Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Reader

I’m back! I’ve been wanting to do a write-up on the latest book since I finished it last week, but haven’t been able to find the time. Before we move on to John Le Carré’s spectacular Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, here’s a quick update of where I’m at.  

It’s week five, and I’m currently on schedule, with four books ticked off. I’ve had quite an easy ride so far, with some fairly short books (the longest being The Night Circus, clocking in at almost 500 pages), so I thought I’d use the early lead to try and get further into one of the longer ones, so I’ve been cracking on with Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth (recommended by @littlebentley). I’m enjoying it, but the problem is, with a page count of around 1.5k, combined with the same lack of time that’s lead to me not posting here, I’m not much more than a third of the way through. 

So I’m faced with a choice – either pick a softer (read:short) target for this week to stay on target with my number, or press through with Pillars of the Earth and catch back up. I’m currently favouring the former, but watch this space (and Twitter).

I’ve picked up a lot of little bits about Le Carré’s books over the years. I especially remember badgering my Dad with questions about them on the many occasions he was reading them, but the only thing I really took away was the mysterious figure called ‘Smiley’. I watched The Cambridge Spies, which led me to make a bold start on the 1979 Tinker Tailor… TV series starring Alec Guinness, but (at the time) 

I found it too dry, and gave up quickly.

Launching in earnest into Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, I finally got to meet George Smiley for real, and my first impression was that, oddly incongruous with the mysterious spymaster image I had in my head, he came across like a depressed, middle-aged accountant. This actually was part of the pleasure of the book – watching this apparently unassuming figure transform as he is pulled back into his old world of ‘the circus’ (SIS/MI6). 

Much of the story is told through ‘flashbacks’, in the form of Smiley’s memories, combined with going over a series of files. The principal plotline therefore can seem to advance quite slowly, with large sections of the book devoted to the backstory – but it is this that builds the circumstances on which the dramatic conclusion can be reached. 

If you enjoy a ‘proper’ spy thriller (none of this Jack Reacher, superman protagonist, stuff), then definitely pick this up. It forms part of a trilogy (the ‘Karla Trilogy'), which I definitely want to get into further at some point), and Smiley appears in several other books set before the trilogy – so there’s plenty more if you like it!

Having read the frankly ridiculous(ly awesome) cast list for the recent film of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, I’m really excited to see it, and see how it stacks up against the book. 

So there we go. As I said last time, not a review, just a cluttered collection of thoughts and impressions, but hopefully something to pique your interest. 

Right, back to medieval cathedrals.

Week 5

4/52

Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman (2006)

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern (2011)

The Revolution of Saint Jone - Lorna Mitchell (1988)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - John Le Carré (1974)

Currently Reading:

The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett (1989)

I Can Make You Hate - Charlie Brooker (2012)

Currently Listening To:

Jobs - Walter Isaacson (2012)