The Quest for Karla: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honourable Schoolboy; Smiley's People
by John le Carré
Karla Trilogy (Collections and Selections — 1-3), George Smiley (Collections and Selections — 5-7)
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TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPYThe first novel in John le Carré's celebrated and New York Times bestselling Karla trilogy featuring George Smiley, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a heart-stopping tale of international intrigue.
The man he knew as "Control" is dead, and the young Turks who forced him out now run the Circus. But George Smiley isn't quite ready for retirement-especially when a pretty, would-be defector surfaces with a shocking accusation: a Soviet mole has penetrated the highest show more level of British Intelligence. Relying only on his wits and a small, loyal cadre, Smiley recognizes the hand of Karlaâ??his Moscow Centre nemesisâ??and sets a trap to catch the traitor.
THE HONOURABLE SCHOOLBOY
As the fall of Saigon looms, master spy George Smiley must outmaneuver his Soviet counterpart on a battlefield that neither can afford to lose. The mole has been eliminated, but the damage wrought has brought the British Secret Service to its knees. Given the charge of the gravely compromised Circus, George Smiley embarks on a campaign to uncover what Moscow Centre most wants to hide. When the trail goes cold at a Hong Kong gold seam, Smiley dispatches Gerald Westerby to shake the money tree. A part-time operative with cover as a philandering journalist, Westerby insinuates himself into a war-torn world where allegiancesâ??and livesâ??are bought and sold.
Brilliantly plotted and morally complex, The Honourable Schoolboy is the second installment of John le Carréâ??s renowned and New York Times bestselling Karla Trilogy, the follow-up to Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
SMILEY'S PEOPLE
Tell Max that it concerns the Sandmanâ?¦ A very junior agent answers Vladimirâ??s call, but it could have been the Chief of the Circus himself. No one at the British Secret Service considers the old spy to be anything except a senile has-been who canâ??t give up the gameâ??until heâ??s shot in the face at point-blank range. Although George Smiley (code name: Max) is officially retired, heâ??s summoned to identify the body now bearing Moscow Centreâ??s bloody imprimatur. As he works to unearth his friendâ??s fatal secrets, Smiley heads inexorably toward one final reckoning with Karlaâ??his dark â??grail.â?
In Smileyâ??s People, master storyteller and New York Times bestselling author of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Our Kind of Traitor John le Carré brings his acclaimed Karla Trilogy, to its unforgettable, spellbinding conclusion.
John le Carréâ??s memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Lif show less
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This review is just for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
I really wanted to like this book. I found it very difficult to read. Everyone had three names that were all similar, and then there was all the British spy slang. I also thought the story was very slow, disjointed and kind of dull. The main character George Smiley ended up very depressed when all the action was done with and everything had been solved. I did relate to that, since that is how I feel at the end of a big long-term project. Only thing is, there was no action to be exhausted from and no adreneline-high to recover from in this book!
If I read it again, I think I may like the book more. But, I just don't want to do that.
I have the old BBC version of this at home waiting to show more be watched. I am wondering if I will appreciate it more, since I will be able to distiguish the characters more easily and maybe feel more of the tension. I will have to do that soon. show less
I really wanted to like this book. I found it very difficult to read. Everyone had three names that were all similar, and then there was all the British spy slang. I also thought the story was very slow, disjointed and kind of dull. The main character George Smiley ended up very depressed when all the action was done with and everything had been solved. I did relate to that, since that is how I feel at the end of a big long-term project. Only thing is, there was no action to be exhausted from and no adreneline-high to recover from in this book!
If I read it again, I think I may like the book more. But, I just don't want to do that.
I have the old BBC version of this at home waiting to show more be watched. I am wondering if I will appreciate it more, since I will be able to distiguish the characters more easily and maybe feel more of the tension. I will have to do that soon. show less
Reading George Smiley novels:
** "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (read from April 28 to 30, 2013) - Good ending, but got 'lost' too often.
* "The Honourable Schoolboy" (read from May 7 to 13, 2013) - Repetitive; boring; very, very very slow; too long.
*** "Smiley's People" (read from May 13 to 18, 2013
I need a glossary: forgers, listeners, wranglers, lamplighters, mothers, housekeepers, janitors, cousins (U.S. / C.I.A.?), pavement artists, inquisitors, etc.
