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Sep 07, 2019
Philip
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1960s,
first-person
PROGRESS REPORT: Can't say that Deighton didn't warn me, because there's this on page 4:
"That's very confusing," said the Minister, and wrote it down in his book.
"It's a confusing story," I told him. "I'm in a very confusing business."
So I guess it really shouldn't come as any surprise that I am literally halfway through and still have no clear idea what this story is actually about. There's an occasionally recurring theme of scientists disappearing, but it's a pretty thin thread to hang 130 pag ...more
"That's very confusing," said the Minister, and wrote it down in his book.
"It's a confusing story," I told him. "I'm in a very confusing business."
So I guess it really shouldn't come as any surprise that I am literally halfway through and still have no clear idea what this story is actually about. There's an occasionally recurring theme of scientists disappearing, but it's a pretty thin thread to hang 130 pag ...more
This is not an espionage novel.
I bailed on page 113, had enough, abandoned. It was just wasn't going anywhere. It is pretty dry, mostly descriptive of equipment or a room. It was getting boring around page p. 90 finding it hard to follow what the author is saying - all the detail and conversation. It seems like a lot of filler padding out the story. I started to get it about half way, it is not about a story, there is no story as such, the novel is about describing the actual unglamorous world ...more
I bailed on page 113, had enough, abandoned. It was just wasn't going anywhere. It is pretty dry, mostly descriptive of equipment or a room. It was getting boring around page p. 90 finding it hard to follow what the author is saying - all the detail and conversation. It seems like a lot of filler padding out the story. I started to get it about half way, it is not about a story, there is no story as such, the novel is about describing the actual unglamorous world ...more
Len Deighton's nameless protagonist (Harry Palmer in the motion picture series), working for an anonymous organisation (with a cool acronyme), is one of the truly great characters in Spy Fiction. He is intelligent, streetwise, capable and vulnerable, thoroughly anti-establishment and working towards one goal only - to maintain some kind of uncertain Status Quo in a world divided by ideologies. The first-person narrative keeps the reader close to the action, and the book also provides an elegant
...more
I finally finished. Like many other reviewers, I had trouble following the plot. The many idioms (idia?) from early-1960s England did not age well.
Jul 10, 2012
Jeff Siegel
marked it as to-read
Jan 02, 2013
Evan Willnow
marked it as to-read
Jul 12, 2013
Sean Dean
marked it as to-read
Sep 20, 2013
Leensey
marked it as to-read
Aug 09, 2015
Siddharth
marked it as to-read
Oct 24, 2015
Karthik M
marked it as to-read
Nov 10, 2015
Larry Loftis
marked it as to-read
Feb 09, 2016
BMK
marked it as to-read
Jun 08, 2019
Herbie
marked it as to-read
