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    The Spy Who Came in From the Cold: A George Smiley Novel
    Unavailable
    The Spy Who Came in From the Cold: A George Smiley Novel
    Unavailable
    The Spy Who Came in From the Cold: A George Smiley Novel
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Spy Who Came in From the Cold: A George Smiley Novel

    Written by John le Carré

    Narrated by Michael Jayston

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    John le Carré's third novel -- A #1 New York Times bestseller for 34 weeks-and the book that launched his career worldwide

    In the shadow of the newly erected Berlin Wall, Alec Leamas watches as his last agent is shot dead by East German sentries. For Leamas, the head of Berlin Station, the Cold War is over. As he faces the prospect of retirement or worse-a desk job-Control offers him a unique opportunity for revenge. Assuming the guise of an embittered and dissolute ex-agent, Leamas is set up to trap Mundt, the deputy director of the East German Intelligence Service-with himself as the bait. In the background is George Smiley, ready to make the game play out just as Control wants.

    Setting a standard that has never been surpassed, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a devastating tale of duplicity and espionage.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJan 19, 2012
    ISBN9781101575680
    Unavailable
    The Spy Who Came in From the Cold: A George Smiley Novel
    Author

    John le Carré

    John le Carré was born in 1931. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, secured him a worldwide reputation, which was consolidated by the acclaim for his trilogy: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honorable Schoolboy; and Smiley’s People. His novels include The Constant Gardner, The Little Drummer Girl, A Perfect Spy, The Russia House, Our Game, The Tailor of Panama, and Single & Single. He lives in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

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    Reviews for The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

    4/5

    89 ratings81 reviews

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    • 4/5
      There was a lot of character development but didn't seem to actually go anywhere. It's still worth the read, in my opinion, but it probably won't be your favorite book of the year.
    • 5/5
      The characters were so three dimensional I was carried mesmerized along with them. The precise amount of tension peaks your interest without the fatigue of many so-called page turner’s. I read it in one day, very unique for me.
    • 5/5
      I'm used to "good guys win" endings from Le Carré. Didn't expect this character study in the emotional and psychological collateral damage of Cold War espionage. What a great novel
    • 4/5
      I had read this years ago, but had forgotten all of the plot intricacies. Every character, though, I remembered.

      An angry, grim spy tale, and utterly brilliant.
    • 2/5
      Well, I gave it a try - but it turns out Le Carre is not for me. The prose is too stark, the plot too nihilistic, and quite frankly I find Cold War espionage to be a little silly on the best of days.
    • 4/5
      The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a classic spy novel though it crosses outside the genre to literature. I hesitate to called it a "thriller" since there isn't much action. In fact it's claustrophobic, paranoid, cold. Yet it's a powerful story that accurately reflects (or reflected) the mood of the Cold War. The plot is air tight, believable and seemingly without holes. I didn't see it coming. It can be re-read as there is a lot of mundane detail that didn't seem relevant but was important in the end.
    • 3/5
      Who knows if this is a 3.5 or a 4.0. Recently started reading old le Carre novels (especially the Smiley ones). Also watched this movie. Great book. Fine reading. Very cerebral. Action. Not. Trying to look at the oevre of le Carre. Very interesting story of transformations and keeping going. In a good way. The political edge is always interesting. How he managed to balance.
    • 4/5
      Fun, and surprisingly smart. The ending is the most memorable bit.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the book. It is a classic Cold War era spy novel, with good reason. Current espionage novels include significant technological emphasis, while this novel is purely psychological. A long time agent must risk his life to try and topple a Eastern bloc spy master. An excellent read, and a piece of literary as well as socio-political history.
    • 5/5
      The original among novels depicting the "wilderness of mirrors" that characterizes the morally ambiguous world of spying--and spare and unbloated as it is, still among the best.
    • 4/5
      Great spy novel from the master himself. I really do love these types of books. The ending is brilliant.
    • 4/5
      A refreshing take on the world of spying. Also, good writer. Le Carré does a splendid job balancing between too little and too much explanation. It's hard to find a writer like that.
    • 2/5
      I know it's a classic. I know it's THE spy novel, but I was bored stiff throughout this book. The characters were boring and unlikable. The plot was grindingly bland up until the very end when it got a bit interesting. I've never been interested in spy stories and if this is the best example of one, now I know why.
    • 3/5
      Great read, not too hard to follow (me and spy novels). Interested to see how the antisemitism developed almost imperceptibly. Would have to read again to delve more deeply into repercussions. Liz seemed in the end much less innocent than presented.Ending was a total shock.
    • 4/5
      This was a big step up from "Call for the Dead" and "A Murder of Quality."Leamas is a British secret service agent runner, and all his agents have been killed by his Moscow competition, Karla. He's come back to the West, reluctantly, drunkenly and morosely, but gets sucked back into the game.
    • 3/5
      Harsh and unrelenting spy novel that kept me constantly on my mental toes.
    • 5/5
      I don't normally read spy thrillers, but after this book, I'm certainly going to read more by John le Carré. This is a relatively short book that packs a lot into its 230 pages. Alec Leamas is trying to leave the work of espionage and "come in from the cold". The book walks us through his attempt and, I swear, I really didn't see the end coming until about 2 pages before the end. It was fabulous. I really enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      Not much to say that hasn't been said before, and probably better: JlC does a great job of depicting the squalor, economic, moral and otherwise, of the Cold War world, on both sides of the wall. The conclusion (plot spoiler!) is a perfectly allegorical moment: Leamas straddles the wall, looks on either side, sees a good woman dead, and decides, more or less, he'd rather die than go on.
    • 4/5
      This is the first Le Carre novel I have ever read, perhaps surprisingly as I have read a fair few non-fiction books about Cold War espionage over the years. Perhaps this is because real life espionage stories contain so much drama, excitement, tension, horror and pathos, that they almost don't need fictionalisation. In any case, I must confess to having been rather disappointed with this novel for much of its duration, the first three quarters dragging rather, with my feeling rather uninterested in the doings of any of the characters, until the gripping final quarter with the trial and the final dramatic escape. I couldn't decide what I felt about the central character Alex Leamas. There is quite a lot of interesting dialogue about the nature of the spy's mentality, the nature of treachery and devotion to a cause or country.
    • 4/5
      So... that was intense. Reading this book by ex-espionage member John le Carré felt like wandering through a James Bond film with some Tarantino dialogue. It's exciting, it's enticing, it's very clever and the ending really hits the spot.

