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The Little Drummer Girl
by
John le Carre'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.
In this thrilling and thought-provoking novel of Middle Eastern intrigue, Charlie, a brilliant and beautiful young English actress, is lured into "the theatre of the r ...more
In this thrilling and thought-provoking novel of Middle Eastern intrigue, Charlie, a brilliant and beautiful young English actress, is lured into "the theatre of the r ...more
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Paperback, 672 pages
Published
April 1st 2000
by Pocket Books
(first published 1983)
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This is a fantastic read. Keep going.
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Dec 17, 2014
Jeffrey Keeten
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
spies,
book-to-film
”What would it be like really and absolutely to believe? (...) To know, really and absolutely know, that there's a Divine Being not set in time or space who reads your thoughts better than you ever did, and probably before you even have them? To believe that God sends you to war, God bends the path of bullets, decides which of his children will die, or have their legs blown off, or make a few hundred million on Wall Street, depending on today's Grand Design?”
Joseph proved to be more than jus ...more

Joseph proved to be more than jus ...more

When spy novelist John le Carré broke off from George Smiley’s complex world long enough to pen this terrifying thriller in 1979, it announced a New World of Terror.
So said The Guardian in October of 2018: they pronounced this the one book that best predicted our present paranoia.
Be that as it may, for me it was the stimulus that drove me to bury myself safely in a grey world of existential psychology.
For ‘the world (was) too much with (me)!’
Yes, with this novel the insularity of my little worl ...more
So said The Guardian in October of 2018: they pronounced this the one book that best predicted our present paranoia.
Be that as it may, for me it was the stimulus that drove me to bury myself safely in a grey world of existential psychology.
For ‘the world (was) too much with (me)!’
Yes, with this novel the insularity of my little worl ...more

"They wanted her. They knew her through and through; they knew her fragility and her plurality. And they still wanted her. They had stolen her in order to rescue her…"
I have already officially declared myself a devoted John le Carré fan. It truly seems he cannot write something bad or even mediocre as far as I’m concerned. I knew with The Little Drummer Girl I would be missing my favorite spy, George Smiley. I’ve gotten pretty accustomed to seeing him in the pages of my novels every few months, ...more
I have already officially declared myself a devoted John le Carré fan. It truly seems he cannot write something bad or even mediocre as far as I’m concerned. I knew with The Little Drummer Girl I would be missing my favorite spy, George Smiley. I’ve gotten pretty accustomed to seeing him in the pages of my novels every few months, ...more

“[W]e want to offer you a job. An acting job…The biggest part you ever had in your life, the most demanding, the most difficult, surely the most dangerous, and surely the most important. And I don’t mean money. You can have money galore, no problem, name your figure…The part we have in view for you combines your talents, Charlie, human and professional. Your wit. Your excellent memory. Your intelligence. Your courage. But also that extra human quality to which I already referred. Your warmth. We
...more

"You want to catch the lion, first you tether the goat." - Misha Gavron
If a good book is one that immerses you in the fictional world it creates and makes you see and feel every moment of the characters lives and actions, then The Little Drummer Girl is a study in what a good book should be. I wondered if I would be swept up in it again as I was when I was young, romantic and impressionable. The answer is a resounding “yes”. I have long counted it as a favorite, unforgettable book, and I am happ ...more
If a good book is one that immerses you in the fictional world it creates and makes you see and feel every moment of the characters lives and actions, then The Little Drummer Girl is a study in what a good book should be. I wondered if I would be swept up in it again as I was when I was young, romantic and impressionable. The answer is a resounding “yes”. I have long counted it as a favorite, unforgettable book, and I am happ ...more

An amazing novel. I was a le Carre fan coming in, but this book's explorations of identity and morality blew my mind while simultaneously blowing up lots of other stuff. It's a story about Zionists, Palestinians, and bombs. And love and identity and morality. It's complex as hell; the identity stuff is on a PK Dick level, but goes there without drugs. The morality issue may be closer to common, as we are given Palestinians and Zionists and why they are who they are, but le Carre never overtly po
...more