** "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" (read from April 28 to 30, 2013) - Good ending, but got 'lost' too often.
* "The Honourable Schoolboy" (read from May 7 to 13, 2013) - Repetitive; boring; very, very very slow; too long.
*** "Smiley's People" (read from May 13 to 18, 2013
I need a glossary: forgers, listeners, wranglers, lamplighters, mothers, housekeepers, janitors, cousins (U.S. / C.I.A.?), pavement artists, inquisitors, etc.
Les trois romans, dans leur traduction, prennent un certain temps pour s'y plonger. En effet, une des premières difficultés est que l'auteur utilise un jargon emprunté aux services secrets et les mots peuvent poser problème dans la compréhension globale (surtout dans des moments critiques du roman). Un lexique aurait été le bienvenu. La traduction laisse beaucoup à désirer à certains endroits: les espaces et les erreurs d'orthographes (ou bien de mise en page) sont nombreuses et m'ont sauté aux yeux, ce qui ne m'a pas permit une lecture facile, loin de là. Sinon, une fois dans le bain, j'ai pu lire le reste des autres romans très vite, en évitant soigneusement de me prendre la tête sur les erreurs éditoriales. La colle show more du livre s'étant effritée, j'ai dû me débarrasser du livre, dont les pages commençaient à tomber. Le nouveau film ayant gagné pas mal de récompenses, j'aurais souhaité de la part de Robert Laffont une re-édition et ré-impression complète des trois romans de la série Bouquins, sans fautes ni coquilles cette fois! show less
Apr 2, 2012 (Edited)French
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David John Moore Cornwell was born in Poole, Dorsetshire, England in 1931. He attended Bern University in Switzerland from 1948-49 and later completed a B.A. at Lincoln College, Oxford. He taught at Eton from 1956-58 and was a member of the British Foreign Service from 1959 to 1964. He writes espionage thrillers under the pseudonym John le Carré. show more The pseudonym was necessary when he began writing, in the early 1960s because, at that time, he held a diplomatic position with the British Foreign Office and was not allowed to publish under his own name. When his third book, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, became a worldwide bestseller in 1964, he left the foreign service to write full time. His other works include Call for the Dead; A Murder of Quality; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honourable Schoolboy; and Smiley's People. He has received numerous awards for his writing, including the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1986 and the Diamond Dagger from the Crime Writers Association in 1988. In 2011 he accepted the Goethe Medal. And in 2020, he accepted the Olof Palme Prize. Ten of his books have been adapted for television and motion pictures including The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Russia House, The Constant Gardener, A Most Wanted Man, and Our Kind of Traitor. Le Carré's memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from my Life, became a New York Times bestseller in 2016. In 2019, he published a spy thriller, Agent Running in the Field. John Le Carré died on December 12, 2020 from pneumonia at the age of 89. (Bowker Author Biography) John le Carre was born in 1931. After attending the univesities of Berne and Oxford, he spent five years in the British Foreign Service. He's the author of eighteen novels, translated into twenty-five languages. He lives in England. (Publisher Provided) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Quest for Karla: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honourable Schoolboy; Smiley's People
- Alternate titles
- Smiley Versus Karla
- Original publication date
- 1982
- People/Characters
- George Smiley
- Related movies
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979 | IMDb); Smiley’s People (1982 | IMDb); Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011 | IMDb)
- Dedication*
- Till mina söner Simon, Stephen, Timothy och Nicholas, med kärlek.
- First words
- Två händelser, till synes utan samband, föregick återkallandet av mr George Smiley från hans tvivelaktiga pensionering.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy : The truth is, if old Major Dover hadn't dropped dead at Taunton races Jim would never have come to Thursgood's at all.
The Honourable Schoolboy : Afterwards, in the dusty little corners where London's secret servants drink together, there was argument about where the Dolphin case history should really begin.
Smiley's People : Two seemingly unconnected events heralded the summons of Mr George Smiley from his dubious retirement. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Ja, jag antar att jag gjorde det."
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy : The gun, Bill Roach had finally convinced himself, was after all a dream.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The Honourable Schoolboy : And nor does Guillam, for George's sake.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Smiley's People : 'Did I?' said Smiley. 'Yes. Yes, well I suppose I did.' - Original language
- English
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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