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joshburtwistle's review against another edition
3.0
As ever I find John le Carré's prose, on a sentence-by-sentence level, immensely satisfying. Concise but never curt; emotive, yet without threat of becoming purple.
If I have a criticism, it's that this perhaps lacks the sculpted structure of his earlier works, our resolution when it comes feeling speedy and maybe too clean, but devastating nonetheless.
There's wryness in the voice here, perhaps a reaction to the political reality in which the novel takes place. Brexit and Trump, naturally, are addressed with venom, yet these moments sometimes feel remarkably restrained, especially when compared to the seething anger that drips from A Small Town In Germany.
Nevertheless, le Carré's grand themes, his world of calm euphemism and secret choreography, the sheer emotional labour of existing in such a space; these elements are all here, and very much worth your time.
If I have a criticism, it's that this perhaps lacks the sculpted structure of his earlier works, our resolution when it comes feeling speedy and maybe too clean, but devastating nonetheless.
There's wryness in the voice here, perhaps a reaction to the political reality in which the novel takes place. Brexit and Trump, naturally, are addressed with venom, yet these moments sometimes feel remarkably restrained, especially when compared to the seething anger that drips from A Small Town In Germany.
Nevertheless, le Carré's grand themes, his world of calm euphemism and secret choreography, the sheer emotional labour of existing in such a space; these elements are all here, and very much worth your time.
maud_b's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
darkskybooks's review against another edition
4.0
There are few authors who can capture the grey morality of espionage better than Le Carre. Agent Running in the Field brings his spy stories right into the era of Trump and Brexit, fully incorporating all the geopolitical challenges and difficulties that the modern times have.
The story is told by Nat, an older agent runner for MI6. He has done his job on various international assignments, but is past his peak and brought home to work on some lower priority internal agents.
In many ways this novel is a throw back to some of the cold war Le Carre novels. The big bad is again Russia, the inter-agency rivalries are at the forefront of the story again. When you come to consider the current political climate it does start to make sense. All the stories of Russian meddling in western elections and referendums, the cosying up to Putin that Trump has been doing and the geopolitical shock of Brexit are all changing the power dynamics within the world again.
This is a good Le Carre novel, the setting is of the time and the twists and turns are interesting and as morally grey as any good Le Carre is
The story is told by Nat, an older agent runner for MI6. He has done his job on various international assignments, but is past his peak and brought home to work on some lower priority internal agents.
In many ways this novel is a throw back to some of the cold war Le Carre novels. The big bad is again Russia, the inter-agency rivalries are at the forefront of the story again. When you come to consider the current political climate it does start to make sense. All the stories of Russian meddling in western elections and referendums, the cosying up to Putin that Trump has been doing and the geopolitical shock of Brexit are all changing the power dynamics within the world again.
This is a good Le Carre novel, the setting is of the time and the twists and turns are interesting and as morally grey as any good Le Carre is
ahart's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
nikla88's review against another edition
2.0
Che libro noioso, non sono nemmeno riuscita a finirlo.
Un panorama sulla borghesia inglese, gli sfarzi, lo snobismo. Tutto ciò che poco sopporto di questo paese (vivo a Londra).
Mi dispiace ma preferisco abbandonare che sprecare ulteriore tempo con questo libro
Un panorama sulla borghesia inglese, gli sfarzi, lo snobismo. Tutto ciò che poco sopporto di questo paese (vivo a Londra).
Mi dispiace ma preferisco abbandonare che sprecare ulteriore tempo con questo libro
apexsheep's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Tried branching out from my usually books and just wasn't gripped by this on unfortunately. Quite a lot of interesting set up but the rest of the book seemed sparse.
revans's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
elanna76's review against another edition
Loan expired, will finish when I can get it back
anthea_christie's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0