LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
March 2013 Guest Editor Charles Cumming on The Spy Who Came in from the Cold...
John le Carre has written longer, more complex books, but this remains his masterpiece. The story of a weary British spy who is sent out on one final mission behind the Iron Curtain, the novel is beautifully constructed and extraordinarily atmospheric.
A 2011 World Book Night selection.
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. As brilliant today as it was then.
Our Editorial Guru, Sarah Broadhurst, has suggested others book and authors that would be perfect for you to read next or to pass on the recommendation - so your gift will keep on giving enjoyment. Her selections for this title are: Henry Porter, Ken Follett, Frederick Forsyth.
Sarah Broadhurst
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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold Synopsis
Alex Leamas is tired. It's the 1960s, he's been out in the cold for years, spying in Berlin for his British masters, and 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' mission may prove to be the worst thing he could ever have done.
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Press Reviews
John le Carré Press Reviews
Superbly constructed, with an atmosphere of chilly hell -- J.B. Priestley
'The best spy story I have ever read' -- Graham Greene
'The master storyteller ... has lost none of his cunning' -- A. N. Wilson
''I have re-read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold over and over again since I first encountered it in my teens, just to remind myself how extraordinary a work of fiction can be.' Malcolm Gladwell
'One of those very rare novels that changes the way you look at the world. Unflinching, highly sophisticated, superb.' William Boyd
Author
About John le Carré
John le Carré was born in 1931 and attended the universities of Bern and Oxford. He taught at Eton and served briefly in British Intelligence during the Cold War. For the last fifty years he has lived by his pen. He divides his time between London and Cornwall. His works include The Spy Who Came in from the Cold; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Smiley's People; The Little Drummer Girl; A Perfect Spy; The Russia House; and Absolute Friends.
Author photo © White Hare Ltd
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