I first read Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy over 40 years ago and thought it was excellent. It still is. It’s one of those rare books where, having read a chapter or so, I thought “This is just pure class.” It is miles out of the league of the vast majority of spy fiction and stands very well as literary fiction in its own right, with an espionage story as its driver.
I shan’t bother summarising the well-known story, although that does make it a fascinating and often tense page-turner. What really makes this book for me is the quality of the prose, the brilliance of the characterisation and the subtly but beautifully painted background. Le Carré writes in a quite flat, unemotional tone, which is often far more effective than the racy, punchy style often found in spy thrillers; a couple of scenes where a character is stealing documents are absolutely nerve-shredding, for example, even though the prose is quite calm. Characters are beautifully painted, emerging from their own actions and words or those of others, rather than though laboured exposition of their history. And over all this is a picture of a British establishment still dominated by class and the sort of view that it doesn’t matter where you went to university – they are both very old and very distinguished.”
Put simply, this really is the classic it is made out to be. It’s a pleasure to read and a very rewarding, thought-provoking book. Very warmly recommended.
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