I found this novel extremely disturbing, and the movie version starring Diane Keaton even more so. Perhaps it's because I'm half-Jewish, and family discussions regularly circle back to Israeli/Palestinian politics. The basic scenario in the book is that Mossad are concerned about a successful series of bombings carried out against Israeli targets by a Palestinian terrorist group. They want to infiltrate the organization, and recruit a young actress to help them. There are two scenes near the beg
...more

John le Carrè’s The Little Drummer Girl is much more than a spy novel. At its heart is a compelling relationship – which just happens to be between an agent and her agent runner (or case officer) amid a fascinating plot to stop a terrorist bomber. But it’s the genius and complexity of the relationship that raises The Little Drummer Girl to heights far above the limits of the spy genre.
An intricate fiction is planned in order to infiltrate the bomber’s network and bring him down. Michel, the bom ...more
An intricate fiction is planned in order to infiltrate the bomber’s network and bring him down. Michel, the bom ...more

I'm having a hard time untangling my responses to this novel: part of me dislikes the dismissive way in which le Carré's female protagonist is portrayed: her childish 'I'm a rebel, me' politics, her self-absorption, her naivety, her arch dialogue: in le Carré's defence, I guess, we have to remember this was first published in 1983 and can't help but be shaped by the gender politics of the time.
I was also slightly amused that this is essentially a 'caper' plot, albeit more serious than that label ...more
I was also slightly amused that this is essentially a 'caper' plot, albeit more serious than that label ...more

I have a vague memory of a column by George Will, back when I used to read him, about this 1983 novel. If memory serves, Will was upset that le Carré depicts the Palestinians as having a point of view, or maybe of just acknowledging that they exist. He likened the book to a Harlequin romance. He hated the dust jacket, and the typeface.
I don’t like any of the choices we’re given in the Middle East: choose one side or another, or say “a plague on both your houses,” or ignore it altogether. Le Car ...more
I don’t like any of the choices we’re given in the Middle East: choose one side or another, or say “a plague on both your houses,” or ignore it altogether. Le Car ...more

I do not want to rate this book because I've given up on reading it and I know this author is greatly admired and read all over the world. I just could not get into the book and am moving on.
...more

Jun 05, 2012
Darwin8u
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
aere-perennius,
2012
What happens when a woman loves two righteous men? Two feuding nations? A woman who is struggling with both her inner and outer world; her inner and outer dialogue. ''The Little Drummer Girl'' is the second best spy novel I've ever read, but I NEVER give first prizes. Charlie is a woman who incubates in the womb of her mind the warring ideals and pitiful trails of two imperfect people(s). We all have both angels and devils in our nature and the irony is that when we try to invent one, we end up
...more

In this story LeCarre takes us on a trip into the schizophrenic world of creating legends and running spies.
It was set during the early 1980's when terrorist bombings had become common place in Europe. And there were characters in this story that reminded me of the BaderMinehoff(sp?) Group.
Even though some of the elements in this story are dated, it is still a powerful novel.
And after a spate of reading not so great Le Carre novels, this one was very refreshing. ...more
It was set during the early 1980's when terrorist bombings had become common place in Europe. And there were characters in this story that reminded me of the BaderMinehoff(sp?) Group.
Even though some of the elements in this story are dated, it is still a powerful novel.
And after a spate of reading not so great Le Carre novels, this one was very refreshing. ...more

Brilliant. Unputdownable. One of his best novels and his female main protagonist is brilliantly realised. In awe of the writing craft displayed in this novel. Le Carre's skill at weaving backstory with a love story with a gripping political thriller is unique. Every time I read him I'm reminded again that he is a real novelist.
Those saying it is slow are idiots and clearly have short attention spans and are of low intellectual ability - try one of those gaming game thingys where everyone gets k ...more
Those saying it is slow are idiots and clearly have short attention spans and are of low intellectual ability - try one of those gaming game thingys where everyone gets k ...more

