Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
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- Create Date：2021-09-21 05:51:05
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：John le Carré
- ISBN：024132341X
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Summary
George Smiley， who is a troubled man of infinite compassion， is also a single-mindedly ruthless adversary as a spy。
The scene which he enters is a Cold War landscape of moles and lamplighters， scalp-hunters and pavement artists， where men are turned， burned or bought for stock。 Smiley's mission is to catch a Moscow Centre mole burrowed thirty years deep into the Circus itself。
The scene which he enters is a Cold War landscape of moles and lamplighters， scalp-hunters and pavement artists， where men are turned， burned or bought for stock。 Smiley's mission is to catch a Moscow Centre mole burrowed thirty years deep into the Circus itself。
Reviews
Susan Grodsky
，
I’ve slogged through almost half of this book， yet another entry on the shelf labeled “wildly overrated。”I’ve given it a fair chance。 Now I’m removing my bookmark and happily moving on。 Le Carre is a wonderful prose stylist。 He’s excellent at dialogue， he’s good at scene setting。All good。 But tell me a story I can follow and give me some characters to care about。 With the exception of some childrens’ walk-on parts （Roach， Jackie Lacon） I did not care for， or actively disliked， every one of the m I’ve slogged through almost half of this book， yet another entry on the shelf labeled “wildly overrated。”I’ve given it a fair chance。 Now I’m removing my bookmark and happily moving on。 Le Carre is a wonderful prose stylist。 He’s excellent at dialogue， he’s good at scene setting。All good。 But tell me a story I can follow and give me some characters to care about。 With the exception of some childrens’ walk-on parts （Roach， Jackie Lacon） I did not care for， or actively disliked， every one of the many characters。Life is short， I’m not spending it with sarcastic， world-weary bores。 I can’t blame them for their drinking habits。 If I were a such a loser， I might also want to dull the pain of being me。Final complaint: The author’s reflexive sexism was draining， though not surprising。 It’s a lousy book， I thought。 And now this too。 。。。more
emi
，
não sei se fui eu que li errado ou se foi culpa da edição， mas esse foi o livro mais chato que já li na vida。
Jack Robertson
，
I don't think this book ages well。 Hard to follow and made harder by all of the colloquial terms， slang and oblique references used that presumably were common knowledge back in the '70s， but certainly not now for today's reader， at least American readers like me。 I even found myself confused by following the plot， chapter by chapter， on Wikipedia as I read the book！ Ok， I guess I'm stupid！ There's a chauvinism in the tone of the book， too， that certainly doesn't sit well today， even though le C I don't think this book ages well。 Hard to follow and made harder by all of the colloquial terms， slang and oblique references used that presumably were common knowledge back in the '70s， but certainly not now for today's reader， at least American readers like me。 I even found myself confused by following the plot， chapter by chapter， on Wikipedia as I read the book！ Ok， I guess I'm stupid！ There's a chauvinism in the tone of the book， too， that certainly doesn't sit well today， even though le Carre was probably accurately portraying the spooks mindset towards women in those days。 I was frankly disappointed in that I heard this is the best spy thriller ever written， and since I've never read a spy thriller before， I was fired up for some fun summer reading。 But， alas， the thrill is gone。。。 。。。more
John Bodley
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DNF。 WAY too many arcane British spy terms， WAY too many characters that didn’t matter。
Joy
，
4。5
Neil787
，
Best spy novel ever written。 Absolute classic。
Dan
，
I continue to thoroughly enjoy the George Smiley books！
Hanna M
，
I have a feeling that this book actually deserves 4+ stars and I'm just not smart enough to understand it。 Now， my plan is to watch the BBC series and/or the movie and then come back and re-read this （with a notebook and pen）。 I have a feeling that this book actually deserves 4+ stars and I'm just not smart enough to understand it。 Now， my plan is to watch the BBC series and/or the movie and then come back and re-read this （with a notebook and pen）。 。。。more
Isabella
，
The first few chapters confused me a bit and it was hard to follow all the characters sometimes but the last part of the book made it worthwhile。 Moreover， le Carré has a nice writing style。 Overall I enjoyed the book。 I would've probably enjoyed it better if the first few chapters didn't throw me off， so I might give it a reread。 The first few chapters confused me a bit and it was hard to follow all the characters sometimes but the last part of the book made it worthwhile。 Moreover， le Carré has a nice writing style。 Overall I enjoyed the book。 I would've probably enjoyed it better if the first few chapters didn't throw me off， so I might give it a reread。 。。。more
Boy Blue
，
