The Russia House

I don't read spy thrillers, but I do enjoy them as movies so I tried listening to this one tape in the car. Excellent. The performance was terrific, but so was the writing.

I've never read anything by this author before and I have been missing out!!!

The narration was really well done and I am glad I listened to this book opposed to reading. It was a whole other level of entertainment.

The whole book centres around a publisher who is given a manuscript while in Russia and ends up as an unlikely british spy! I found this book made me chuckle at how Barley got throwns the treacherous world of espionage when he is just a jazz loving ladies man.

It really was a great read and out of my normal historical mystery vibes but I am so glad I got the chance to read it.

4 stars

3.5

Le Carré's last book was his magnum opus, that's an impossible act to follow.

This was probably the weakest book of his I've read, but that also might be because of what preceded it. And it's still Le Carré, which means it's miles ahead of what most people can write.

Written in 1989 - not a banner year for the USSR - this is his first book explicitly dealing with Russia losing its superpower status compared to the USA. It's an interesting new status quo and gotta give credit to him for immediately exploring it.

Overall, it's fine, but more for the fanboys. Of which I am one.