This is a welcome return to the world of George Smiley and an interesting exploration of the nature of ageing in a post cold-war espionage world. The book follows the investigation into operation Windfall and the deaths of key British and German assets - the events of which have featured in previous Smiley series novels. There are several flashbacks to action in the narrative and the prose is what you would expect of le Carre; witty, clean and concise. Once again, we are provided with detailed accounts of spy craft and the authenticity of day to day monotony rings through the narrative, lending a real weight to the plot. The characters are suitably thinly drawn, but this is a result of their nature as spies - they are cyphers by necessity and it is the machinations of international espionage that is the real star of the show. What I found most interesting was the exploration of what it means to be a retired spy and I felt that le Carre dealt with this question particularly well. All in all, this is a great addition to the Smiley cannon and I would recommend it to anyone who likes their spy fiction with more intellect and dead drops and fewer explosions and shootouts.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review,

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Peter Guillam, former disciple of George Smiley in the British Secret Service, has long retired to Brittany when a letter arrives, summoning him to London. The reason? Cold War ghosts have come back to haunt him. Intelligence operations that were once the toast of the Service are to be dissected by a generation with no memory of the Berlin Wall. Somebody must pay for innocent blood spilt in the name of the greater good...

*3.5 stars*

For a long time, I have been a fan of Le Carre - there was the odd let down of a novel but, for the most part, his writing was always just perfect. And this book is no different.

This is somewhat of a reunion novel: Smiley's gang gets back together for what must be the last time. Their presence in the modern world makes for some interesting reading. Especially in the time of Brexit.

I find that Le Carre never wastes words - every word has a purpose and fits that purpose perfectly. I never feel like his books should be shorter. He knows what it is that pushes a story forward - and it isn't padded pages of wasted descriptions of guns or rocket launchers. It all serves the plot. And that's really the best we can ask for!


Paul
ARH

A legacy for le Carré and his characters, this is a gripping and largely satisfying return to and summary of old themes. The timescale is a little slippery, especially re the introduction of a plea for European unity towards the end, and the heir-driven elements of the plot seem suddenly to vanish into thin air, but the return of Smiley makes it all worthwhile. Well worth your time.

The spy who lives forever
I am far from alone in welcoming this late George Smiley story which focuses back on the events of Le Carre’s greatest novel, The Spy who came in from the Cold. Everywhere I look this summer I see readers (mainly male) holding copies of this book. I could barely wait to read it.

The story starts convincingly: Smiley’s right hand man, Peter Guillam, is summoned from his Breton retirement to London to the present day MI6 to answer questions about the events in the early 1960s leading to the deaths by the Berlin Wall. These scenes of gentle but menacing interrogation of an aged ex-spy wearing hearing aids are familiar and comforting reading for the Le Carre reader, replete with all the idiosyncrasies of the author’s ear for dialogue. Before long, Guillam is being threatened with court action because of those long ago events in the now forgotten Cold War. His only hope of escape is to locate others who can support him, perhaps George Smiley himself – but is Smiley still alive? And if so, where is he?

So far, so good, but there is a problem here, at least for this reader, and it’s a simple one. The chronology just does not make sense. Even if the novel was set in the early part of this century, it is stretching credulity to much, I think, that not only Guillam, but many of the other Circus spies of the Smiley era could still be alive and functioning. And what about Smiley himself?

There is a real sense of winding things up with this novel. Many of the familiar Le Carre trademarks are present and they provide much pleasure, but for this reader at least, the story simply fizzles out unconvincingly, and while an author can treat time whatever way he likes when creating his own world, I remain unpersuaded.

I have enjoyed Le Carre's earlier books in the past but have decided this one is not for me I found it very boring long drawn out descriptions and little action. Sorry but would rather give up and move onto another book.

