Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

, #1

by

Mass market paperback

English language

Published 1975 by Bantam.

ISBN:
978-0-553-08844-1
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4 stars (1 review)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 1974 spy novel by British-Irish author John le Carré. It follows the endeavours of taciturn, aging spymaster George Smiley to uncover a Soviet mole in the British Secret Intelligence Service. The novel has received critical acclaim for its complex social commentary—and, at the time, relevance, following the defection of Kim Philby. It has been adapted into both a television series and a film, and remains a staple of the spy fiction genre.

14 editions

reviewed Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré

Review of 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Took me longer than I’d like. Le Carré’s writing can be painfully obtuse sometimes and require a reread. This book seethes Britishness; its prose, how people talk, how people act, etc. Theres almost no actual action and yet it is a thriller. And much like Cormac is to westerns, le Carré is not just writing a spy novel. He's asking the big questions while doing it.

Subjects

  • Cold War