The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
- Downloads：4404
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-23 09:54:25
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：John le Carré
- ISBN：0141194529
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
From the master of spy thrillers， John le Carre's The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a gripping story of love and betrayal at the height of the Cold War。 This Penguin Modern Classics edition includes an afterword by the author and an introduction by William Boyd， author of Any Human Heart。Alex Leamas is tired。 It's the 1960s， he's been out in the cold for years， spying in the shadow of the Berlin Wall for his British masters。， He has seen too many good agents murdered for their troubles。 Now Control wants to bring him in at last - but only after one final assignment。 He must travel deep into the heart of Communist Germany and betray his country， a job that he will do with his usual cynical professionalism。， But when George Smiley tries to help a young woman Leamas has befriended， Leamas's mission may prove to be the worst thing he could ever have done。 In le Carre's breakthrough work of 1963， the spy story is reborn as a gritty and terrible tale of men who are caught up in politics beyond their imagining。 'A portrait of a man who has lived by lies and subterfuge for so long， he's forgotten how to tell the truth' Time'He can communicate emotion， from sweating fear to despairing love， with terse and compassionate conviction。， Above all， he can tell a tale' Sunday Times
Reviews
Barbara Clarke
，
If you've read any of my other reviews of le Carre's spy novels， I was smitten with the honesty， the insight， and the writing。 I've known ever since the Vietnam war that most governments are corrupt， the US and the UK leading the way in first-class， Oxford/Harvard type soulless grifters。 So， I wasn't shocked。 But， I still go back to Our Man in Havana which has a kind of a good end， or as good as can get。I read a review of the Ten Best le Carre books and was told that this book， The Spy Who Came If you've read any of my other reviews of le Carre's spy novels， I was smitten with the honesty， the insight， and the writing。 I've known ever since the Vietnam war that most governments are corrupt， the US and the UK leading the way in first-class， Oxford/Harvard type soulless grifters。 So， I wasn't shocked。 But， I still go back to Our Man in Havana which has a kind of a good end， or as good as can get。I read a review of the Ten Best le Carre books and was told that this book， The Spy Who Came In from the Cold， was the launch of his fame and true enough， even the paperback cover and inside is filled with high praise。 I just can't add mine should anyone ask。 I thought it was true enough but also depressing。 Not the plot or the dreary deathly outcome but how much reviewers were turned on。 Evidently， before The Spy le Carre hadn't satisfied the world with enough brutality， enough multi-country war lovers， and do no-gooders to satisfy。 This one didn't work for me。 I made the mistake of innocently leaving the last page open to answer the phone and when I came back my eyes fell on the ending。 I admit that I didn't quite get all of the cross/double crossing that must have been exciting。 I just waited for Fiedler， Liz and Alec to meet their end and the Circus to have its way once again。Maybe it's the times I'm living in （summer 2022） that makes me want to put old John aside for awhile and re-read Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brody or even better Sarah Winman's books and find some good people who actually live and thrive。One other problem is that I had just finished reading an interview with Evo Morales and the role the UK and the DEA played in the coup in Bolivia - nearly cost Morales his life。 Time to read more about this brave and good man who survived the powers-that-be from the UK and the US。 I'm sure they're not done trying to have another coup and a more compliant slave to the US "global democracy" that we like to spread around the world。 。。。more
Helen Almond
，
le Carre is such a good writer， brilliantly plotted and great atmospheric writing capturing Cold War Britain
Zella Kate
，
Fantastic espionage thriller novel that really benefits from the author's past work as a spy during the Cold War。 Reading this reminds me a bit of watching Where Eagles Dare in that I didn't always understand what was happening， but I enjoyed it all the same since the confusion was part of the point。 Le Carre's novel sports prose that is magnificently dry， mines tension out of even the most mundane encounter， and significantly de-glamourizes the world of spies。 Fantastic espionage thriller novel that really benefits from the author's past work as a spy during the Cold War。 Reading this reminds me a bit of watching Where Eagles Dare in that I didn't always understand what was happening， but I enjoyed it all the same since the confusion was part of the point。 Le Carre's novel sports prose that is magnificently dry， mines tension out of even the most mundane encounter， and significantly de-glamourizes the world of spies。 。。。more
Daedae
