Fantastic narrator: Poor story.

I've given this book 5 stars for the narration alone. Michael Jayston brings a quite dull and tedious book alive with his characterisations. Without his superb skill I would probably have abandoned the book before the end. The story dribbles along after the first third and leaves you uncaring about the protagonists? fates in the end.

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Classic Le Carre

Classic Le Carre beautifully narrated by Jayston, as ever. I had either read/viewed/listened to this some time ago as I had a vague memory of the plot but despite this the writing and reading kept me interested throughout.
Only problem being, it rather spoils it for so much of the second division literature out there.

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Good until the end...

This is a great spy story all the way until the end - which is so sudden and unexplained as to leave me feeling cheated. I understand that in the real world things happen which defy explanation but in the world of spys I would have thought some sort of investigation would have been normal. In essence a great and gripping story which is missing the epilogue. Therefore only 3 stars instead of what should be 5.

(Narration was excellent.)

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Not as Good as the Film

I read this book having previously seen the film and as a big Le Carre fan who has already worked my way through most of his best books.

The narration from Jayston is as good as ever, a genuine pleasure to listen to.

The story is a good one and it’s well written but I find some of his stories end with a damp squib, so much story to get there, so much potential and then so little in the way of an ending.

I much preferred the film.

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A great read!

A first class john le carre book. One of his best. Topical and absorbing. Fascinating account of the cynicism of the Secret Service.

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Long book, rushed ending

Slow start, then it picked up, got my hopes up for a a novel that built to a great ending but unfortunately this was not it.

What more can be said really, just about enough information about flimsy characters in the main and then the ending does not sew things up for most of them.

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This is not James Bond

This is not James Bond, the critics who say this book was slow and boring should stick to James Bond. Jon Le Carre tell spy stories as they really are, it’s not all action and chases. It’s meeting and surveillance. This is a good story with good characters, a good book for any John Le Carre fan. If you are not a John Le Carre fan you should listen to James Bond or Jason Bourne.

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The cruel world

Brilliant. Faithful detail. Unremitting. Very Le Carre. A tale of moral failure despite hopefulness and love.

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Hard not to believe the conspiracy laundering!

Liked it. Also was very well read. The story opens your eyes to the international money laundering banks are likely involved in!

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cant wait for the film

Le Carre takes the ordinary person and places him central to this spy thriller which tells the story of a defector from the Russian mafia. I liked the way he lets so many questions remain unanswered as many would be in real life It will be interesting to see how the movie handles these with Ewan McGregor as tennis loving Perry, Damien Lewis as Hector of British intelligence, and Stellan Skarsgård as Dima.

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