Firmado por Antonio en 1ª pág.: 24/12/92

(or 4.5) very good. I'd heard Le Carré's spy books were almost the opposite of Fleming's bond books, not glamorous. And boy is it not glamorous. Depressing even, but very well written. ( )

Gritty, dirty, gray, grainy and foggy. These are what I felt as I listened to John le Carré's book 'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'. I was not quite sure when this book takes place, but it feels like the 1970's, it is a story about espionage agents that worked in post WWII/Cold War world. Agents working for Great Brittan, East and West Germany, amongst others are all in play as we follow Alec Leamas, who is aging out and near retirement.
Leamas is not ready to hang it up quite yet and is offered an opportunity to get back/take revenge on the East German agent who done him dirty. Does he? Did he? What happened? What really happened? Lots of politics and subterfuge, to the point that my head was spinning as to what was going on anymore, I was lost. The constant moving of parts and pieces, I couldn't get into the characters, believe what was going on was actually what was happening which led to a listlessness in regards to the characters and the story.
Was it well done, as far as spy novels I have not read many, but it seems to have been. le Carré writes with a descriptive flair that make the reader/listener feel like you have gone back in time to that dark and dingy time. So many twists and turns, shadowy figures appearing and reappearing, moving all around Europe, switching sides and stories seem to be right up the spy novel alley. I just couldn't get into it, it was too much for me. I wouldn't recommend it, but also wouldn't turn anyone away from it either. ( )

Very good. A sad love story, complicated espionage that amounted to a depressing both side-ism —we are not much better than our enemies —kind of conclusion. War: what is good for. Absolutely nothing, not even a Cold War.

Good, gritty, resolutely unglamorous espionage story. Anyone who enjoyed the British series Callan would love this. It was my first Le Carré - I'd be happy to read more in a similar vein.

Interesting how totally the political and cultural landscape has changed in the 50 years since this was written. This world is still recognisable to me, but to anyone a bit younger it would probably would seem as alien as the Victorian era. The detailed depictions of spy rings, and how they do their jobs, also seems like something from a bygone age - complicated but at the same time strikingly basic. Maybe things have not changed so much - but I think there was something unique about the paranoia instilled by having two such powerful and evenly-matched sides, living on top of each other as in Berlin, where everyone is suspect and you assume that you are constantly watched.

The plot itself is very well crafted. Le Carré carefully keeps you from knowing exactly what's going on, which is the exact situation that his compelling lead character, Alec Leamas, is in. It brings empathy with a difficult-to-like character, and leaves you wide open for the inevitable reverses and reveals.

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