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A Legacy of Spies

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A Legacy of Spies

By: John le Carré
Narrated by: Tom Hollander
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About this listen

Penguin presents the unabridged downloadable audiobook edition of A Legacy of Spies by John le Carré, read by Tom Hollander. This is the first novel in over 25 years to feature George Smiley, le Carré's most beloved character.

Peter Guillam, staunch colleague and disciple of George Smiley of the British Secret Service, otherwise known as the Circus, is living out his old age on the family farmstead on the south coast of Brittany when a letter from his old Service summons him to London. The reason? His Cold War past has come back to claim him. Intelligence operations that were once the toast of secret London and involved such characters as Alec Leamas, Jim Prideaux, George Smiley and Peter Guillam himself are to be scrutinised under disturbing criteria by a generation with no memory of the Cold War and no patience with its justifications.

Interweaving past with present so that each may tell its own intense story, John le Carré has spun a single plot as ingenious and thrilling as the two predecessors on which it looks back: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

©2017 John le Carré (P)2017 Penguin Audio Action & Adventure Crime Fiction Espionage Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Military Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Political Psychological Spies & Politics Suspense Thriller & Suspense War & Military Exciting Crime Thriller England Law
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Legacy of spies

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Very well written, as one expects from Le Carre, and a welcome return of some well known characters. The book gives interesting depth to the character of Peter Guillam. However, the modern day spies are drawn fairly harshly and are a bit caricatured.

The narration is excellent.

Excellent Reprise of Cold War Characters

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Always a masterful story with Le Carre. You are there with him on every page.

Up to standard

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A cutting , sad but inciteful insight into the murky world of the smiley era ,and of its many victims but also of the shining light eminating from those who refused to be totally drawn into the quagmire .

I had really never given much serious thought from my totally isolated antipodean viewpoint to anyone actively being a post WW2 Europeanist . This to me was perhaps finally the lost part of the jigsaw for understanding the justification and motivation behind the whole thing .

We maybe had a window of chance with Russia post glasnost Gorby but methinks that bird has well and truly flown now plus Brexit and so we wait for perhaps another George to try to fit the pieces together once more .

I wish there could be more books like it

Another le Carre masterpiece

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I like John Le Carre books but Tom Hollander’s reading truly brings them to life .

Perfect !

Tim Hollander - Brilliant reader

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Hollander is brilliant and interprets Carre with the correct cool distain and intelligence. A wonderful catch up with dear Peter and George.

Excellent narration

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Read so well, what an absolute talent. Thank you sir. Smiley still holding my awe despite it all.

Loved this in so many ways

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I like Tom Hollander, and it's not his fault that he isn't Michael Jayston... But he isn't Michael Jayston. It would have been so fitting had Jayston been able to complete his Le Carre narrations with this one, coming full circle to play Guillam once more, but it wasn't to be.

Overall, a nice call back to the old days, and we'll read by Hollander. The end was a bit abrupt.

A nice wrap to the Smiley/Guillam stories

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Le Carre still at his best. A beautiful... swan song... to Smiley and Guillam(?) and a Secret Service as it used to be. Tom Hollander is pitch perfect throughout.

outstanding

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Tom Hollander is just perfect as the narrator. He brings the book to life. A joy to listen to.

Brilliant narration.

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