Are you an avid reader of John le Carre? If so this book is especially for you. It’s like slipping on a pair of comfortable slippers, wow how the memories come flooding back. George Smiley; Peter Guillam; Bill Hayden; Alec Leamas; Hans dieter Mindy etc etc . Great characters and all making a reappearance. Loved every minute of it. And a great story, what more does anyone want? Brilliant. Fabulous I felt like Alec Guinness reading my own book.

In this latest episode of the George Smiley novels, we focus on Peter Guillam, one of Smiley's People from the past. He is now living in retirement in France but finds himself summoned back to London to answer questions about a old, mostly forgotten, operation. Told with the clarity of hindsight, via a series of reports from the past and episodes from the present, this is as absorbing, complicated and confusing as you would expect. Many old protagonists come back into view and this becomes a pleasing extension of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

The fact that an individual can be called to account for actions from so long ago, that descendants of the individuals involved are now seeking some sort of clarification, closure and possibly revenge is quite a shocking idea, as is the prospect of Guillam having to account for his actions in court or in some sort of Parliamentary Enquiry, unsupported by the now unsympathetic Service that he worked for. Food for thought for some people and, like so much of le Carre's work, probably based on reality.

If you like a complex, thought provoking and challenging spy novel, then this is perfect. What strikes home is what a fantastic writer le Carre is, sweeping you along with effortless skill, in a narrative full of twists and turns, providing an easy read which will make you think.

This is a powerful book, typically masterful Le Carré, full of betrayal and pain and heartless duty, pawns and pieces careening to the doom and tragedy we know is in their stars, and in ours.

I did not want this book to end. None of us do. And yes, I cried.

As usual with my reviews, please first read the publisher’s blurb/summary of the book. Thank you.

A primer on George Smiley which you may find helpful. And yes, I very much recommend you first read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, or watch the extraordinary movie with Richard Burton, perhaps his finest performance. The impact of this, possibly Le Carré's last book, is far greater if you have lived his first.

-

Sometimes I wonder whether it is possible to be born secret, in the way people are born rich, or tall, or musical.

Smiley recruits Guillam, quintessential Le Carré -
We talked, we sat on a bench, strolled, sat again, kept talking. My dear mother – was she alive and well? She’s fine, thank you, George. A bit dotty, but fine. Then my father – had I kept his medals? I said my mother polished them every Sunday, which was true. I didn’t mention that she sometimes hung them on me and wept.

Smiley to Guillam -
"People who have worked on the outside for us don’t always fit well on the inside. But in your case, we think you might. We don’t pay a lot, and careers tend to be interrupted. But we do feel it’s an important job, as long as one cares about the end, and not too much about the means.’


old Cambridge Circus


Somewhere along the road between Cambridge Circus and the Embankment, something has died, and it isn’t just the squeak of trolleys.

Peter's new, "gruesome MI6, Lubyanka by the Thames"

Full size image

In today's modern service, the new proprietors are just as lustful of secrets as the old guard, all secrets must become THEIR secrets. Brutally theirs, ripped vindictively from the past and its people, and stolen from today and tomorrow forever.

But who are the heroes here, who the villains?

This is Le Carré "putting his affairs in order", a closing of the loose ends of Smiley's life and his. For 50 years, I'm sure he was asked about plot holes and the actions of Smiley and the Circus spies in the tragic deaths of Alec and Liz in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. So many questions, and 50 years of feeling the loss and pain as Liz is shot, and Alec finally comes in from the cold. Even now I mist up, remembering.



And here we have Le Carrés resolution, the 1960s hidden actions and events, with the story driven today by unlikely orphans of Smiley's brilliance so long ago. The story flows so well but for a serious mistake by Le Carré: He chooses to read Guillam's flat, emotionless reports directly into the prose. Perhaps this is honest, or "accurate", but it's still dull and very dry. A chapter or two we might forgive, but 1/3 of the book? No. A serious mistake, sucking away the passion and tragedy, and much of the tension of the doom we know is coming.

... How much of our human feeling can we dispense with in the name of freedom, would you say, before we cease to feel either human or free?



