Scan barcode
wwatts1734's review against another edition
4.0
John LeCarre is one of the best writers of espionage thrillers out there, although his reputation was made in the 1970s and 80s with the Cold War motif. In Absolute Friends, LeCarre seeks to shore up his creditials in the post-Cold War world, and for the most part he does well. This is a great work of modern espionage drama.
Starting in the 1960s in West Germany among the idealistic youth movement of the time, two friends, Mundy and Sasha, a British and a German student, exchange ideas and become friends. Their friendship would extend for over three decades, into the Al Qaeda infused world of global politics in the first decade of the 21st Century. LeCarre, as always, takes the espionage novel beyond the "spy versus spy" motif. He brings in all of the intricate details of the world of international politics, from the international corporations that increasingly determine international relations to the arts and culture aspect of international exchange. Through the years, the two friends interact on several occasions, usually without success. Their relationship is complicated, and the situations that face are far from simple. The novel keeps the reader's attention and teaches a lot about international relations.
My only criticism of this novel is that it seems that LeCarre is too nostalgic and a little bitter in it. He dwells on the Cold War setting in this novel, perhaps at the expense of its relevance to the modern world. And LeCarre is obviously not happy with the direction of international relations, especially in the Bush era of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. His bitterness colors this novel a bit too much. I think that LeCarre could have used the corporate aspect of his plot to make the later part of the story more interesting. Still, this novel is worth reading. It is a great work from one of the greatest espionage writers in history.
Starting in the 1960s in West Germany among the idealistic youth movement of the time, two friends, Mundy and Sasha, a British and a German student, exchange ideas and become friends. Their friendship would extend for over three decades, into the Al Qaeda infused world of global politics in the first decade of the 21st Century. LeCarre, as always, takes the espionage novel beyond the "spy versus spy" motif. He brings in all of the intricate details of the world of international politics, from the international corporations that increasingly determine international relations to the arts and culture aspect of international exchange. Through the years, the two friends interact on several occasions, usually without success. Their relationship is complicated, and the situations that face are far from simple. The novel keeps the reader's attention and teaches a lot about international relations.
My only criticism of this novel is that it seems that LeCarre is too nostalgic and a little bitter in it. He dwells on the Cold War setting in this novel, perhaps at the expense of its relevance to the modern world. And LeCarre is obviously not happy with the direction of international relations, especially in the Bush era of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. His bitterness colors this novel a bit too much. I think that LeCarre could have used the corporate aspect of his plot to make the later part of the story more interesting. Still, this novel is worth reading. It is a great work from one of the greatest espionage writers in history.
captainpash's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jazzypizzaz's review against another edition
3.0
I forgot how much I love le Carré's writing. This one begs to be read with a bingo card of all his particular tropes and themes (for better and for worse). I zoned out for the ending, so I'm not entirely sure why what happened did happen.
cuavia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
The style is particularly difficult to follow, and even if the story it's very interesting the ending was not what I was hopping for.
technomage's review against another edition
4.0
I like to think that I have read most of John Le Carre's works but I didn't know about it until I found it in my local library. I really enjoyed it and it reminded me a bit of the tailor of panama with a bit of our game thrown.
It is, as the title suggests about friends Ted and Sasha met in the communes of Berlin, parted, met again, spied for each other, parted then met once more. It is very readable and quite sad but definitely a top notch Le Carre work.
It is, as the title suggests about friends Ted and Sasha met in the communes of Berlin, parted, met again, spied for each other, parted then met once more. It is very readable and quite sad but definitely a top notch Le Carre work.
lawrencetallon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hannahcathie's review against another edition
3.0
This was my first le Carre novel. It was ok. I was really enjoying it for the first 4/5ths of the book, which was the whole build up, but the supposed climax and resolution was super quick and a bit of a disappointment.
margaret_j_c's review against another edition
5.0
This one was up there with the Karla books. Phenomenally well-executed.
Le Carré’s books aren’t spy stories, they’re stories about spies. They’re for those of us who have wondered what it is like to live a life of deception and intrigue, a life that is not your own. The answer is compromise, dissonance, loss of self. Le Carré's characters are all forced to develop identity after identity for the sake of survival and the cause they have been caught in. They find themselves in the same position as Mundy, who is "made up of all the odd bits of of his life that are left over after he has given the rest of himself away." Good side, bad side, there are no winners. Le Carré makes this painfully clear time after time.
Le Carré’s books aren’t spy stories, they’re stories about spies. They’re for those of us who have wondered what it is like to live a life of deception and intrigue, a life that is not your own. The answer is compromise, dissonance, loss of self. Le Carré's characters are all forced to develop identity after identity for the sake of survival and the cause they have been caught in. They find themselves in the same position as Mundy, who is "made up of all the odd bits of of his life that are left over after he has given the rest of himself away." Good side, bad side, there are no winners. Le Carré makes this painfully clear time after time.
softstarrynights's review against another edition
3.0
John le Carré is known for his spy novels. On reflection, this probably was not the book to pick up in order to satisfy my craving, because it does not read like a traditional spy thriller. As the title would suggest we follow the relationship between Ted Mundy and his friend Sasha who meet as young revolutionaries. The book begins with the promise of a mystery as Mundy sees a man from his past, during his shift as a tour guide in Germany. However, the book then goes back to chart Mundy's life in quite a bit of detail. As a result, it takes a very long time until we return to the main plot. While I enjoyed the previous book I read from this author I was close to abandoning this one. Thankfully I did stick with it at the plot returned to that initial mystery to Mundy and Sasha's reunion, where the intrigue builds. Overall I still was not loving the book. I appreciated the author's repeated references to the theatre because it reminded me of The Little Drummer Girl. However, what really rescued this book for me was the relationship between Mundy and Sasha, and the homoerotic undertones. The penultimate chapter was gorgeous in the way that the ending of Hamlet is gorgeous. Frustratingly the author couldn't just leave it at that and had to have one more chapter, which detracted from the emotion of the penultimate chapter. Absolute Friends was a mixed bag for me, but the relationship was the saving grace of the book and I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
gitli57's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
4.0
Wow! A devastating indictment of American/UK collusion and abuse of power. Also a prescient warning (published in 2003) about the dangers of of an alliance between conservative Christianity and the Radical Right. No wonder I like LeCarré so much. This is not my favorite of his novels (no George Smiley), but it is still quite fine.