the first of a trilogy that le Carre' has written. ( I suspect had I not re-read the book I would have challenges following the movie)
This is not a spoiler alert, because the story is simple, but you will be wondering who is the More...
This is not a spoiler alert, because the story is simple, but you will be wondering who is the More...
Feb 10, 2012
Reuben
rated it:
An omnibus of three character driven and highly cerebral cold war spy novels starring George Smiley of British intelligence. I found George Smiley to be a pleasantly anti-heroic hero. He is old, dumpy, frequently cuckolded, and the closest he gets to an "action sequence" is pulling flashback-ridden all-nighters sifting through old MI6 case files to catch a soviet mole.
The novels have a distinctly dim moral outlook. Essentially all personal relationships, be they friendship More...
The novels have a distinctly dim moral outlook. Essentially all personal relationships, be they friendship More...
Sep 06, 2010
Pa
rated it: 
The plot surrounds the discovery of a double agent at the highest level of the British Intelligency agency but the novel goes, at great length and in great detail, to describe the social and physical life of British espionage agents and their day-to-day activities. As usual, Le Carre's hero, Mr. George Smiley, seems extraordinarily ordinary in an anti-James Bond kind of way: he's a pudgy, middle-aged, quiet, bespectacled Oxford man whose beautiful wife has just run off with one of his colleague
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Dec 09, 2011
Allison
rated it:
The masterpiece of the Cold War.
There's not much I can say about the Karla Trilogy that hasn't been said before. One interesting note: When the original "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" was being cast -- with Alec Guinness as George Smiley -- the interest among actors was huge. I've read that the casting of TTSS wreaked havoc on the theater scene of London's West End. All the good actors wanted to be in TTSS. They were.
There's not much I can say about the Karla Trilogy that hasn't been said before. One interesting note: When the original "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" was being cast -- with Alec Guinness as George Smiley -- the interest among actors was huge. I've read that the casting of TTSS wreaked havoc on the theater scene of London's West End. All the good actors wanted to be in TTSS. They were.
Jan 09, 2012
I started this book on my kindle, but could not get into it. Maybe the subject matter was just too outdated to be reading on a kindle? ... Or it's just me. Or maybe I just didn't have enough time in one go to read enough to make it understandable/enjoyable. But I put it down for maybe later....
Dec 04, 2008
Noel
rated it:
Perhaps the best modern spy story ever, based loosely upon the Kim Philby scandal that rocked British and US intelligence in the early 1960's. Brilliant, complex and moody.....
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Sep 24, 2009
Ejkrane
rated it:
These are the classic and perhaps the best novels about spycraft and the Cold War to be published by a masterful author.
Sep 02, 2010
Barbara
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Nobody does it like John LeCarré, absolutely the best of the genre. And the BBC dramatizations did him justice.
Apr 23, 2010
Karl
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Read the three novels in this collection a few decades ago and really loved them. But if anything, reading all three in quick succession this past week has been even more enjoyable. Today I ordered the "Tinker, Tailor" DVD. I enjoyed the BBC productions when PBS showed them back in the day. Nostalgia time, I guess, but really, these books are MOST enjoyable!
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May 11, 2010
Mary
rated it:
I read all these books several times nearly 20 years ago. Lately, I've been missing Smiley and thought I would visit him again. So far, it's even better than the first couple of times!
4/15 Plowing through The Honorable Schoolboy. Makes much more sense this time around. Am enjoying it, but prefer Tinker Tailor.
4/15 Plowing through The Honorable Schoolboy. Makes much more sense this time around. Am enjoying it, but prefer Tinker Tailor.
Mar 16, 2008
April
rated it:
The absolute best of the espionage genre. Le Carre is a keen observer of human behavior, and often reveals insights even into the human heart. The good guys aren't that good. The bad guys - maybe not much worse. You never know where his stories will take you - and the ride is always worth it.
Jun 27, 2008
Mom
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Why has this not been a major motion picture? Probably no major actors that are valid enough to play Smiley. One of the best surgical excavations (after a mole) ever written. I love this guy. Former careerist at MI-5 who writes under the 'nomme de plume' of LeCarre.
Jun 18, 2007
Rachael
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I loved these books - they brought me up and made me (in part) who I am today and why I think the way I do. Maybe I was reading them a little too early but I don't think I turned out that bad. The BBC production with Alec Guinness is phenomenal, too.
Dec 28, 2007
Moran
rated it:
This brilliant trilogy of spy novels unspools slowly, building up tension not just over one book (though each stands on its own), but through all three books.
The thrill is all psychological and painstakingly laid out.
Amazing
The thrill is all psychological and painstakingly laid out.
Amazing
Jun 30, 2008
Amy
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George Smiley is one of my all time favorite fiction characters. Even though Le Carre' has wrapped up Smiley's career I wish he could write another one to fill in the voids between the books.
Jul 22, 2008
Nephi
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Figuring out that there is a mole in your spy organization is a lot like solving a whodunit.
Feb 08, 2012
Feb 07, 2012
Feb 07, 2012
