The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: A George Smiley Novel (George Smiley Novels Book 3) Kindle Edition

John Le Carre's disillusioned, cynical and spellbinding spy novels are so unique because they are based on a wide knowledge of international espionage. Le Carre, (pen name for David John Moore Cornwell), acquired this knowledge firsthand during his years as an operations agent for the British M15. Kim Philby, the infamous defector, actually gave Le Carre's name to the Russians. The author's professional experience and his tremendous talent as a master storyteller and superb writer make "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" one of the most brilliant novels I have read about spying and the Cold War. Graham Greene certainly agreed with me, or I with him, when he remarked that it is the best spy story he had ever read. The novel won Le Carré the Somerset Maugham Award.The novel's anti-hero, Alec Leamas, is the antithesis of the glamorous action-hero spy, James Bond. A successful espionage agent for the British during WWII, Leamus continued on with counter-intelligence operations after the war, finding it difficult to adjust to life in peacetime. He eventually became the head of Britain's Berlin Bureau at the height of the Cold War. Leamus, slowly going to seed, drinking too much, world weary, had been losing his German double agents, one by one, to East German Abteilung assassins. Finally, with the loss of his best spy, Karl Riemeck, Leamus has no agents left. His anguish at Riemeck's death is palpable. He has begun to tire of the whole spy game, as his boss at Cambridge Circus, (British Intelligence), seems to understand.Leamus is called back to London, but instead of being eased out of operations, called "coming in from the Cold," or retiring completely, he is asked to accept one last, dangerous assignment. "Control," the man Leamus reports to, asks him if he is up to "taking-out" Hans Dieter Mundt, a top East German operations agent and the man responsible for the deaths of Leamus' agents. The ploy is elaborate, and if successful, it will conclude with Mundt's own men killing him. With much planning Leamus convincingly changes his lifestyle and sets himself up as bait as a potential defector to the Eastern Block countries. As Leamus works efficiently toward his goal, two unexpected problems come-up - problems that he is unaware of until much later, when it is almost too late to resolve them. First, he falls in love with a young woman, a member of the Communist Party, who was supposed to be part of his cover, nothing more. And second, Control and the Circus have embedded plots within plots to further their end, which they don't see fit to reveal to Leamus - now operating in the dark. Le Carre portrays spying as a dirty game of acting, betrayal, lying, excruciating tension, and assumed identities. The espionage methods of East and West are the same. The only difference is their economic ideologies. There is a seemingly endless game of chess between the superpowers, and spies are as expendable as pawns.This is a short novel, 219 pages, and very tightly written. However there is much packed into this bleak tale of the espionage business. The story has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. And the ride is well worth it!JANA

1) Plot (4 stars) - Long time spy Alec Leamus has one final mission left before he can retire. He is to infiltrate East Germany and bring down a counter spy. But as he ventures deeper into the mission, he realizes that he has not been told everything, and there is a much bigger game being played. It was a good plot, fast moving, and I appreciated how the narrative was pushed forward by psychological mystery as opposed to James Bond-like physical action.2) Characters (3 stars) - Leamus is the grumpy old spy who has seen too much to believe in right and wrong anymore. Liz is the idealist female interest who tries to bring him back to the world of love and morality. The antagonists are a succession of German spies--starting with the naive, to the intellectual, to finally the hardened killer. All were done well and were believable, but I didn't feel especially attached or moved by any.3) Theme (4 stars) - The Marxists in East Germany had their Grand March of History to justify the brutality of their spy game. But what did the British have for a justifying cause? Christianity? No. Capitalism? No. Hatred of Communism? Maybe. Wanting to win at a game? Probably. It's an interesting message about Western lack of idealism. Especially considering the time it was written in.4) Voice (4 stars) - The writing was very readable, and even poetic and socially observant at times, which was an unexpected surprise for someone who thought they were picking up a thriller. Moreover, Le Carre does something I haven't seen before--in certain sections he tells the story of the protagonist from a distant 3rd character, almost like a reporter interviewing people Leamus ran into after the fact to piece together what happened--and it work wonders for keeping the protagonist a mystery, which is what a good spy is.5) Setting (4 stars) - The dark, overcast, sparse world of the English lower class and the worker state of East Germany were done with great detail. I definitely felt like I was there. Though, strangely, I didn't feel as frightened as I would have if this was really happening. I'm not sure if that was purposeful on le Carre's part, or shows a certain missing skill in his writing.6) Overall (4 stars) - I didn't love it. But I liked it, and would recommend it to a certain type of person who likes Cold War history or spy novels.

Wonderfully written! Story has depth of character and intriguing plot. Definitely a recommended read.

Le Carre is a great writer! Sometimes his endings are not happy ones.

Bien todo. Especialmente la puntualidad (llegó antes de lo anunciado)

Eletrizante, Jlc vai contando a estória como estivéssemos dentro dela decidindo. Reli 40 anos depois . Um must. Vamos agora ao flime! Ruy

When I started reading the book, I felt like giving up post the first chapter as I found it quite difficult to understand what exactly was happening in the story. But I persisted and by the time I had finished the first 4-5 chapters, the narrative finally began to flow smoothly and the book seemed unputdownable. I could finish it in one sitting. So you need to make the effort to get past the first few chapters and then the plot begins to become clear. The unique thing about the book is how clever the plot and how sophisticated and smooth the writing is compared to other spy/thriller novels. The spy novel has been elevated from pulp fiction to highbrow literature here, without losing any of the thrill. It is certainly a must read.