First Read of 2020
When I was reading this book, a friend asked me what I thought of it. I said it wasn't as good as the Smiley novels but was better than the Constant Gardener.
But that was before I got to the part where he takes shots at Putin and Trump, so I'm not sure how to describe it.
There are parts of this book that do not quite work. Nat's interest, for instance, in his female staff member who resigns does not quite make sense, especially since care is taken to illustrate that it is not desire. I get that she is brilliant but there is no real sense of a deep working relationship between the two.
The bit about duty vs belief, vs country vs convictions is what really sells the book because that debate is the hinge upon which most of the action rests. That makes for interesting look a how does one stay true to self.
But mostly, the book's greatest reward for the reader is in the character of Prue who for a portion of the book is in the background but then towards the second half becomes far more important. Readers who disliked how Smiley's wife was drawn will love Prue.
But that was before I got to the part where he takes shots at Putin and Trump, so I'm not sure how to describe it.
There are parts of this book that do not quite work. Nat's interest, for instance, in his female staff member who resigns does not quite make sense, especially since care is taken to illustrate that it is not desire. I get that she is brilliant but there is no real sense of a deep working relationship between the two.
The bit about duty vs belief, vs country vs convictions is what really sells the book because that debate is the hinge upon which most of the action rests. That makes for interesting look a how does one stay true to self.
But mostly, the book's greatest reward for the reader is in the character of Prue who for a portion of the book is in the background but then towards the second half becomes far more important. Readers who disliked how Smiley's wife was drawn will love Prue.
