Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    A Legacy of Spies: A Novel
    Unavailable
    A Legacy of Spies: A Novel
    Unavailable
    A Legacy of Spies: A Novel
    Audiobook8 hours

    A Legacy of Spies: A Novel

    Written by John le Carré

    Narrated by Tom Hollander

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The undisputed master returns with a riveting new book—his first Smiley novel in more than twenty-five years 

    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 scrutinized 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. In a story resonating with tension, humor and moral ambivalence, le Carré and his narrator Peter Guillam present the reader with a legacy of unforgettable characters old and new.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 5, 2017
    ISBN9780525498513
    Unavailable
    A Legacy of Spies: A Novel
    Author

    John le Carré

    John le Carré was born in 1931. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, secured him a worldwide reputation, which was consolidated by the acclaim for his trilogy: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honorable Schoolboy; and Smiley’s People. His novels include The Constant Gardner, The Little Drummer Girl, A Perfect Spy, The Russia House, Our Game, The Tailor of Panama, and Single & Single. He lives in Cornwall, United Kingdom.

    More audiobooks from John Le Carré

    Related to A Legacy of Spies

    Related audiobooks

    Thrillers For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Choice

      Jun 28, 2023

      The Choice
      3 min read

    • Article

      Michael Wood On…

      Nov 25, 2021

      We had a family trip to our local cinema the other week to see the new James Bond film. How nice to be back, however briefly it may be, in “live” cinema. The film, No Time to Die, had gripping action sequences and an engaging emotional plotline, endi

      3 min read

    • Article

      Books Of 2021

      Dec 29, 2021

      Available from amazon.co.uk Bestselling historian Andrew Lownie reveals the dramatic lives of the Windsors post-abdication. This is a story of a Royal shut out by his family and forced into exile; of the Nazi attempts to recruit the Duke to their cau

      3 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Nov 2, 2022

      The Birmingham suburb created by the chocolate manufacturers forms a backdrop to this tale of ordinary folk divided into key events in British history, from VE day in 1945 to 2020. At its heart is Mary Clarke, who progresses from child to grandmother

      2 min read

    • Article

      In 'A Legacy Of Spies,' John Le Carré Goes Back Out In 'The Cold'

      Sep 5, 2017

      Former CIA operative Valerie Plame says pop culture doesn't usually get espionage right — but le Carré comes close. His new novel is a kind of prequel to 1963's The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.

      4 min read

    • Article

      October Fiction

      Sep 19, 2023

      October Fiction
      2 min read

    • Article

      Live And Let Live

      Apr 9, 2020

      Live And Let Live
      12 min read

    • Article

      Gotham City: Year One

      Dec 28, 2022

      Gotham City: Year One
      2 min read

    • Article

      Digging Into Danger

      Sep 26, 2021

      Like an Olympic pole vaulter who raises the bar after already securing the gold, Scottish author Val McDermid continues to push herself to new heights even though she’s well entrenched as a modern queen of the crime genre. after taking her long-runni

      2 min read

    • Article

      It’s Showtime!

      Aug 21, 2022

      It’s Showtime!
      1 min read

    • Article

      3 Page-turners

      Sep 9, 2020

      This is the first of a rollicking wartime trilogy set behind Buckingham Palace gates and while clearly fiction, it plays intriguingly with real life figures and events. It’s London in 1941 and air raids are punching holes in the city. When Major Edga

      1 min read

    • Article

      3 Page-turners

      Sep 9, 2020

      This is the first of a rollicking wartime trilogy set behind Buckingham Palace gates and while clearly fiction, it plays intriguingly with real life figures and events. It’s London in 1941 and air raids are punching holes in the city. When Major Edga

      1 min read

    • Article

      Scotch On The Rocks

      Jan 6, 2022

      BEFORE DAWN ON a freezing morning last winter, Outlander stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, who play soulmates Claire and Jamie Frasier, arrived on set in the rugged Scottish countryside to shoot a heartbreaking scene for the Season 2 finale. The

      3 min read

    • Article

      High-octane Adventures And That Moustache: Magnum PI Is The Perfect Antidote To A Bad Day