This was actually one of the most suspenseful and exciting of Le Carre's books, but it took a long time to get to the exciting part, which means it doesn't quite land on my shelf of favorites. This is also one of the most plot-driven of Le Carre's works, and that makes it rather difficult to review without spoiling.
I was happy embarking on this journey, because it not only started in my old hometown, but in the very neighborhood of the town I lived in so happily. Then -- ooops -- a bomb went of ...more
I was happy embarking on this journey, because it not only started in my old hometown, but in the very neighborhood of the town I lived in so happily. Then -- ooops -- a bomb went of ...more

There is no fear like it. Your courage will be like money. You will spend and spend, and one night you will look in your pockets and you'll be bankrupt and that is when the real courage begins.
This book is possibly the most complex le Carré novel I've read to date. This is the story of Charmian ("Charlie" to her friends, though she doesn't keep them for long). She's a talented British actress who, like many other talented artists, is penniless and jobless. She follows her abusive boyfriend from ...more
This book is possibly the most complex le Carré novel I've read to date. This is the story of Charmian ("Charlie" to her friends, though she doesn't keep them for long). She's a talented British actress who, like many other talented artists, is penniless and jobless. She follows her abusive boyfriend from ...more

Another LeCarre masterpiece, in my judgment, right up there with the best of the Smiley/Circus series. Given the broad spectrum of characters here (from Israeli intelligence agents to young members of the '70s counterculture to Arab guerrillas to European Marxist revolutionaries -- all of whom are worlds apart from Smiley's British "espiocrats"), I predict that this will go down as LeCarre's most ambitious project. Also, LeCarre somehow manages to create truly chilling scenes that take place in
...more

Dreary spy novel about the hunt for a mad bomber.
I've tried Le Carre before, but I think he just isn't for me. ...more
I've tried Le Carre before, but I think he just isn't for me. ...more

Germany, 1979. When a bomb goes off in the diplomatic quarter of Bonn, senior Israeli intelligence agent Martin Kurtz flies in to investigate. A series of similarly deadly attacks targeting prominent Jewish figures across Europe have been carried out in recent weeks, and Kurtz now believes there is a Palestinian revolutionary at the heart of this pattern. Kurtz sets in motion a brilliant and elaborate plan to catch the kingpin, Khalil.
Meanwhile in London, passionate young actress Charlie is trea ...more
Meanwhile in London, passionate young actress Charlie is trea ...more

Jul 23, 2015
Kim Kaso
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
5000-books-lor2018
I read this book the first time when it first came out, I read it at least two more times before this read, and I’ve watched the movie with Diane Keaton, Klaus Kinski , & the marvelous Sami Frey many times. I did this re-read before watching the recent mini-series, which was well done but felt less romantic than the cinematic version.
I am a huge Le Carré fan, I started with The Spy Who Came in from the Cold which was something I read in junior high and came to appreciate in re-reads, but I fell ...more
I am a huge Le Carré fan, I started with The Spy Who Came in from the Cold which was something I read in junior high and came to appreciate in re-reads, but I fell ...more

The Little Drummer Girl is a page-turning story of love and loyalty set against the backdrop of the Middle East conflict, and I found it significantly different in tone and composition to the George Smiley series, and his other spy novels generally, which I am more familiar with. I think its no exaggeration to say that Charlie goes on an emotionally and physically draining journey during the course of this book, quickly maturing from an outspoken, incredibly dislikeable, and shockingly naïve you
...more

A young actress, Charlie, is recruited by an Israeli spymaster, Martin Kurtz, to try to locate a Palestinian terrorist by the name of Kahlil, who zeroes in on Jewish targets, mostly in Germany. Internal conflicts arise for Charlie, whose character is probably loosely based upon Vanessa Redgrave, because she is an anti-Zionist working for Israelis. She falls in love with her case officer, who closely resembles Kahlil's brother. As the plot spirals inward, the pressures on Charlie consistently inc
...more

