I also strongly suspect you watched "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold". If you enjoyed this movie and the way it is narrated, please do yourself a favor and watch all the BBC mini series from the 70ies/80ies based on John Le Carré books, namely "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", "Smiley's People", and "A Perfect Spy" (or read the books, John Le Carré is an excellent writer, and "A Perfect Spy" can be compared to works by Dickens). You usually have no clue what is going on, and only learn about it later.
I had tried watching the recent movie adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and was so put off that I had really low expectations when I happened into a copy of A Perfect Spy.
I was blown away by reading APS, I think it's really a masterpiece and would recommend it to anyone who has ever had a family, a job, or a secret.
I've since read most of the rest of his work and while APS is the best, the Smiley series was also very good and I felt genuinely moved by the conclusion of Smiley's People. You don't really have to read the rest in order but read Smiley's People last.
As a teenager, I picked out a copy of The Little Drummer Girl from a used book store quite by chance. I expected a simple spy action story, but what I read was a deep and anguishing examination of the personal impact of geopolitics on a someone’s identity.
If you’re new to Le Carré and want to tip your toe in, I’d recommend watching The Night Manager mini-series.
For someone who already enjoys Le Carré, it would be a shame to overlook A Perfect Spy, which is his most autobiographical and soul-wrenching work. Both the book and 1987 mini-series are excellent.
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I also strongly suspect you watched "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold". If you enjoyed this movie and the way it is narrated, please do yourself a favor and watch all the BBC mini series from the 70ies/80ies based on John Le Carré books, namely "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", "Smiley's People", and "A Perfect Spy" (or read the books, John Le Carré is an excellent writer, and "A Perfect Spy" can be compared to works by Dickens). You usually have no clue what is going on, and only learn about it later.
I had tried watching the recent movie adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and was so put off that I had really low expectations when I happened into a copy of A Perfect Spy.
I was blown away by reading APS, I think it's really a masterpiece and would recommend it to anyone who has ever had a family, a job, or a secret.
I've since read most of the rest of his work and while APS is the best, the Smiley series was also very good and I felt genuinely moved by the conclusion of Smiley's People. You don't really have to read the rest in order but read Smiley's People last.
As a teenager, I picked out a copy of The Little Drummer Girl from a used book store quite by chance. I expected a simple spy action story, but what I read was a deep and anguishing examination of the personal impact of geopolitics on a someone’s identity.
If you’re new to Le Carré and want to tip your toe in, I’d recommend watching The Night Manager mini-series.
For someone who already enjoys Le Carré, it would be a shame to overlook A Perfect Spy, which is his most autobiographical and soul-wrenching work. Both the book and 1987 mini-series are excellent.