      Alec Leamas, a Western spy in Berlin, is given one last assignment before he must forcedly retire. Without giving too much away, Leamas falls for a simple librarian girl, the mission (of course) knows its difficulties and everything gets complicated. It's interesting as well to read about the protocols and measures used by espionage agents in this book, knowing very well that le Carré himself hails from the very same background and even had to write about it in great secret.

      In short; perfect, enthralling holiday read. The book is designed to make you choose the wrong track time and time again, having you rethink your former ideas, but it all just comes together so well. Excellent.
    • 4/5
      LeCarre's "classic" book didn't strike as much a chord with me--but I guess after a diet of James Bond, this more realistic treatment was not as appealing to a teenage reader. Obviously deserves another, more mature read.
    • 5/5
      Graham Greene's claim of the "finest spy story ever written," is one I can't argue with. A truly fantastic work. This was the fourth Le Carre book for me, and certainly my favorite. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was great as well of course, but the dialogue in this work was just riveting. Deep characters, great ending... also, the way Le Carre uses the 'implied George Smiley' throughout the novel could have been corny, but instead was wonderful.
    • 4/5
      The lines become blurred when trying to determine on which side an agent belongs, or in fact, how many sides. Le Carré's writing is intelligent and the story unfolds well, providing a puzzle of who might be telling the truth. It has been many years since I first read this and all I remembered was that Leamas wanted out of the service and to "come in from the cold". An enthralling story, that will hold the reader's attention to the last page.
    • 4/5
      Le Carre's first success is a thrilling piece of writing: mysterious, dangerous, and ultimately balancing both surprise and predestined tragedy. But the focus on grand plots and deception is far less interesting than Le Carre's later interest in the spying life as one of ambiguity. Sure, there's much to be said for a clockwork plot with exciting reveals and a tight climax where everything comes together—but I'll take the dense atmosphere of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy any day.

      That preference is why I think this will be my last Le Carre novel. While I enjoy his work immensely, the appearance of George Smiley in this book (and others) lends itself to world-building, which undermines what I found so appealing about TTSS: the sense of unknowability, of a strange world that seems just outside of understanding, where things float in and out and all is lost in a haze. The Spy Who Came In From the Cold shuns those aspects, and is a rollicking thriller for it. But TTSS embraces them—especially in the film adaptation—and the result is unlike any other novel I've read. Would that more writers captured this aspect of Le Carre, or that Le Carre himself would prize it above all others.
    • 4/5
      I was unprepared for the journey this book would take me on. Maybe this was because I don't read very many spy novels or maybe it was because John le Carré is just that good.

      "And suddenly, with the terrible clarity of a man too long deceived, Leamus understood the whole ghastly trick." [CH 23: Confession]

      At the end of chapter 23 Alec Leamus had the ultimate "aha" moment. Sadly, I realized I had not a clue what his revelation was. I was stumped and desperately racking my brain to recall any information that would shine a light on what I missed. What was the trick!? What the hell just happened!? What a great feeling! I continued on none the wiser and the ending left me breathless. No wonder this book is considered to be a classic. I would definitely read another of John le Carré's books. Next time I'll be armed with the knowledge that I will probably have no idea what's really going on. Oh and trust no one!
    • 5/5
      If you want a history lesson in how things were during the beginning of the Cold War, read this book. Yes, it's fiction, and yes, it's about a spy, but it will give you a more accurate view of how things work in espionage. Why? Le Carre himself worked as a spy in British Intelligence for years before writing this novel.