And in our dark nights, whom do we remember, our tears in the rain? For Marlowe it was Silver Wig (The Big Sleep). For Aiden Waits it was Catherine (Sirens, a masterpiece by Joseph Knox). For Smiley, his Anne. And for Peter Guillam ...

An early-morning flight from Bristol took me to Le Bourget. Stepping down the gangway, I was assailed by memories of [the girl]: this was my last sight of you alive; this was where I promised you that you would soon be reunited with [person]; this was where I prayed for you to turn your head, but you never did.

Catherine has acquired a computer. She tells me she is making strides. Last night we made love, but it was Tulip I held in my arms.

Peter Guillam, staunch colleague and disciple of George Smiley of the British Secret Service, otherwise known as the Circus, has retired to his family farmstead on the south coast of Brittany when a letter from his old Service summons him to London. His Cold War past has come back to claim him. Intelligence operations that were once the toast of secret London are to be scrutinised by a generation with no memory of the Cold War.
A nostalgic read with a reunion of characters, it takes us back in time to the time & setting of The Spy who came in from the Cold. I should really have re read The Spy who came in from the Cold to fully appreciate this book hence my 4 star rating. I do like the author’s books but find them hard going at times & not exactly deck chair light reading but I wouldn’t miss one as they are just so good

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Rating: 5/5



Review:

Vintage le Carré


I thought A Legacy Of Spies was excellent. I've not been all that keen on much of le Carré's post-Cold War output (with a couple of notable exceptions) but this sees him back to his best I think.



Here, Peter Guillam is called back to account for his and others' behaviour in a Cold War-era operation as Twenty-First Century standards are applied by those who were affected and by politicians. It helps to have read both The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy in order to understand fully what has happened here. Guillam narrates an account of the questioning, his reviewing of documents and his memories of the time, and I found it riveting. There is care over tradecraft, genuine humanity and believable characters, all done in le Carré's beautiful, calm and poised prose. There are no high-speed chases, nor one-to-one stand-offs in a deserted location or any other of the standard clichés of the genre, but there is an atmosphere of real threat and some genuine nerve-tingling suspense.



I see that some other reviewers have found this sub-standard, but I disagree. I think this compares with le Carré's best, and he still has the gift of compassionate human insight. For example, he says of one old torture victim, "The tortured are a class apart. You can imagine – just – where they have been, but never what they've brought back." That is of the highest class, I think, and there's plenty of a similar standard here. I found this profound and gripping and it's very warmly recommended.

(My thanks to Penguin Books for an ARC via NetGalley.)

<i><blockquote>'Or put another way, how much of our human feeling can we dispense with in the name of freedom, would you say, before we cease to feel either human or free?'</i></blockquote>

I haven't been overly taken with le Carré's modern novels (except for [book:The Constant Gardener|914234]) but this one definitively proves that he's still got it. The clever plot-line re-opens the past, especially events that took place in [book:Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy|18989] and, even more closely, those of [book:The Spy Who Came in from the Cold|19847968] - if you haven't read these or can't remember them then I would strongly recommend a read/re-read to get the most out of this book.

Through the device of having the children of previous characters threaten to sue The Circus (M16) for past outcomes (a sly dig at our increasingly litigious culture?), le Carré takes a look back at the machinations and betrayals of the Cold War with a modern hindsight. What seems to be obliquely on trial are a historicised view of Britain as at the centre of world politics, and an intelligence service run as a public school/Oxbridge Old Boys' Network. A little homily about the importance of Europe adds to the contemporary nuance.

The narrator is Peter Guillam, a familiar figure from previous books and much of the story is narrated via old operations reports with Guillam's interspersed commentary, especially on the gaps and space in their truthfulness, the re-writings and deceptions, the plots within plots, the withholding of information even from those on whom missions depended.

This has the feel of vintage, classic le Carré - but with an utterly modern viewpoint that puts the Cold War and The Circus' responses under a clear-sighted moral microscope.