Welcome to Litsy!

I really enjoyed this story which is effectively the events of the “Spy who came in from the cold” told from the viewpoint of a retired Peter Guillam. A storm is brewing in London with MI6 being sued by relatives of those who died during the operation and Peter as the senior surviving (?) participant is required to explain his version of events. Ghost are confronted, collateral damage is assessed and the point of the Cold War is questioned.

How many books did le Carré write? For I shall digest them all this year. Actually that‘s a bloody great idea. Another banger of a spy novel. Everyone knows my love for the Leamas character. This one fills in more gaps in that story. Messy ending. No one wins. Typical le Carré and quite enjoyable. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5.

At least, I admit my addictions openly. Perfect for listening to while unpacking boxes after moving away from NYC. 😢

Review of the audio edition: Tom Hollander makes a good jaded spy, but really Benedict Cumberbatch, or even better, his father, Timothy Carlton, should have read it to stay true to the 2011 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 😁

It seems John le Carre has died. There was a wonderful Fresh Air episode a couple of years ago when the tagged book released. The segment about his father is particularly interesting and informative to his work.

Link for those interested: https://www.npr.org/2018/08/17/639304515/novelist-john-le-carr-reflects-on-his-o...

I generally enjoy Le Carre‘s work, but this book never really grabbed me.

John le Carré‘s exquisitely plotted spy thriller should be read in conjunction with THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD as it revisits that book through Guillam‘s eyes as he‘s forced to account for what he did in the name of his country while also dealing with the ‘modern‘ security service that cares more for public relations and visible accountability than the national interest.

Difficult to get into and felt the story didn‘t really develop well. Disappointing.

I always like a good Cold War spy novel, and Le Carre never disappoints. This return to familiar characters was at once familiar and exciting. A new mission reflected on in old age, with repercussions from the past coming back.

This was the first book I‘ve ever read by Le Carré, and, having read it, I‘d advise others not to start here! Le Carré is quite clearly the master of the genre; his writing is thrilling and full of all the shadowy figures and intrigue one could want from such a novel. I only wish I had any idea of what was going on. At any rate, whatever it was surely was exciting. Will reread in future. Any recommendations for a better introduction to Mr. Smiley?

My first book of the year felt like i was meeting an old friend, i just slotted into the joy of a brilliantly crafted spy story revisiting wonderful characters. The story sees Peter Guillam, George smiley's old assistant called in to mi5 to answer awkward questions about the events around 'the spy who came in from the cold'. Whilst smiley only emerges at the end his presence dominated the book. Loved it 5*.

My first book of the year - i love that feeling when you don't want a book to end but can't stop reading -
40 pages to go and it is as good as all the hype and makes me want to instantly revisit all the smiley back catalogue - i think this snippet sums it all up.

Finishing my John le Carre binge with the new book. I reread The Spy who came I‘m from the Cold first, which was definitely useful. Those main characters being dead the story ‘continues‘ with Peter Guillam‘s reflections on the events of that book as part of a modern day storyline. The way Carre critiques the past is interesting but all the life is in his remembering, not in the modern storyline, whose characters feel 2D and much less compelling.

Our Christmas book haul. Not in the picture, A Legacy of Spies and The Spy Who Came In From the Cold. Dad had never read either of them, hooray!

The reddish orange blank one is a notebook for our travels and the top is a map for our travels. 😊

Smiley as spokesperson for spies for world peace...

In my dreams last night, I was involved in espionage. I know where that came from. 😴📚

I was a bit lost for the first half of this #audiobook, but I enjoyed Tom Hollander‘s narration and I trust John Le Carre‘s writing, so I kept going and then eventually I felt fully rewarded for sticking with this spy novel. Set in contemporary London, examining secret events that took place during the Cold War. George Smiley‘s role is overshadowed by his protégé Peter Guillam, who is the main protagonist.

I'm a Le Carre fan but I thought he had lost his way with recent novels. This is a real return to form - beautifully structured, gripping, moving.

Best #authorphoto ever!

At @TheBookmarkPR

Attended a special screening of John le Carré: An Evening with George Smiley. The movie theatre gave out free bookmarks! ? Now I feel the need to (re)read all of JLC's books. The trouble is deciding which one to pick up first!

