The Pigeon Tunnel cover art

The Pigeon Tunnel

Stories from My Life

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The Pigeon Tunnel

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

'Out of the secret world I once knew, I have tried to make a theatre for the larger worlds we inhabit. First comes the imagining, then the search for reality. Then back to the imagining, and to the desk where I'm sitting now.'

The Pigeon Tunnel, John le Carré's memoir and his first work of nonfiction, is a thrilling journey into the worlds of his 'secret sharers' - the men and women who inspired some of his most enthralling novels - and a testament to the author's extraordinary engagement with the last half century.

The listener is swept along not just by the chilling winds of the Cold War or by the author's frightening journeys into places of terrible violence but, most importantly, by the author's inimitable voice.

In this astonishing work, we see our world, both public and private, through the eyes of one of this country's greatest writers.

©2016 John le Carré (P)2016 Penguin Audio Art & Literature Authors

Critic Reviews

"No other writer has charted - pitilessly for politicians but thrillingly for readers - the public and secret histories of his times." (Guardian)

"John le Carré is as recognisable a writer as Dickens or Austen." (Financial Times)

"When I was under house arrest I was helped by the books of John le Carré...they were a journey into the wider world.... These were the journeys that made me feel that I was not really cut off from the rest of humankind." (Aung San Suu Kyi)

All stars
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I love John Le carré books and have read and listened to almost all of them and when I stumbled upon this book read by him it made my heart sing to hear him read his autobiography it is absolutely magnificently magical and the story is not like his others stories but is set in a way different to what he has written before I would highly recommend it and I would listen to it again!

Amazing read by the author!

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What’ a life story! This book is packed with great anecdotes from an incredible life. Brilliantly narrated by the writer himself.

What a life story!

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Wonderful narration by le Carre of his fascinating life. A must listen for any le Carre fan.

A remarkable life told in remarkable terms

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Fascinating insight into the life of David Cornwall. He’s telling of the story of his father and his life are absolutely riveting. As I am legally blind I have to say that the quality of the author reading the book was quite fantastic. I recommend it to anybody and everybody

Fascinating, truthful, insightful wonderful memoir

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Incomparable The work of a master story teller spoken with all the skill A writer of an actor at the old vic

A writer, actor,story teller of rare talent & compassion.

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Truly amazing insight to the enigma that is LeCarre
So many formative stories and insights into a time past that means so much to those of us boomers who lived thru it .
I guess the main takeaway for me was that he is living proof that true genius can flourish out of the chaos that was his family and early life.

Now I almost understand !

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What did you like most about The Pigeon Tunnel?

The amusing anecdotes

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ron. JLC's dad was a writer's dream

Have you listened to any of John le Carré’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Can't remember

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Many hilarious and gobsmacking anecdotes

Any additional comments?

Le Carre is obviously a highly damaged character, but we have all benefitted from his angst. He hides it well. Amused that he doesn't think he owes anything to his father.

Exquisite

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Where does The Pigeon Tunnel rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I’m a big le Carre fan so I’m probably a bit biased, but this has definitely been my favourite so far.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Well there aren’t really characters as this is a sort of memoir, but if I had to pick my favourite person from the book it would obviously be le Carre.

Have you listened to any of John le Carré’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I haven’t but I’ll definitely be checking them out. He narrates very naturally and it’s like he’s there with you telling you a story - you can hear him turning the pages as he reads and it was just wonderful.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but only because I wanted to make it last.

Read the book? You’ll love listening to it.

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Written directly from the first person and telling wonderful tales of experiencing the real world, David gives us an insight into the creative process and the reality of intriguing espionage during the Cold War.The fact that he is the narrator and speaks with such eloquent poise lends extraordinary credibility to all of his tales and also his novels. Must listen for all La Carre fans

Extraordinary insight into the man who gave us the finest espionage books ever produced.

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