      Jun 13, 2023

      Magnum PI is the TV equivalent of a tropical slap in the face. The freewheeling weekly adventure, which ran from 1980 to 1988, swings between postwar espionage and wacky hijinks with a jubilant, almost intoxicating degree of abandon. “No idea is a ba

      3 min read

    • Article

      Once And Future

      Nov 6, 2019

      Once And Future
      1 min read

    • Article

      Bullet Time

      Oct 5, 2022

      Bullet Time
      1 min read

    • Article

      On The Bookshelf

      Dec 17, 2021

      HARDBACK BOOK OF THE MONTH by Simon Beckett Published by Trapeze Price £14.99 Pages 368 ISBN 9781398706903 Firearms police officer Jonah Colley gets a midnight call for help from an old friend. It leads him to Slaughter Quay where, in abandoned wareh

      5 min read

    • Article

      Dracula’s Guests

      Jan 29, 2020

      Dracula’s Guests
      1 min read

    • Article

      Book Club

      Nov 25, 2020

      by Philippa Gregory (£20, HB, Simon & Schuster) In this second book in the Fairmile series, Gregory follows Alinor and her daughter Alys to Restoration London, far from the village accusations of witchcraft that almost killed her 21 years ago. But m

      2 min read

    • Article

      Making A Killing

      Aug 8, 2021

      Making A Killing
      2 min read

    • Article

      BOOKS & PODCASTS

      Sep 28, 2023

      BOOKS & PODCASTS
      2 min read

    • Article

      View To A Thrill

      Sep 1, 2021

      View To A Thrill
      4 min read

    Reviews for A Legacy of Spies

    4/5

    292 ratings30 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Peter Guillam is retired from The Circus and living peacefully on his farm in Brittany when he is summoned to London. The Circus is being sued as a result of a long-ago operation and Peter is being set up to take the fall. Guillam tells the story of Operation Windfall in flashbacks and memos. The plaintiffs are the children of the victims of Windfall, who have little memory of the parents they lost or of the Cold War they were fighting. Peter Guillam is a disciple of George Smiley, and this novel deepens the story told in 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' and 'The Spy Who Came in From the Cold.'
    • 4/5
      A generally satisfying conclusion to the lives and missions of George Smiley and his Circus members, tying up loose ends and completing the loop. Several loopholes in the plot but it's possible to overlook them in the interest of nostalgia. As ever, Le Carre is a master of suspense and writes beautifully. A must-read for fans of the series (Karla's Trilogy, A Spy Who Came In From The Cold), but may not be to everyone's liking.
    • 4/5
      Former British spy Peter Guillam is called out of retirement in France to answer for past operational transgressions, at least the new generation sees them that way. The service is being sued and investigated and his head will be on the block. The story flows back and forth as he reads through cold war files and relives the past, triumphs mixed with painful memories.
    • 4/5
      This might be John Le Carre's last book. After all he is 86 years old; but if it is his last it is a fine ending to a great career.As usual this book involves British spies but the plot is not foiling a modern terrorist scheme. Instead Le Carre takes us back to the Cold War to examine a case in which two British spies were shot in East Berlin near the Berlin Wall. Peter Guillam, now retired on his family farm in Brittany, get called back to London to tell all he knows about the operation called Windfall. The two people who died in East Berlin left children who have now grown up and decided to sue the British government for the wrongful death of their parents. Peter was in on all the details at the time as a confidant of George Smiley. No-one can find Smiley so Peter will have to do. Slowly Peter divulges some of what he knew but he still keeps some secrets out of a sense of duty to Smiley. The people questioning him on behalf of the government know he is not disclosing everything and they are prepared to make him a scapegoat. It's a dilemma.I'm not sure if I completely buy the idea of children, even now that they are adults, having enough leverage to make the British government run scared. However, the rest of the story is vintage spy stuff.
    • 4/5
      While I enjoyed it, and appreciated revisiting with Leamas and Guillam and Smiley, I didn't quite see why he went back for this story as what is perhaps his last novel. It felt a bit anti-climactic. Still, if you're a LeCarre fan it's a must read.
    • 4/5
      If you've not read john Le Carre, then you should probably leave this alone. If you want to get into him with this book, either read "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" or see the excellent Richard Burton movie first. Le Carre's getting old and so are his characters. It's a long time since the Cold War ended and the veterans of that war (the George Smileys and the Peter Guilliams) are not living the lives of revered veterans but are old bitter men, living with the guilt of the things they did in the shadows of that war and wondering what they did those things for. Did their actions bring about the end of the Cold War, the dissolution of Russia, or are they just ineffectual footnotes to history?Guilliam is brought out of retirement back to London to face accusations about the events depicted in "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" and other early Le Carre novels. It seems The Service is being sued by the grown up children of the dead agents and the current Service wants to know what really happened. Le Carre uses Guilliam's memories and old memoranda to try and make sense of it all.I very much liked this book, as I like most of Le Carre's work, but I'm afraid the ending left me puzzled. Not so much because I didn't understand it but because the story didn't really have a resolution. But maybe that's Le Carre is trying to say. For these sad characters who gave their lives, for what, "For England?" as Smiley says, maybe there is no resolution.
