A Legacy of Spies (2017)

What a pleasure to be reunited with all of the wonderful characters of the George Smiley series. Whenever this grandmaster writes about spies, somehow you feel that he's just writing about all of us. ( )

A nice, gripping return to form by la Carré, featuring many of our old friends from previous stories. Read in one sitting on a lazy summer afternoon. ( )

What a disappointment! Unfortunately yet more evidence of master spy story teller Le Carre's rapidly declining literary powers.
Apart from the portrayal of Peter Guillam not a single character is fully fleshed out - some, e.g. who is the "bald man from the multi-coloured volvo" (pages246-249 ) & why is 'Christoph' one moment the "walking four feet behind me, which is where the well taught gunman should be" and a just little walk later the "Christoph was beside me, slouched over the parapet, retching and sobbing in gulps of pain and anger" (page 243-249)?
Then there's the complete lack of George Smiley until the denouement (I suppose Le Carre intended it to be though it is so obscure it's hardly worth the read) except he's off in a foreign library & like some grand poseur declaims on what he will or won't do on Guillam's behalf, but there's bugger-all actual explanatory accounting for why the 'Service' & the politically correct 'Legal eagles' have left Smiley out of the loop!
Then there's the killing of Alec Leamas & his lady friend - the reasons for Mundt having them killed is clear, but detail on how the East German nasty (despite allegiance to UK) managed to accomplish that at the Wall is totally missing!
The above sort of loop-holes in narrative on the characters and episodes drag the whole 'Legacy' into disrepute because it really does not stack up as any type of possible indictment of Peter Guillam for alleged misconduct that either the spurious relatives or the Parliamentarians could build a case around.
I gave it 3 Stars because at least in 'Legacy' Le Carre continues that quality of literary vocabulary which was & is a hallmark of the great authors. ( )

I loved this. It was everything I hoped for in a new Smiley novel, except maybe not enough of Smiley himself. This is really Peter Guillam's story and a remembrance of the events of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. For fans of le Carre, there's a strong sense of nostalgia in this too-short novel. If you haven't read TSWCIFTC - you need to read that first. It's short, too, and an incredible work of literature in itself. You should probably read Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy first, too, if you haven't already. It's not critical, but there are spoilers for that book in this one, so consider yourself warned.

This has left me with a book hangover that I fear only another le Carre novel can cure. Maybe it's time I reread the Smiley novels. ( )

Peter Guillam is retired from The Circus and living peacefully on his farm in Brittany when he is summoned to London. The Circus is being sued as a result of a long-ago operation and Peter is being set up to take the fall. Guillam tells the story of Operation Windfall in flashbacks and memos. The plaintiffs are the children of the victims of Windfall, who have little memory of the parents they lost or of the Cold War they were fighting. Peter Guillam is a disciple of George Smiley, and this novel deepens the story told in 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' and 'The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.' ( )