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Absolutely masterful， as is well recognized at this point。 Only a few things actually happen in terms of the action-y spy thriller type stuff。 The agent is killed at the beginning while crossing the border on a bicycle。 Leamas kills a guard who is approaching him in the darkness when he is prisoner。 And he tries to escape over the Berlin Wall at the end。 That’s it。 Literally three things really happen。 The rest is just people talking about other things that happened。 And that’s the masterful par Absolutely masterful， as is well recognized at this point。 Only a few things actually happen in terms of the action-y spy thriller type stuff。 The agent is killed at the beginning while crossing the border on a bicycle。 Leamas kills a guard who is approaching him in the darkness when he is prisoner。 And he tries to escape over the Berlin Wall at the end。 That’s it。 Literally three things really happen。 The rest is just people talking about other things that happened。 And that’s the masterful part of it。 The reader doesn’t have the whole picture but the characters don’t either。 The ending was particularly unsettling。 I would suggest this review as a starting point for understanding the end: https://www。theguardian。com/books/201。。。 The gist of it is that the author argues come in from the cold means to retire but also to regain some human compassion。 And that is what happens at the end when Leamas goes back down the east side of the wall when Liz is shot。 。。。more
Miriam Navarro
，
Muy buena trama con un final inesperado aunque me costo trabajo al principio poder agarrarle a la trama y no me termina de encantar la forma en que escribe el autor
Alice
，
4。5 stars
Smiley McGrouchpants Jr。
，
Great。 It's everything they say it is。 Like Michael Herr's Dispatches， it's embarrassing how long it took me to get around to it。 （And like Michael Herr's Dispatches， it's by a （purported/attempted） Stanley KUBRICK collaborator — like Brian Aldriss and "Supertoys Last All Summer Long，" it didn't come to fruition， but he and le Carré were working on something。）The ending is terrific。 The book's just at the manageable， one-sitting 200 pages length。 It's a shocker and a rug-puller， and eerily plaus Great。 It's everything they say it is。 Like Michael Herr's Dispatches， it's embarrassing how long it took me to get around to it。 （And like Michael Herr's Dispatches， it's by a （purported/attempted） Stanley KUBRICK collaborator — like Brian Aldriss and "Supertoys Last All Summer Long，" it didn't come to fruition， but he and le Carré were working on something。）The ending is terrific。 The book's just at the manageable， one-sitting 200 pages length。 It's a shocker and a rug-puller， and eerily plausible。 The characterization are catapultive past what you'd usually think， and you have to ask yourself — what would you do if you were really there？？It's an easy-to-recommend start。 For movies based on the guy， I'd recommend this one and this one。Cheerio！-EJB/Orwell （past LIVES）😉👍#YEAH 。。。more
Chris Dailey
，
Fantastic yet realistic， enthralling yet a slowburn， the novel lives up to its reputation as one of the best spy novels of all time。 Not much to add to the pages upon pages raving about Le Carre's breakout。 The best aspects were the ambivalence and gray areas， the fact that good guys are bad， and bad ones good in the game of international intrigue。 Or maybe everyone is awful。 Fantastic yet realistic， enthralling yet a slowburn， the novel lives up to its reputation as one of the best spy novels of all time。 Not much to add to the pages upon pages raving about Le Carre's breakout。 The best aspects were the ambivalence and gray areas， the fact that good guys are bad， and bad ones good in the game of international intrigue。 Or maybe everyone is awful。 。。。more
Carlota
，
2，5 // 3 starsNi pena ni gloria， esque no me assabentat de la meitat de la trama， pero no esta mal。 Molt millor en peli o serie。
Peter Stein
，
Pretty good stories， pretty good writing， but also not a must-read in my opinion。 Sure as shit makes me feel like a newly empty nester dad though。
Jan Peter Rebel
，
4，5。 Man this was great。 Had so much fun and it's very well put together。 Read it！ 4，5。 Man this was great。 Had so much fun and it's very well put together。 Read it！ 。。。more
Melody
，
Woah！ This started a bit slow but by the end I couldn't put it down。 What an ending！ Didn't think spy novels were for me， but I was wrong！Also， this is one of the first audiobooks where I also read the ebook at the same time。 The audiobook narrator， Michael Jayston， was excellent but the book was sometimes a bit technical so looking at the page at the same time was helpful。 Will be using this technique again！ Woah！ This started a bit slow but by the end I couldn't put it down。 What an ending！ Didn't think spy novels were for me， but I was wrong！Also， this is one of the first audiobooks where I also read the ebook at the same time。 The audiobook narrator， Michael Jayston， was excellent but the book was sometimes a bit technical so looking at the page at the same time was helpful。 Will be using this technique again！ 。。。more
Megan Augustiny
，
I had some preconceptions about le Carré novels before going into this， mainly revolving around their convoluted plot lines。 To some extent， these preconceptions were validated by my experience reading “The Spy Who Came In From the Cold”。 The potential for an interesting character study of Leamus， the novel’s protagonist， is definitely there。 However， perhaps in service to the very premise of the text， namely the value of calculated anonymity， we don’t really get to know Leamus much。 We see him I had some preconceptions about le Carré novels before going into this， mainly revolving around their convoluted plot lines。 To some extent， these preconceptions were validated by my experience reading “The Spy Who Came In From the Cold”。 The potential for an interesting character study of Leamus， the novel’s protagonist， is definitely there。 However， perhaps in service to the very premise of the text， namely the value of calculated anonymity， we don’t really get to know Leamus much。 We see him navigate a labyrinthine series of challenges， attempt to disentangle the intricacies of East German politics， and engage in a brief love affair along the way。 Yet， at every twist and turn， while I did feel held in suspense， I couldn’t muster much investment in the ultimate outcome。 Le Carré clearly has a comprehensive and profoundly nuanced understanding of the world of political espionage。 I’m just not sure that such a plot-driven narrative allowed me to fully appreciate his impressive craft。 。。。more