    • 5/5
      Peter Guiliam a former British spy now retired in Brittany is summoned back to London by the British Secret Service. They seek to extract from Peter details of a murky operation during the cold war to protect a source. But was he a source or a double agent? The operation ended badly with a British spy and his female companion being shot at the Wall trying to escape. Now the son of the agent and daughter of his companion are threatening to sue the service which would expose all sorts of dirt to the public and ministries.Readers of A Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy will welcome back many characters. A Legacy of Spies fills in a back story of these two novels and shares their moral ambiguity. As usual LeCarre provides sharp portraits of the characters and writes convincingly of spy craft.
    • 2/5
      Two stars with the firm hope that the master is having us on. Because he was good.
    • 4/5
      This novel revisits some of the events of Le Carre's earlier works about George Smiley and the complex operations of British spydom during the Cold War. The legality and morality of the events we may have already read about are called into question by the new bureaucrats in British Intelligence. As a result, Peter Guillam is brought out of retirement to answer for the actions that he and his colleagues participated in.
    • 5/5
      I'd give John LeCarre's 'A Legacy of Spies' 6 stars if I could. The acknowledged master of the genre brings it all home with a novel that ranks among his best. I don't know if he intends it to be his swan song, but if so it's a great one.If you're familiar with LeCarre's 'Smiley' spy thrillers, you'll recognize the characters in 'Legacy', which serves as both a backstory and sequel to 'The Spy Who Came In From the Cold' & 'Tinker, Tailor....'. In Legacy, children of characters killed during an operation depicted in his previous books are suing the British intelligence services and one of Smiley's long-retired lieutenants is called in to London to be debriefed by the current group of spies who view him and the 'old ways' with disdain. He quickly surmises that he's being hung out to dry. He's the narrator.The story of the operation that's under the microscope is told via flashbacks in the form of notes and other written artifacts explained by the narrator. As his debriefing becomes increasingly contentious, he reminisces about his career, actions, other characters, loves, etc., while also plotting how to protect himself and others close to him. It's a great way to tell the story. In the past, I've had problems deciphering the sometimes incomprehensible Brit colloquialisms that LeCarre tends to use, but the artifacts and their explanations are much clearer. What continues to fascinate me about LeCarre's work is his intricate plotting of the 'game within the game within the game....etc.' that Smiley and his group performed. I won't go into how it all turns out, but as with all of his work there isn't shoot 'me up violence, car chases, or explosions at the conclusion . There's an ending that's logical with enough twists and turns to make an experienced reader of his work say 'hmmm' to himself several times. The writing as always is superb, the dialogue as well, the tradecraft spot-on, and the plot inventive and satisfying. It's LeCarre wrapping things up and it's great.
    • 2/5
      I think my Le Carre reading experience might be helpful to you in understanding where I'm coming from re some of my comments below. "A Legacy of Spies" by my count is Le Carre's 25th book; I have read at least 14 of them. My first was "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" in the early 70s. It blew me away - I fell in love with Smiley, with spies, with spy fiction, with MI6, Connie Sacks, Control, Britain. I grabbed "The Honourable (note the "u") Schoolboy" and "Smiley's People" as soon as they hit the bookshelves and devoured them, completing what I refer to as the George Smiley trilogy. George is a minor character in a few other Le Carre's, including the subject one. Somewhere along the line while waiting for "Schoolboy" or "People" I read TSWCIFTC, aka "The Spy Who Came In from the Cold". Most critics hail it as Le Carre's greatest; not me. It's second place but a very, very close second. (and a great movie with Burton as Leamus).Then came "The Little Drummer Girl". What a disappointment! The plot was dull, there was no tension, the protagonist was incredibly uninteresting. Then "A Perfect Spy". Not much better. A lot of critics agree with me about "Drummer" but most were much kinder toward succeeding books. Not me. To me, none of the later books came close to the four mentioned above. But I kept reading Le Carre. Then I skipped a number, came back to him for a few new ones but then didn't read Le Carre again during the five or six years preceding "Legacy", released in September 2017. Why the difference in perception? I think the critics have been heavily swayed over the years by Le Carre's masterful prose. It has always been excellent and I believe it brought him a lot of forgiveness for dull stories. But there was something else that turned me off over the years. Each new book seemed to echo an angrier and crankier Le Carre. His stories grew darker and gloomier. There was a ribbon of these emotions even in the early books, note Leamus's speech to Liz in the closing pages of "Spy Who", but it kept getting heavier and heavier over the years; he seemed mad at the world. And particularly at the USA. Reading Le Carre, I have often wondered if this dates back to WWll years and the beginnings of an emerging superpower and the simultaneous decline of an empire. Perhaps a stretch.I was rather excited about "Legacy" when I first heard of its impending release several weeks ago. I understood it was to be centered around events dealing with "Spy Who" and one of Smiley's team in particular, Peter Guillam. I had some misgivings. I thought "Spy Who" was perfect and I didn't want it tampered with. I had nightmares that it would be another "To Kill