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Smiley's People | 
| Author: John Le Carré
Publisher: Sceptre
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £5.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 7623
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 400
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0340937637
EAN: 9780340937631
ASIN: 0340937637
Publication Date: September 21, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Satisfying end to the trilogy March 19, 2008
It is, of course, a trilogy, but I wouldn't be inclined to read 'The Honourable Schoolboy', just jump from 'Tinker, tailor...' to 'Smiley's People'. The Honourable Schoolboy is a decent read, but is a little too long and convoluted for my tastes in spy-fiction. On saying that, referring to these books as 'spy fiction' is a bit like saying Graham Greene writes decent thrillers. These books of Le Carre's are elegant, often poetic, as much about the human condition as about the Cold War. Smiley's People is a most satisfying conclusion to the story - the books starts from two seemingly unconnected events and the narrative wonderfully brings things to a conclusion in relative brevity.
I do not actually like George Smiley, retired spy-master. Not the character as written, but the man himself. And being able to make the distinction between the two, I think, is a mark of great writing.
True Spycraft October 7, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In this John le Carre novel we have the final confrontation between George Smiley and Karla, his long time nemesis. This is my first book by the author and I did not feel like I was starting in the middle. So you do not need to read the two that precede it. This is not just a spy novel, but also a well-written book. And the author is able to allow us to have a strong sense of picturing the characters. They are well thought out and three-dimensional.
Our hero George Smiley is brought out of retirement by some antics and death of an old retired contact. And we follow Mr. Smiley as he works to solve the case or close it any way he can. Of course George Smiley does his utmost to solve it. And it is this journey he takes that leads us to his old time foe from the Soviet Union, Karla.
Smiley does not seem like a spy, but his methods, instincts and powers of observations are exceptional. But what any person attuned to his surroundings would have. It is nice to have a normal human hero. One who shoes us his range of emotions and thought process. And the realistic ending. Yes it may seem anticlimactic. But I prefer the realism of it all.
Spy Master Class February 14, 2007
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
I was truly astonished to discover that "Smiley's People" has never been reviewed here. Yes, history has caught up with us, as the Sowjets are no more (is that true, mr. Poetin?), but the Smiley trilogy still stands as Le Carré's finest hour. If you can, read "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and "The Honourable Schoolboy" first, for then "Smiley's People" shines even better, though you may read it on its own merits.
The plot seems simple, but it isn't. It's all about how to catch not a simple little spy - let's say, a 007 type - but a real spy master! Le Carré gives the receipt and even after all those years it is a true masterpiece. For revenge is indeed best enjoyed when cold!
A beautifully poignant conclusion for George Smiley January 9, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Trying to choose John le Carre's finest is hard, but I think this might just be it.
The characters are drawn with le Carre's usual economy and wit. The dialogue is, as ever, outstandingly satisfying. The atmosphere is tense. The story is beautifully paced.
Beyond this, though, is le Carre's wonderful touch in granting George Smiley his triumph - the capture of his arch-enemy Karla - as an empty victory, bereft of moral foundations.
The persistence of George Smiley in drawing (bullying?) his old colleagues out of their enforced retirement and the secret in Karla's life which will undo him show Smiley's dark side in the face of his obsession, and Karla's essential and unavoidable humanity.
A thumping good story and some profound moral questions between two covers.
For me, this is as good as fiction gets.
A complex story told in a clear way! Vive le Carre January 4, 2003
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The final book in the Smiley Versus Karla cycle is told in a clear, entertaining way with a surperb cast and top notch BBC production value.The story: George Smiley is called out of retirement to investigate the death of one of "the Circus's" former agents- right in there own back yard! This one murder starts a ball rolling that can only end with the capture of Karla, the KGB demon, or the utter disgrace of George Smiley. Bernard Hepton returns as Smiley, and I'd settle for no less! Hepton brings to radio's Smiley everything that Sir Alec Guiness brought to the television version. The quality I've always admired about Smiley is the way he is willing to help the very people who have betrayed him throughout his life- which seems to be everyone at one time or another. Hepton is able to portray this quality combined with the wonderful dignity that an honorable man would have. The dramatisation is admirably handled by Rene Basilico. John Fawcett Wilson handles the production with great skill as well. SMILEY'S PEOPLE is a complex story that has been told in an approachable, entertaining way. Let us hope that all of John le Carre's books will be adapted someday.
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