Bobcat
，
Everyone's heard of this well-known yarn。 Its popularity helped spark the boom in spy novels and films in the 1960s。But I have to say， if this book were written today and submitted to publishers， I think they would reject it in its current form。 The book starts very slowly， almost circuitously， and doesn't begin to unfold its intricate plot until several chapters in。 I had to force myself to keep reading it， it was so boring。 In the end， I admire this clever spy story， but I can't say I would re Everyone's heard of this well-known yarn。 Its popularity helped spark the boom in spy novels and films in the 1960s。But I have to say， if this book were written today and submitted to publishers， I think they would reject it in its current form。 The book starts very slowly， almost circuitously， and doesn't begin to unfold its intricate plot until several chapters in。 I had to force myself to keep reading it， it was so boring。 In the end， I admire this clever spy story， but I can't say I would recommend it to others。 。。。more
Ben
，
Very good twists/ending。 Kind of funny it gets labeled a George Smiley novel as he’s not really in it。
Penny
，
The narrative style feels old-fashioned and blunt， but it does get the job done of telling this story。 It is multi-dimensional mental chess with various interests working out their theories and strategies， and I found that very interesting。 I did have a problem with the very distant， if not remote， third-person narrative。 The dispassionate storytelling made it hard for me to care about any character， yet I was interested in what they were doing。 If it were not for the book's stature in the genre The narrative style feels old-fashioned and blunt， but it does get the job done of telling this story。 It is multi-dimensional mental chess with various interests working out their theories and strategies， and I found that very interesting。 I did have a problem with the very distant， if not remote， third-person narrative。 The dispassionate storytelling made it hard for me to care about any character， yet I was interested in what they were doing。 If it were not for the book's stature in the genre， I'd give the book 3。5 stars， but I'll round it up to 4 stars in recognition for the author upping the ante in cold war fiction。 。。。more
Naomi
，
A more cerebral spy thriller than the average （especially more modern action packed ones） and well written to boot。 I can’t entirely put my finger on why 4 and not 5 stars because I did genuinely enjoy it。 The ending was real though though to a degree dissatisfying。 It was clear even before it was ‘explained’ that Leamas went off the rails as part of a cover。 The is it Mundt or Fiedler who is the British agent was definitely a plot point that kept you on your toes， always guessing and second gue A more cerebral spy thriller than the average （especially more modern action packed ones） and well written to boot。 I can’t entirely put my finger on why 4 and not 5 stars because I did genuinely enjoy it。 The ending was real though though to a degree dissatisfying。 It was clear even before it was ‘explained’ that Leamas went off the rails as part of a cover。 The is it Mundt or Fiedler who is the British agent was definitely a plot point that kept you on your toes， always guessing and second guessing， seeing double and treble bluffs everywhere。 。。。more
Ann Drewiske
，
I maybe missed the earlier books or something。。。
Anastasia
，
idk if it’s my tiny pea brain but it was kind of a pain to get through。 as i was reading i was lost in details （characters， the fucking payments， chronology） so i wasn’t understanding what was going on。 so i read litcharts summaries， but turns out i WAS understanding what was going on， but i didn’t fully grasp the story。 i didn’t understand the stakes， and the suspense wasn’t really there。 even when they revealed the plot twist i didn’t really care for it。 the best part of the book was the last idk if it’s my tiny pea brain but it was kind of a pain to get through。 as i was reading i was lost in details （characters， the fucking payments， chronology） so i wasn’t understanding what was going on。 so i read litcharts summaries， but turns out i WAS understanding what was going on， but i didn’t fully grasp the story。 i didn’t understand the stakes， and the suspense wasn’t really there。 even when they revealed the plot twist i didn’t really care for it。 the best part of the book was the last 20 pages tbh。 。。。more
Nicolás Castillo
，
Amazing showstopper spectacular
Phil Noble
，
great lessons hereChilling glimpse of what still goes on inside the dark world of espionage and it’s blind alleys and cruel twists。
Wandering Wizard
，
Very average。 Not sure what the hype is all about。
-kevin-
，
I haven't had that feeling of not being able to put a book down， since reading Ludlum during finals in college。 I haven't had that feeling of not being able to put a book down， since reading Ludlum during finals in college。 。。。more
Stevie
，
Suitably riveting and grim。 First pre-9/11 le Carré I've read。 The goat for a gd reason。 Suitably riveting and grim。 First pre-9/11 le Carré I've read。 The goat for a gd reason。 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
Need to re-read once finished to really get this book。 Was good along side the Close-reads podcast of this book。 Will be reading more by this author。
James Priestley
，
Review to follow。
Botros
，
Har läst den här boken förut。 Nu lyssnade jag på den på Sveriges Radio， en översättning av Hans-Jacob Nilsson inläst av Alexander Salzberger。Jag tycker att le Carrés böcker nästan alltid är lite bittra och dystra。
Jonathan Patrowicz
，
I did not expect that ending
Joe
，
Very gripping。 Feels authentic and setting is great。 Leamas is a great lead， just didn't love how it ended。。。 Very gripping。 Feels authentic and setting is great。 Leamas is a great lead， just didn't love how it ended。。。 。。。more
Watermarked Pages
，