A Mockingbird II" or "Gone With the Wind II" and who would want to see that done to yet another classic. The plot is a fairly simple one - the Service is being sued by Leamus's son and by Liz's daughter and is preparing for trial. It is many years after the events of "Spy Who" and many of the involved parties are dead or retired or just missing. Files are gone, some may have been stolen. Peter? Guillam is living in France with a younger woman and her daughter. He receives a letter from his former betters beckoning him back to London. He is interviewed and interviewed. Sometimes he tells the truth. New facts emerge, and there are a number of new twists, small ones. Doubt is cast on Liz's role in the original incident. Why? Peter renews some old acquaintances. He must find George, but who will help him?The story just seems to end. No big climax at the end, not unusual for Le Carre, especially since "Spy Who". I had hoped this might become the fifth great LeCarre story; it isn't. I'm not sure such lawsuits would be heard by a court either in the US or Britain - couldn't find any on the web. More than anything I am curious why Le Carre wrote this story.....But I am thankful for the four books of his I love and have read again and again. They also turned me on to a genre, leading me to many other great authors and books - Robert Littell, Len Deighton, John Lawton among others. He has given me many wonderful moments and I appreciate that.
    • 3/5
      This is not the master's best. In fact, I did not even know how the book ends and I want this clarity. Peter Guillam, who worked with Smiley to bring down Haydon in Tinker, Tailor, is sort of happily retired on his 199 acre farm in Brittany, when he is summoned to London to aid the Circus in defending a lawsuit from Alec Leamas's son and LizGokd's daughter that the circus ended deliberately the lives of spies who were in 'the Spy Who Came in from the Cold. There is a lot of old Circus bullshit and nonsense and Smiley is pissed off big time. At the end of the book i did not care,;ld's
    • 3/5
      A good end to the George smiley stories. Reading previous books of the series is required. The writing is brilliant subtle and creative. The conclusion left me wanting and I wished I got an alternate ending with specific actions.
    • 4/5
      Weaves all the previous books in a fantastic manner, but it does mean you will have to have read them (not a bad thing that). The ending felt somehow disconnected and just too neat with all those perfect resolutions.
    • 5/5
      A master at work.
    • 5/5
      As The Guardian says, "Vintage Le Carré as he ingeniously closes the circle of his long career."
      This is so perfectly le Carré, always so wonderfully written, so deeply sad about us human beings, and so, so moving, too; and mostly.
      What an extraordinary career (I've read practically all of his work), what an unbelievably satisfying read, well into the twilight of that career. Goodness.
      What a writer.
    • 5/5
      What a pleasure to be reunited with all of the wonderful characters of the George Smiley series. Whenever this grandmaster writes about spies, somehow you feel that he's just writing about all of us.
    • 4/5
      A nice, gripping return to form by la Carré, featuring many of our old friends from previous stories. Read in one sitting on a lazy summer afternoon.
    • 3/5
      What a disappointment! Unfortunately yet more evidence of master spy story teller Le Carre's rapidly declining literary powers.Apart from the portrayal of Peter Guillam not a single character is fully fleshed out - some, e.g. who is the "bald man from the multi-coloured volvo" (pages246-249 ) & why is 'Christoph' one moment the "walking four feet behind me, which is where the well taught gunman should be" and a just little walk later the "Christoph was beside me, slouched over the parapet, retching and sobbing in gulps of pain and anger" (page 243-249)?Then there's the complete lack of George Smiley until the denouement (I suppose Le Carre intended it to be though it is so obscure it's hardly worth the read) except he's off in a foreign library & like some grand poseur declaims on what he will or won't do on Guillam's behalf, but there's bugger-all actual explanatory accounting for why the 'Service' & the politically correct 'Legal eagles' have left Smiley out of the loop!Then there's the killing of Alec Leamas & his lady friend - the reasons for Mundt having them killed is clear, but detail on how the East German nasty (despite allegiance to UK) managed to accomplish that at the Wall is totally missing!The above sort of loop-holes in narrative on the characters and episodes drag the whole 'Legacy' into disrepute because it really does not stack up as any type of possible indictment of Peter Guillam for alleged misconduct that either the spurious relatives or the Parliamentarians could build a case around.I gave it 3 Stars because at least in 'Legacy' Le Carre continues that quality of literary vocabulary which was & is a hallmark of the great authors.
    • 5/5
      I loved this. It was everything I hoped for in a new Smiley novel, except maybe not enough of Smiley himself. This is really Peter Guillam's story and a remembrance of the events of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. For fans of le Carre, there's a strong sense of nostalgia in this too-short novel. If you haven't read TSWCIFTC - you need to read that first. It's short, too, and an incredible work of literature in itself. You should probably read Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy first, too, if you haven't already. It's not critical, but there are spoilers for that book in this one, so consider yourself warned. This has left me with a book hangover that I fear only another le Carre novel can cure. Maybe it's time I reread the Smiley novels.
    • 5/5
      „Das Vermächtnis der Spione“ von John le Carré ist ein klassischer Spionageroman aus der Welt der Geheimdienste während der Zeit des Kalten Krieges und nimmt direkten Bezug zu seinem Roman „Der Spion, der aus der Kälte kam“.

