A great story involving British intelligence efforts to gain Russian secrets. The characters have great depth and the story wrestles with the human and moral aspects of the player. The ending is one that makes you think and the book is well worth the tred. I wouldn't say the book is a "page turner", but rather its one where the story remains off interest and quite a pleasure to read, with ample "food for thought" provided on the study of both human nature and geo-politics. ( )

This is almost perfect Le Carré — world weary but romantic; cynical but whimsical. The setting is a world thrown into confusion by Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika. And I guess much like spy-novelists, the spies are unsure whether to pull up stumps and congratulate each on a 'good game' or to dig in for the inevitable double-cross. With such a rich and complex milieu, it is perhaps understandable — forgivable? beneficial? — that the plot is more straightforward than his earlier works. That's not to say it lacks excitement, but at times Le Carré is actively deflating the tension — hinting at what will transpire — as if he (through his proxy, the equivocating legal council to the secret service, with a faint whiff of regret and reluctance) no longer wants to participate in the inflationary hyperbole of the cold war of words, which supported the ever-accelerating arms race.

All that said, this is very recognisable Le Carré, with strong echoes of some of his best work. It acts as a wonderful, questioning, almost absurd (with its protagonist of a alcoholic, jazz sax-playing, minor publisher) punctuation mark to a long phase of his career, wrestling with the practice of and theory behind the cold war.

Perhaps because of that, it is a very thoughtful book, and offers no easy answers (though Le Carré's leanings certainly come through). Beautifully written, with some marvelous bon mots. I fully expect to re-read this at some point.

One final note — I was amazed to see that the shabby, dissolute publisher is played on film by Sean Connery; I had pictured him as a glasses-wearing cross between Christopher Hitchens and Peter Mannion from The Thick Of It. ( )

Un libro sostanzioso ma un po' lento che non aggiunge niente alle spy story già lette e conosciute. Certamente ben elaborate le descrizioni e gli ambienti di una Russia in epoca Glasnost. Tuttavia non riesce mai ad incollarti alla storia, piacevole sì ma resti sempre in attesa di un qualcosa che non arriva mai. Quando sei a metà libro (ed è un libro di oltre quattrocento pagine) ti chiedi perché lo hai iniziato. Finale non male, ma forse manca anche qui manca l'effetto "Wow!" ( )

Nicely paced. There was a sense of where things would go, right from the start. But just how they would get there... ( )

Solid spy fiction from le Carre. I found it slowed a bit in the middle, but the beginning was entertaining and the final third engrossing. ( )