      This is the antithesis of the Bond novels (and films)—and I'm certainly not knocking those, because who doesn't need a little Bond in their lives, especially now that he's played by Daniel Craig? But Le Carre's novel gives a more realistic glimpse into how things really are for spies. It's mundane work, no more exciting than your average office job.

      For Alec Leamas, it's even worse. When his last agent is murdered behind the Wall, his boss approaches him for one last mission—one that will (hopefully) take down East Berlin Intelligence.

      All Alec has to do is play the part of an agent on the decline, one who drinks too much and sleeps too little. And he does so with aplomb. But then he meets a young woman, a librarian, and all hell breaks loose in his life.

      Le Carre, I think, pokes a bit of fun at Western-style Communists, those thin, emo people I used to see early in my childhood (I forget where, maybe on TV). They dressed in black and handed out some Communist paper. But in TSWCIFTC they were harmless, people playing games and had no idea how real Communists operated. Le Carre obviously did, and he shows you in the last scenes of the novel.

      I won't give you any spoilers if you haven't read it. Just know Le Carre doesn't pull any punches. I can't wait to read more of his work.
    • 4/5
      John Le Carre's seminal novel. The Cold War atmosphere is thick as molasses. Everyone's a patriot and/or an ideologue but everyone's also a liar and a cheat. Good character building and tight plotting but watch out for one dimensional lefties. Nothing earth shattering.
      I think I read this one 50 years too late and the Tom Clancy books i read growing up spoiled this for me.
      Four stars because I fell asleep a few times.

    • 5/5
      Although usually not a fan of spy novels, I must confess I thoroughly enjoyed this classic.
    • 5/5
      The first time I became interested in John le Carré's work was when Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with Benedict Cumberbatch was advertised prior to its release. I'm a huge fan of Cumberbatch (or The Batch, as he is affectionately known) whose Sherlock won me over, and curious about the movie I suggested the book for my book club's reading list. Majority asked for a more famous novel by le Carré so here we are. It is easy to understand why this book has stood the test of time: it is a fast-paced, intelligent, emotionally-engaging thriller with characters who are easy to care about and even the shift of perspective from what I would describe as "inner circle third person" to "outsider third person", which was quite obvious, didn't change that. I think le Carre employed this device to hide certain things from the reader without making Leamas an unreliable narrator. He was counting on the reader to figure out what was really happening as the novel progressed and with the little hints along the way it wasn't that hard. The book could've become boring at that point considering that the action isn't in chases or gun-fights but in a steady execution of the plan, but le Carre had an ace up his sleeve. With the perspective back to "inner circle third person" the reader got to realize along with Leamas that he wasn't as inner circle as he thought he was. A three-level conspiracy, my friends, how delicious is that?! I won't say more for the sake of not spoiling the ending, but you see how this book is never exactly what it seems at first, with characters pursuing secret agendas to the very end. Written in the middle of the Cold War and being a spy thriller it is no surprise that this book pits characters who are both physically and figuratively on different sides of the Berlin wall against each other. Le Carre talks ideology here and doesn't leave any room for doubt as to which side he is on. I don't know how historically accurate the details are and the year on the calendar didn't allow for ambiguity if one wanted to be published and widely read, but the fact remains. While there aren't any gray areas as far as le Carre's and Leamas' allegiances go there are plenty of them in the rest of the novel. I suppose it is like that in the business of spying where the ends justify whatever means necessary. As Leamas said, the only criteria of success is results, and ethics are sacrificed at every turn. The most memorable and thought-provoking character for me was Liz, particularly because little about her is straightforward. She is young, naive and idealistic but she is locked in a gray area even more so than the spies who've made it their home. She belongs to the Communist Party yet she dislikes its everyday defining characteristics, she sees a socialist state first-hand yet she doesn't question her beliefs, she rejects the capitalist ideals yet she is devoted to a man who is as ideologically far from her as possible. She gives the depth and the heart to this novel, particularly by showing Leamas the man underneath the mask of the spy and making the reader care for those who at the end of the day are collateral in the game of politics. This book was published almost 40 years ago and is set even earlier but it doesn't read as dated. In fact, if I didn't know when it was written I would've taken it for a historical spy thriller. Now I'm even more curious about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy because I am confident that le Carre knows what he is doing so expect to see me talking about it here at some point in the future.
    • 3/5
      Carré is a fine writer - and the first half of this novel works very well. The whole set up - a man who is thrown out of the british intelligence agency and left unwanted, disgraced - but the agency have secrets plans with him - he's to be recruited by the enemy behind the Iron Curtain and thereby working as a double, well triple-agent. The best part of the story is when he meets a girl who's a communist and they fall in love. Impossible love, we know, but it's very well told. But once he gets recruited and going to Germany the novel's last part ends up in some lengthy and overly detailed interrogation that seemed, well, not that believable to me.Also the whole story becomes a little too muddy and confusing with all the double-and-triple-agent stuff. I know that's Carré's mission - to tell us that those who's going to protect us is just as corrupted as the enemy - everything is blurred and mixed up, you can't trust anyone, there are no real heroes. The ending is of course just a reflection of this whole thing.