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Has anyone read this?

The movie was fantastic, but I've never been into the spy/espionage genre. However, it's great so far!

Anyone else read this or the other works of John le Carre?

I saw the movie today and read the book a couple months ago. I had a really hard time getting into the book and I generally like spy thrillers. It is clearly written for the Brits and makes no effort to simplify the slang. However, if you have already seen the movie, I think the book would be easier to digest. Once I have seen both, they worked together. The movie script is told in a different order than the book, but they both end up in the same place.

I like Gary Oldham and he did a great understated acting job, but after seeing Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I really think that kids deserved a nomination.....

I haven't yet seen the movie, but the old BBC TV series with Alec Guinness as George Smiley is superb.

Netflix has it, as well as the BBC series based on the sequel, "Smiley's People". Hmmm.... I wonder whether they're planning a movie version of that, too.

[This message edited by Cally60 at 11:46 PM, February 5th (Sunday)]

All of le carre's books are great, but then I'm a Brit, and the 'characters' are v recognisable.

Oh I so want to see this movie!

Yes!!! John le Carre is wonderful. All "George Smiley" books are fantastic...at least I thought so.

I haven't read it, but got into the spy genre last year. I'd really recommend books by Daniel Silva, which are super fast-paced and great. Kind of like John Grisham spy novels. Not great literature, but very well written and exciting!

Den Leighton also very good in the same genre/ period, cold war stuff.

Just falling asleep here, and out of my drifting subconscious jumps the name 'Len Deighton' - which of course is what I meant to say above.

Never read it, or saw the movie, but I remember the old series.

Another good TV series from this genre was The Sandbaggers, but only if you like your spy stories to be tedious and bureaucratic.

Edie, I'm learning a lot about British culture/vernacular. I've dropped the phrase "honey-trap" a few times at work now.

The thing that struck me about the movie is how "anti-(US version of) James Bond" it was made to be, and that is very evident in le Carre's writing as well. It's showing bureacracy and red tape for what it really is, which is even more fascinating than the sexed up silver tape version. The parts in the movie when they showed the "spy Christmas party" made me giggle.

[This message edited by amorfati at 8:46 PM, February 7th (Tuesday)]

Yes, he can really point p the prosaic. Haven't seen the film yet.

le carre isn't quickly paced, except where he should be. He writes real literature - complex, life-like story lines, complex, life-like characters, lots of very well-written prose. There are a bunch of good movies of his novels, but the novels are all richer than the flicks. I haven't seen the lates, but the novel is pretty dense, and I don't think the movie can do full justice to it.

The movie did leave quite a bit out.... I was explaining some of the back story to H as we were leaving. But I think if one hadn't read the book first, it was perfectly understandable.

I read a fair amount of British murder mystery, police procedure and spy stuff. Thought I was fairly good with the vernacular, but well.....not as much as I thought.

I think the ending of the movie left it open for more of 'Smiley's people'.