      Der Roman beginnt im Jahr 2017. Peter Guillam, der ehemalige Assistent von George Smiley, einem der wichtigsten Spione des „Service“, des britischen Geheimdienstes, ist längst im Ruhestand und lebt auf seinem Bauernhof in der Bretagne. Da erhält er einen Brief aus London, er möge in einer wichtigen Angelegenheit und zum Zweck einer Stellungnahme sofort in die Zentrale des Service nach London kommen.
      Was mit einem höflichen Gespräch beginnt, ist eine versuchte Aufdeckung der Operation Windfall. Damals, im Jahr 1961, war Alec Leamas, ein britischer Meisterspion, zusammen mit seiner Freundin Elizabeth Gold bei einem angeblichen Fluchtversuch vor der Berliner Mauer erschossen worden.
      Auch wenn die Akten leer bis lückenhaft sind, versuchen Bunny und Laura, die Anwälte des Service, Peter Guillam dazu zu bewegen, ihnen die Wahrheit über diese Operation zu erzählen. Guillam war als Assistent von George Smiley in diese Operation mit einbezogen und außerdem war Alec Leamas nicht nur ein Kollege, sondern Peters Freund. Der britischen Regierung droht eine öffentliche Anklage samt Untersuchungsausschuss, veranlasst vom Sohn von Alec Leamas und der Tochter von Liz Gold. Da George Smiley selbst nicht auffindbar ist, soll Peter Guillam als Hauptschuldiger angeklagt werden.
      Wird es gelingen, die in der Vergangenheit begrabene Operation Windfall und die wahren Hintergründe aufzuklären? Was ist damals wirklich geschehen – zu viele Fragen sind noch offen …

