Smiley's Circus: A Guide to the Secret World of John le Carré

by David Monaghan

A comprehensive catalog of the byzantine operations of the "Circus" and the details surrounding the life of fictional spy George Smiley

Genres: Fiction, Reference, Espionage

207 pages, Paperback

First published August 21, 1986

Reviews

[Marie-Clare]

Rather spoiler-heavy if you have not read all the books under discussion but otherwise a fair account of the Smiley novels and their enduring appeal.

[Frances Sawaya]

Again, with a reference book such as this (concerning one of my favorite writers), it is not likely that I can ever say I have finished it. With there so much in the press this week regarding le Carre, I turned to this book for some life details about Smiley and his creator. Very worthwhile reading! My favorite anecdote is that Control's wife never knew what her husband's job really was; for decades she thought he was an inspector for the Coal Board!!! Plenty of trivia for every fan of this writer.

[Rachel]

quite enjoyable... planning to return to it after reading the earlier smiley books, but it was easy to avoid spoilers as i browsed through it. if i could own a copy, i would!