The master at has best

I new the story as i have listened to the BBC play, but this full adaptation and reading was just magic. Le Carre at his best, the portrayal of embassy staff was superb and the lead characters portrayal was perfect

19 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Slow to start but worth sticking with

It's not the easiest of reads to start with. Multiple characters that do little but set the scene. Where the book works brilliantly is the sense of place that is evoked. It's not necessarily an exciting place at the start but it's a brilliantly drawn picture of a post war embassy for a failing nation, struggling to find its place in the world. The characters are masterfully revealed but not in a self indulged way.

This is why I stuck with it and ultimately enjoyed the book. You want to know how they get on and for their failings they are likeable. This book is never going to be his most famous work. I do thoughtbghink it would make a great It's not the easiest of reads to start with. Multiple characters that do little but set the scene. Where the book works brilliantly is the sense of place that is evoked. It's not necessarily an exciting place at the start but it's a brilliantly drawn picture of a post war embassy for a failing nation, struggling to find its place in the world. The characters are masterfully revealed but not in a self indulged way.

This is why I stuck with it and ultimately enjoyed the book. You want to know how they get on and for their failings they are likeable. This book is never going to be his most famous work. I do thought think it would make a great film

17 persone l'hanno trovata utile

A small town in Germany

Never read the book before so story was unknown. One of Carres early books. Brilliant story crammed with historical facts. Plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. Prose is brilliant. Adult and laced with the occasional bit of humour.
Michael Jayson's narration was excellent. His use of so many voices and accents was masterful. Alan Turner gruff Yorkshire tones were so real. Plus Bradfields diplomatic duplicity was teaesd out towards the end. Must say that I really enjoyed it and will have to search hard to find one as good as this I think.

12 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Hard to listen to

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not really

If you’ve listened to books by John le Carré before, how does this one compare?

Badly. Others are better!

What aspect of Michael Jayston’s performance might you have changed?

He needs to help the listener hear the jumps between topics. I think it was a difficult book to narrate.

Any additional comments?

I don't think this one works well as an audio book

11 persone l'hanno trovata utile

okay

john Le Carre tells a good tale, but this is not his best. The end is, as often with Le Carre, disappointing as it Peters out.
Michael Jayson reads brilliantly as ever.

11 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Great story, real tension and excellently narrated

Le Carré at his best. A gripping plot with a bombastic central character brought to life by Jayston's entransing tones.

Have a listen, you won't be disappointed.

6 persone l'hanno trovata utile

The master

Another great book from the master storyteller and emotion twister. Perfect narration with 1st. class narration.

5 persone l'hanno trovata utile

interesting

an interesting view of Britain's struggle to join the EEC, just as a bunch of snake oil salesman force us out.

2 persone l'hanno trovata utile

A Bleak Tale

An early le Caree set in a British Embassy provincial Germany during tense negotiations for European political and economic cooperation, disrupted by growing German nationalism and the complex legacy of the second world war. An Embassy employee, Leo Harting, goes AWOL with top secret files. MI5 sends an agent, Alan Turner to search for him. Do they want the man or the files? Is he a communist defector? Cynical and blunt, Turner tramps over diplomatic sensitivities in his search for the missing Leo, while determined to discover the truth of the man and his motivation. There are no sympathetic characters and a bleak sense of disillusion. The values and attitudes , while reflective of the male-dominated context of the time and situation, make for a laborious and sometimes uncomfortable read. I didnt know much about this period of history, the resurgence of nazism in post-war Germany, and the political compromises to create the precursor of the EU. So, interesting and thought provoking.

1 persona l'ha trovata utile

Incoherent

The actual story was fine. What was all the prose about? It's a novel about incoherent thought with a spy novel interspersed

1 persona l'ha trovata utile