I'm beyond late to this party and I've definitely fallen asleep during the movie adaptation in the past。But is this the best spy thriller out there？If you find James Bond's wisecracks corny， and his world saving antics ridiculous but you still like the espionage then this might be more your style。George Smiley is almost the anti-Bond。 Completely unremarkable in appearance， almost deceptively weak。 But at his core he has an indomitable will and a mind like a steel trap。 Best summed up by a privat I'm beyond late to this party and I've definitely fallen asleep during the movie adaptation in the past。But is this the best spy thriller out there？If you find James Bond's wisecracks corny， and his world saving antics ridiculous but you still like the espionage then this might be more your style。George Smiley is almost the anti-Bond。 Completely unremarkable in appearance， almost deceptively weak。 But at his core he has an indomitable will and a mind like a steel trap。 Best summed up by a private detective he hires。 "That one won't crack， though， Mendel decided with approval; one of your flabby oak trees， Smiley was。 Think you could blow him over with one puff but when it comes to the storm he's the only one left standing at the end of it。"A Flabby Oak。 Now there's a British compliment。This book is dense though， Le Carré makes you work as hard as his characters to unravel the truth。 And it is truly rewarding when you get there。 You really feel like you've done all the gruelling mentation that Smiley himself has endured。 That's not to say that Le Carré's prose doesn't sing at times。 "Patiently Smiley waited for the speck of gold， for Connie was of an age where the only thing a man could give her was time。"I'm certain that Le Carré is a romantic at heart， something that is far more obvious in The Constant Gardner， which is a love story masquerading as a takedown of big pharma。 Nestled more deeply inside TTSS is Smiley's love for his wife。 Or as Karla identifies， his one weakness。 The central question though becomes is that weakness， Smiley's devotion to his errant wife， actually worth more than what seems to be despite its prestige a circus true to its name。 It seems that Smiley's troubles are probably an echo of Le Carré's own life， considering he divorced his first wife two years before the publication of this book。Other than providing a thoroughly entertaining read and a brilliant character in George Smiley， this book made me realise that we never really truly know anyone。 。。。more
Julia Louise Scott
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Excellent narrative， once I started I could not put it down。 Made a little crib sheet of special words and characters。
Léna
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No rating because I just。。。 couldn't get Into it for some reason No rating because I just。。。 couldn't get Into it for some reason 。。。more
Carolyn
，
3。75-4*s。 This has been on my TBR since the movie came out and I started the audiobook and was a bit confused so I stopped to watch the movie and come back to the book。 The movie helped clear up a lot of my confusion and really helped me enjoy the book because I could so easily picture what was happening。 I really enjoyed the different settings and plot （and subplots） and really liked the character of George Smiley （I will definitely be reading the Smiley books from the beginning now）。 However， 3。75-4*s。 This has been on my TBR since the movie came out and I started the audiobook and was a bit confused so I stopped to watch the movie and come back to the book。 The movie helped clear up a lot of my confusion and really helped me enjoy the book because I could so easily picture what was happening。 I really enjoyed the different settings and plot （and subplots） and really liked the character of George Smiley （I will definitely be reading the Smiley books from the beginning now）。 However， some of the social aspects of this book are uncomfortable to read now （this book was written in the 70s） and even though I did enjoy it when I was listening to it， it did feel pretty slow moving for a lot of it which feels odd for a spy mystery。 Overall though， I did enjoy it and look forward to reading more John Le Carre novels。 。。。more
Mike Dennisuk
，
This is the second book of Mr。 LeCarre that I’ve read。 It is very well written， the prose is poetic。 The plotting left me confused at times and his use of MI6 slang was baffling。 It was （and should be） a slow but fascinating read。 This is the first segment of the Karla trilogy and I will definitely read the next two。
Kevin Green
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Awful， unreadable
Dave Thomas
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https://electrichalibut。blogspot。com/。。。 https://electrichalibut。blogspot。com/。。。 。。。more
Sum
，
Finished reading this on a first train journey out of lockdown。 I have lulled in and out of this book for the past few months - frustrated at the pace and the lack of context - and not really understanding who the mole could be。 Honestly this is a book of many red herrings， many possible avenues， and as I read each page the jigsaw was completed slowly but surely。 Even at the end， probably due to my poor sleuthing and attention of the details earlier in the book - I couldn’t believe it was Bill H Finished reading this on a first train journey out of lockdown。 I have lulled in and out of this book for the past few months - frustrated at the pace and the lack of context - and not really understanding who the mole could be。 Honestly this is a book of many red herrings， many possible avenues， and as I read each page the jigsaw was completed slowly but surely。 Even at the end， probably due to my poor sleuthing and attention of the details earlier in the book - I couldn’t believe it was Bill Haydon。 Even the narrator couldn’t believe it was Bill Haydon。 Who is Bill？ Why would he do it？ It was all so contrary to expectation。 Unlike le Carre’s other books I just couldn’t figure it out and so my attention was not held。 However， as I mention this could just be a symptom of my poor deductions。 There were just too many characters who were the potential mole that I didn’t know who to hone in my attentions to or be suspicious of。 By the end though in the last 130 pages I remembered what it was like to be so immersed in a book that when I looked up the time had fled and I was nearly to or from my destination。 I just couldn’t put it down。 For that I have to give le Carre the kudos he deserves。 If only the whole book had been and felt that way。 。。。more
