A magnificent thriller, a celbration of courage, a novel of hope for our time.
A classic from the Master.
The case of the reluctant spy. And why not? Hes just another Joe, recruited because he moves in certain business circles.
For lovers of John Le Carre's works, one of the best! He combines the thrill of the best spy novel with real-life characters with whom the reader becomes emotionally involved.
From the cover....New York Times Book Review
"An exciting spy story, which is at the same time a lively international comedy...A well-informed, up-to-minute political parable, incisive and instructive...rich poignant and fascinating."
"An exciting spy story, which is at the same time a lively international comedy...A well-informed, up-to-minute political parable, incisive and instructive...rich poignant and fascinating."
On the book jacket:
A mysterious manuscript purporting to prove the Soviet defense system is unworkable is smuggled out of Moscow. It was intended for a flaky English publisher, a womanizing saxophone-playing boozer, but the smuggler has turned it over to British intelligence. In order to prove its authenticity, they recruit the publisher as an amateur spy and send him to Moscow to reestablish contact with the author. But the "truth" Barley Blair finds there is love and a purpose for his shambles of a life. As always with le Carre, this is a compelling spy story, a marvelous entertainment that is also as intelligent, witty, and brooding as many more self-consciously and less satisfying literary novels. It may not be the equal of The Quest for Karla trilogy or of a A Perfect Spy but it bears all the marks of a master, of the man who has both redefined and reanimated the espionage genre.
BOMC main selection.
- Charles Michaud, Turner Free Lib., Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
A mysterious manuscript purporting to prove the Soviet defense system is unworkable is smuggled out of Moscow. It was intended for a flaky English publisher, a womanizing saxophone-playing boozer, but the smuggler has turned it over to British intelligence. In order to prove its authenticity, they recruit the publisher as an amateur spy and send him to Moscow to reestablish contact with the author. But the "truth" Barley Blair finds there is love and a purpose for his shambles of a life. As always with le Carre, this is a compelling spy story, a marvelous entertainment that is also as intelligent, witty, and brooding as many more self-consciously and less satisfying literary novels. It may not be the equal of The Quest for Karla trilogy or of a A Perfect Spy but it bears all the marks of a master, of the man who has both redefined and reanimated the espionage genre.
BOMC main selection.
- Charles Michaud, Turner Free Lib., Randolph, Mass.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
In John's usual triller till the end. Don't cheat and skip to the end.
John le Carre has earned worldwide acclaim with extraordinary spy novels, including THE RUSSIA HOUSE, an unequivocal classic. Navigating readers through the shadow worlds of international espionage with critical knowledge culled from his years in British Intelligence, le Carre tracks the dark and devastating trail of a document that could profoundly alter the course of world events.
In Moscow, a sheaf of military secrets changes hands. If it arrives at its destination, and if its import is understood, the consequences could be cataclysmic. Along the way it has an exploisive impact on the lives of three people: a Soviet physicist burdened with secrets; a beautiful young Russian woman to whom the papers are entrusted; and Barley Blair, a bewildered English publisher pressed into service by British Intelligence to ferret out the document's source. a magnificent story of love, betrayal, and courage, THE RUSSIA HOUSE catches history in the act. For as the Iron Curtain begins to rust and crumble, Blair is left to sound a battle cry that may fall on deaf ears."
In Moscow, a sheaf of military secrets changes hands. If it arrives at its destination, and if its import is understood, the consequences could be cataclysmic. Along the way it has an exploisive impact on the lives of three people: a Soviet physicist burdened with secrets; a beautiful young Russian woman to whom the papers are entrusted; and Barley Blair, a bewildered English publisher pressed into service by British Intelligence to ferret out the document's source. a magnificent story of love, betrayal, and courage, THE RUSSIA HOUSE catches history in the act. For as the Iron Curtain begins to rust and crumble, Blair is left to sound a battle cry that may fall on deaf ears."
Great story, great characters, interesting setting . . . what more could you ask for? A perpetually drunk literary agent at a trade show in Russia gets handed more than he bargained for -- state secrets.
