You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
A quick read. Classic Le Carre spymasters but brought into the post 9/11 world. The ending devastated me.
spy thriller set in Europe with Arab terrorist overtones
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Whenever his book was made into a movie, I always wanted to read the book first, and this is what led me here.
I am finally bringing my review to Goodreads.
Premise: This book takes place in Germany, and has 3 primary POV’s, though Le Carre adds a few more later. The central protagonist is Issa Karpov, the son of a Russian war criminal and his Chechen “war bride.”
Issa claims to have been tortured in prison. He now appears to readers as a traumatized refugee in Hamburg being sheltered by a couple of frightened Turkish immigrants. He seeks help from Annabel, a German civil rights attorney, who is sympathetic to his story, and attracted to him, as well.
Issa leads her to Tommy Brue, a British banker, whose bank stashed his father’s fortune. Annabel seeks him out. Issa says he wants to become a doctor. Brue also wants to help Issa out, because he finds himself attracted to Annabel.
Although it appears like a potential love triangle, nothing more than touching hands occurs.
Apparently, as Annabel and Tommy attempt to help Issa, the Germans, the British and the Americans all want a piece of him.
Why?
The author appears to be doing a critique on the war on terror, but if that is all readers see, then the point is missed.
Issa can be any stateless individual from the wrong place with the wrong background. No one really cares about his religion, only what he knows and who he knows.
Le Carre does a good job of not being too preachy, but if he was attempting suspense, he failed at it. The story line is rather predictable.
Still…
The author attempts to write a complicated and compelling story. This isn’t necessarily a spy thriller, as the spies take a background seat, and the civilians take center stage.
What we have here are grubby, believable, morally compromised protagonists.
The question then becomes…
Which was better – the book or the movie?
I am finally bringing my review to Goodreads.
Premise: This book takes place in Germany, and has 3 primary POV’s, though Le Carre adds a few more later. The central protagonist is Issa Karpov, the son of a Russian war criminal and his Chechen “war bride.”
Issa claims to have been tortured in prison. He now appears to readers as a traumatized refugee in Hamburg being sheltered by a couple of frightened Turkish immigrants. He seeks help from Annabel, a German civil rights attorney, who is sympathetic to his story, and attracted to him, as well.
Issa leads her to Tommy Brue, a British banker, whose bank stashed his father’s fortune. Annabel seeks him out. Issa says he wants to become a doctor. Brue also wants to help Issa out, because he finds himself attracted to Annabel.
Although it appears like a potential love triangle, nothing more than touching hands occurs.
Apparently, as Annabel and Tommy attempt to help Issa, the Germans, the British and the Americans all want a piece of him.
Why?
The author appears to be doing a critique on the war on terror, but if that is all readers see, then the point is missed.
Issa can be any stateless individual from the wrong place with the wrong background. No one really cares about his religion, only what he knows and who he knows.
Le Carre does a good job of not being too preachy, but if he was attempting suspense, he failed at it. The story line is rather predictable.
Still…
The author attempts to write a complicated and compelling story. This isn’t necessarily a spy thriller, as the spies take a background seat, and the civilians take center stage.
What we have here are grubby, believable, morally compromised protagonists.
The question then becomes…
Which was better – the book or the movie?
Not one of his better efforts. The plot while seemingly of interest is never really developed and the adventure/mystery factor is bland at best. If there is a Le Carre book you are not going to read it should be this one.
Enjoyable but I thought the end a letdown, as if once Le Carre got going he couldn't quite bring it all together in a suitably interesting and unusual manner. Still, an enjoyable read -- as always with Le Carre -- including some wonderfully evocative characters and scenery (much of it set in Germany).
Mustinya ga bintang 4, karena kisahnya ga berakhir bahagia buat saya, dan buat tokoh2 utama cerita. Cerita berakhir bahagia buat Amerika yang memang senang merusak kehidupan banyak orang lain di dunia.
Tapi saya sudah pernah baca [b:The Constant Gardener|19000|The Constant Gardener|John le Carré|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348649766s/19000.jpg|1442776], juga nonton filmnya. Saya pun sudah nonton The Tailor of Panama. Keduanya karya le Carre, yang walaupun muter2, jahat banget, harus pintar bisa bisa paham, berawal tidak bahagia dan berakhir sedih, saya tetap suka banget.
Jadi buku ini bisa saya kasih bintang 3.8. Mustinya bisa bulat bintang 4 seandainya saja penerjemah dan editor bisa bekerja lebih teliti, serta tidak ada halaman2 yang nampak seperti kekurangan tinta cetak pada buku saya ini.
Tapi saya sudah pernah baca [b:The Constant Gardener|19000|The Constant Gardener|John le Carré|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348649766s/19000.jpg|1442776], juga nonton filmnya. Saya pun sudah nonton The Tailor of Panama. Keduanya karya le Carre, yang walaupun muter2, jahat banget, harus pintar bisa bisa paham, berawal tidak bahagia dan berakhir sedih, saya tetap suka banget.
Jadi buku ini bisa saya kasih bintang 3.8. Mustinya bisa bulat bintang 4 seandainya saja penerjemah dan editor bisa bekerja lebih teliti, serta tidak ada halaman2 yang nampak seperti kekurangan tinta cetak pada buku saya ini.
This book was disjointed and a bit hard to get through. A lot of detail is provided for characters who fade into the background later. The plot seems to start in one direction and then turns in another. I guess that is meant to signify the world of spies, but I thought is was poor writing. Similarly, a couple of characters have inconsistent personalities and behavior. There seemed to be no reason for that. Ultimately, the book came across as contrived and not well constructed. It doesn't make sense, for example, that the spies translating Anabel and Tommy can't understand them speaking Russian, because the person Anabel and Tommy are about to meet only speaks Russian. Why would they assign someone who could not speak Russian to follow them? It's a bit hard to believe that rendition involves such complicated efforts. I think they just grab people off the street. Rendition obviously involves intelligence, but not this kind of elaborate plot.