I read 14 books and 1 comic book this month and I finished an audiobook I started last month. These two are my #bestofseptember #favoritesoffall #bestseptemberread. I'm about 3/4 done with The Pigeon Tunnel, but the audio is read by the author, which is phenomenal.
#autumnreads #fallintobooks #awesomeautumnbooks

Loved this. And now I need to reread The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.
Also, I wish this could be a movie with Timothy Carlton playing Peter Guillam the elder 😁

Garbage in, garbage out! When I was a translator, this happened more often than we liked 😑

Book and bookmark synchronicity!
#cuetwilightzonemusic

"Honoré...a drunken vagabond whom my mother always cautioned me to avoid, and known locally as the poison dwarf"

I recall that particular epithet also being applied to Toby Esterhase ?

My BF and I had a WW2 documentary phase a while back. This phrase came up so many times in so many shows that we now yell it out whever SOE is mentioned anywhere else (and are disappointed if a documentary DOESN'T mention it when we think it should). We are nerds 🤓

#bookmail I haven't read any Le Carre before, but I couldn't resist a signed edition. What's the best one to start with?

SQUEE!!!!!!!

Another dazzling work from an author still at the top of his game more than fifty years after his first astounding successes. Read my goodreads review at: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34496624-a-legacy-of-spies. #johnlecarre #alegacyofspies #spyfiction #contemporaryliterature #espionage #georgesmiley #literature.

Well, if you find a formula that works, stick with it. I am now facing that awful occasional dilemma with this book. I desperately want to find out how it is resolved, but I am enjoying it so much that I don't want to finish it. #johnlecarre #alegacyofspies #spyfiction #currentlyreading #sundaybooks #booksandcoffee #caffeine #wakeupandsmellthecoffin #muswellhill #london #sunday

What better way to ease into the weekend? #currentlyreading #johnlecarre #alegacyofspies #muswellhill #n10 #london #coffeeandbooks #caffeine #espionage #spyfiction #lookedforwardtothis

Just listened to an interview with John le Carre on Fresh Air from this week. Adding his entire backlist (well, those I haven't read) to the TBR 📚📚📚📚

It was a fabulous interview. If you are at all into those sorts of things, cue it up on podcast and have a listen.

New books😍. Can you guess the one for me?

I know I just read this on Kindle and reviewed it, but I just had to share the email I got this morning from Waterstones. My SIGNED hardback is on the way. I might be a little excited. 😱

This was everything I hoped for and then some. Nostalgic, with classic Le Carre storytelling, flashbacks/memories of his best characters, Cold War tension, and my beloved Smiley. I wish I'd realized that Peter's story, and the focus here really is on Peter, not George, was closely tied to The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, as this might have been even better if I'd reread that first. Highly recommended. #bookhangover

Reading the Kindle version because I can't wait for the hardcover to reach North Carolina from London. So many #feels and I'm only on page 45.

#TBRtemptation post 7! Released this week. This is the master's first Smiley book in 25 years. Peter Guillam, retired on a farm, is called back in by the British Secret Service to account for his and his colleagues' praised-at-the-time actions during the Cold War. Tension, humor, and moral ambivalence, intertwine as the old colleagues tell their stories. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

#TBR for September - #buddyread, next Sons of Ares comic, The Broken Earth trilogy, AND THE NEW SMILEY!!!!!!

Not that I'm looking forward to it, or anything. I certainly didn't preorder the .Kindle version so I could read it right away instead of waiting on shipping from the U.K.

#awesomeautumnbooks

I didn't even bother checking Amazon for other preorders because this book is the only one I care about in September. I preordered a signed copy from the U.K. I. Can't. Wait!!! Waterstones had better not screw up my order like they did for HP. #SeptemberMostAnticipated #MostAnticipated

#fallintobooks #autumnreads

Can't wait! Because I can relate:

Thrillingly for his admirers, it is a coda of sorts to “The Spy Who Came In From the Cold” (1963), the third of his two dozen novels and the one that for many readers serves as the gateway drug to full-blown le Carré addiction.

I pre-ordered a signed copy from Waterstones. This is my #MostAnticipatedYetToReleaseBookOf2017. Counting down the days until September. #booksacrossoceans

SQUEEEEEE!!!!!!!! *muppet arms*
Shut up and take my money! 💸💸💸💸