Mar 20, 2019
Marty Fried
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
espionage,
audiobooks
I think I would have enjoyed this more if it were not an audiobook, mainly because it was a little hard to follow, but I think I did OK by going back a few times.
If you're looking for a typical spy novel, you'll probably be disappointed. This had a bit in common with the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva, but not a lot. However, having read a lot of the Silva novels, I think it helped me follow the action a little better.
The hardest part of following this book is the fact that Charlie, the "g ...more
If you're looking for a typical spy novel, you'll probably be disappointed. This had a bit in common with the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva, but not a lot. However, having read a lot of the Silva novels, I think it helped me follow the action a little better.
The hardest part of following this book is the fact that Charlie, the "g ...more

Astonishing. It literally starts with a bang (Palestinian terrorists set off a bomb in Germany), but then Le Carre takes his wonderful sweet time setting up the plot. The recruitment and training of a young British actress by Israeli counterintelligence takes up two-thirds of the book. Her actual mission kept me on the edge of my seat for the final wrenching 150 pages. This 1983 book was Le Carre's first to leave Smiley behind and not center around British intelligence, and it's far and away one
...more

His best, and for me that's saying a lot. Intricate, atmospheric, penetrating and going to a gripping climax. The love interest in The Night Manager is less manipulative, and I like that book better as a romp, but Drummer Girl is exceptional in its politics and its Shakespearian psychology.
...more

One of his best. I enjoyed this book on many levels. Le Carre does a good job in developing the character of Charlie, a cut-rate actress with radical left leanings suffering from low self-esteem, who is recruited as a mole to ferret out a terrorist bomber. The Mossad operatives are also well portrayed as cold and vengeful.
Events in the story are disturbingly realistic showing the ruthlessness required for the counter-terrorist game. The author spent a lot of time researching this book in Lebanon ...more
Events in the story are disturbingly realistic showing the ruthlessness required for the counter-terrorist game. The author spent a lot of time researching this book in Lebanon ...more

In his genre he's hard to beat. So if you want to read a suspenseful spy thriller and are willing to put in some effort (a bit slow and thorough storytelling and often complicated (sub)plots) then you can't go wrong with this one.
...more

Picked up soon after watching the TV series, which I found beautifully shot but hard to follow. I can see why this one's regarded as a problematic novel; I'm glad he took a stab at writing a female lead, because women are thin on the ground in his books, but I'm never quite convinced by Charlie's character. I also found the first and last chapters a little too flippant given the grimness of the subject matter. There's cynical and then there's plain glib.
...more

‘Some interrogations are conducted in order to elicit truth, others to elicit lies. Kurtz wanted lies.’
Whenever I dip into The Little Drummer, and I dip into it frequently, I tend to gravitate to the pivotal scene of the interrogation, between the time-worn Israeli spymaster Kurtz – the weather-beaten warrior who had once been a little boy escaping the Holocaust from Central Europe – and Charlie, the English actress whose ‘ragbag of […] vague leftwing principles’ and radical past made her an ide ...more
Whenever I dip into The Little Drummer, and I dip into it frequently, I tend to gravitate to the pivotal scene of the interrogation, between the time-worn Israeli spymaster Kurtz – the weather-beaten warrior who had once been a little boy escaping the Holocaust from Central Europe – and Charlie, the English actress whose ‘ragbag of […] vague leftwing principles’ and radical past made her an ide ...more
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John le Carré, the pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell (born 19 October 1931 in Poole, Dorset, England), was an English author of espionage novels. Le Carré had resided in St Buryan, Cornwall, Great Britain, for more than 40 years, where he owned a mile of cliff close to Land's End.
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“Everyone who is not happy must be shot.”
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“What would it be like really and absolutely to believe? (...) To know, really and absolutely know, that there's a Divine Being not set in time or space who reads your thoughts better than you ever did, and probably before you even have them? To believe that God sends you to war, God bends the path of bullets, decides which of his children will die, or have their legs blown off, or make a few hundred million on Wall Street, depending on today's Grand Design? (ch. 14)”
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