DipShitBookClub
，
Nobody writes the Cold War as gay as Le Carre。
Matthew Spencer
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 As a lover of heists and intrigue， I am long overdue in visiting John Le Carre， and Tinker， Tailor was my entry point because it was the most famous （they made a movie！）。 I was delighted to discover that George Smiley， and all of the other spies incidentally， was a foil to James Bond: extremely British and a total loser。 I was less delighted by the language， which felt baroque and dated。 However， the sum of the parts was an effecting set of character portraits， a sharp mystery and an emotional h As a lover of heists and intrigue， I am long overdue in visiting John Le Carre， and Tinker， Tailor was my entry point because it was the most famous （they made a movie！）。 I was delighted to discover that George Smiley， and all of the other spies incidentally， was a foil to James Bond: extremely British and a total loser。 I was less delighted by the language， which felt baroque and dated。 However， the sum of the parts was an effecting set of character portraits， a sharp mystery and an emotional hit at the denouement。 In spite of these achievements， the barrier to entry was high enough that I'm not sure I'll read the sequels。The barrier to entry was composed of a sprawling cast， light handholding， and the aforementioned dense language。 Playing along with the mystery （which is both fun and fair: you can see the end coming） requires tracking seven new faces， each of whom has a very British last name， and the clues are revealed through interviews with burned spies that form a bigger supporting cast。 I consider myself to be good at tracking lore， and I still struggled。 Le Carre has little sympathy for the reader here， where I think other mystery authors have helped me along better。The strength of the story was a reflection in the emotional impact of a life of intrigue， and the bleak meditations on the inner life of spies was resonant。 Le Carre portrays the watchers and spooks thoughtfully， largely through intricate personal histories revealed by Smiley's spare interviews。 They're gripping journeys， and you can see details of the past surfacers in the present day character's mannerisms。 It is adult dinner and emotionally effective， even if the story's conclusions about human nature are nihilistic and grim。It's a classic that you should have under your belt as a lover of intrigues， but I can't endorse it with a full throat。 I may update my opinions if I get around to the sequels （I'm told Smiley's People is a masterpiece）， but my appetite for them is thin。 。。。more
kim v
，
This was just ok for me， I doubt I’ll read anything else by this author。 It was slow moving and often didn’t keep my attention。 I would have preferred to listen to an audio book for this， but， sadly， I could not find an unabridged audiobook available on any platform in Canada。
Boris Feldman
，
There is a reason that every modern spy author is cast as "the latest le Carre。" But the original is still unmatched。 This is the first in the Karla Trilogy。 My rereading of it was triggered by an exceptional article about the relationship between Smiley and the wandering Ann。 https://www。gawker。com/culture/george。。。 There is a reason that every modern spy author is cast as "the latest le Carre。" But the original is still unmatched。 This is the first in the Karla Trilogy。 My rereading of it was triggered by an exceptional article about the relationship between Smiley and the wandering Ann。 https://www。gawker。com/culture/george。。。 。。。more
Matthew
，
Good spy novel
Katie Lumsden
，
I quite enjoyed this， but the pacing was slower than I was expecting。 An interesting read nonetheless。
Anoop
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Slow burn at its best。
Beatrice Marie
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I gave up after 80 pages。 I couldn't relate to the characters， and I thought there was too much talking and not enough action。 I gave up after 80 pages。 I couldn't relate to the characters， and I thought there was too much talking and not enough action。 。。。more
Stephan Rasp
，
Well written but I couldn’t really follow half of the time。 Probably not a good book to listen to in small chunks as an audiobook。
Debbie Aldridge
，
I have always wanted to read this novel。 I was somewhat disappointed as people have raved about it over the years。 I thought it was quite boring in the middle and almost put it down several times。 I'm glad I finished it as the last quarter of the book was amazing。 Part of my problem is I am terrible at keeping track of all the double crosses in spy novels。 The final chapters were suspenseful and I was on the edge of my seat。 I am going to watch the movie to see if I enjoy the story in film form！ I have always wanted to read this novel。 I was somewhat disappointed as people have raved about it over the years。 I thought it was quite boring in the middle and almost put it down several times。 I'm glad I finished it as the last quarter of the book was amazing。 Part of my problem is I am terrible at keeping track of all the double crosses in spy novels。 The final chapters were suspenseful and I was on the edge of my seat。 I am going to watch the movie to see if I enjoy the story in film form！ 。。。more
Michael Flick
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 The mole seems ridiculously obvious—only he was not playing by social rules。
Carmen212
，
Not an easy book for me。 Reading some GR reviews about 1/3 of the way in was very helpful。 Michael Jayston has a wonderful voice--can do all sorts of interesting accents。
Shubam Bharti
，