Scan barcode
caterina_1212's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The abridged audiobook was read by the writer, which suggests to me that even he didn't think 500 pages was really necessary in the end. He packed everything into 6hrs and it all still made sense.
There's a line near the end (of my version anyway), "only the women do god's work." and that really stuck with me. Hard to tell if le Carre was aware of all his male characters' shortcomings or if he was blind to it, at points I thought he wrote the female characters rather poorly. I've been trying to work out why this book leaves me feeling gross while the trailer for Wakanda Forever never fails to make me cry, that is the closest example I can think of to a man being "fridged" at the beginning of a story.
There's a line near the end (of my version anyway), "only the women do god's work." and that really stuck with me. Hard to tell if le Carre was aware of all his male characters' shortcomings or if he was blind to it, at points I thought he wrote the female characters rather poorly. I've been trying to work out why this book leaves me feeling gross while the trailer for Wakanda Forever never fails to make me cry, that is the closest example I can think of to a man being "fridged" at the beginning of a story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Medical trauma, and Colonisation
Minor: Rape and Xenophobia