Josh B. reviewed on 11/17/2019 + 16 more book reviews

This was a curious story.

The book isn't very big. There isn't a wasted word. For a lot of books that's a great thing, but this is a rare exception. The story was so streamlined that it took away from my experience. You're in the head of Smiley at times, but there are other times, seemingly as important or more important, when you aren't. When you aren't you are filled in later when Smiley either writes a letter or a report. That aides in speeding up the story and adding to those ah ha moments. Which typically works, but for this it hurt the overall story because things felt a little too quick.

But this story is worth the read. The characters are nicely developed, and the dialogue between them is crisp. The story is a bit dated - especially with some of the language - and Smiley is a fascinating man, very unconventional too. The word choice by Le Carré can at times be a bit flowery which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. Mostly it does.

Give it a go. It's a fun story, and as I mentioned above, a quick one.

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