      Der Roman „Das Vermächtnis der Spione“ erweckt die Ereignisse der Zeit des Kalten Krieges und insbesondere die Einsätze der britischen Spione in der damaligen DDR nochmals zum Leben. Der Zeitrahmen liegt zwischen 1957 und 1961. Erzählt wird aus Sicht von Peter Guillam in der Ich-Form. Da er natürlich viele Dinge in diesem Geflecht der Geheimdienste, sich konkurrierender Abteilungen und Personen, nicht wissen konnte, werden seine Erinnerungen durch Berichte, Akten, Briefe ergänzt. Dieser Wechsel der Perspektive wird vom Autor gekonnt als Spannungsmittel eingesetzt, aber auch, um viele menschliche Zwischennuancen zu erfassen.

      „Wie weit können wir in der Verteidigung unserer westlichen Werte gehen, ohne diese Werte preiszugeben?" Diese Grundfrage der Menschlichkeit in der grausamen, gefährlichen Welt der Spionage zieht sich durch alle Geschehnisse und Handlungen dieses Romans, der Operation Windfall.

      Dem Autor John le Carré ging es nie darum, nur seine Erfahrungen aus seiner eigenen Zeit beim britischen Geheimdienst in spannende Thriller zu fassen, sondern er ist ein Meister der Zwischentöne, der Hintergründe seiner Geschichten, darauf bedacht, dass die komplexen Zusammenhänge ein realitätsnahes Gesamtbild eines möglichen Vorfalls ergeben. Spione werden hier nicht verherrlicht, sondern folgen ihren Aufträgen, müssen oft improvisieren und sind definitiv keine James-Bond-artigen Helden.


      Der Hauptprotagonist ist diesmal eindeutig Peter Guillam, auch wenn George Smiley, der „rundliche, bebrillte, stets bekümmerte“ Spion, den ganzen Roman hindurch im Hintergrund präsent ist, bzw. durch die Rückblenden, Briefe, Akten, Erinnerungen immer wieder in den Vordergrund geholt wird. Zu Peter Guillam sagt er: „Sie waren ein loyaler Gefolgsmann. Es gehörte nicht zu Ihrem Job zu fragen, warum jeden Morgen die Sonne aufgeht.“
      Das Coverbild weist auf eine weitere Hauptprotagonistin hin, Doris Gamp. Sie lebt in Ostberlin und gibt Informationen an den britischen Geheimdienst weiter, meistens über Peter Guillam. Ihr Codename ist TULIP.
      Die handelnden Personen, sowohl in der Vergangenheit, als auch in der Gegenwart, sind schnörkellos beschrieben und ihre Handlungen sind nachvollziehbar.

      Ganz sicher ein Roman für Leser, die auch schon andere Bücher der Serien um den Spion George Smiley gelesen haben. Auf Grund der sich ohnedies aus den Rückblenden ergebenden Handlung kann „Das Vermächtnis der Spione“ natürlich auch von am Genre Spionage und Kalter Krieg Interessierten gelesen werden, die noch keinen anderen Roman von John le Carré kennen. Meiner Meinung nach sollte man jedoch zumindest „Der Spion, der aus der Kälte kam“ vorher lesen, einerseits um schneller mit der Geschichte vertraut zu werden, andererseits, weil diese völlig andere Sichtweise der damaligen Ereignisse dieses neue, finale Buch der Serie noch interessanter macht.

    • 4/5
      Legacy of Spies, John le Carré, author; Tom Hollander, narrator.If you like the writing style of David Cornwell, better known as John le Carré, this book is worth the read. It is a well organized exposé of a past espionage operation, that was a thriller, rather than this novel actually being the thriller. This novel, instead, is about a case that took place about half a century before, in the life of the now aged and retired, George Smiley, a legend in the British Secret Service, and his protégé, Peter (Pierre) Guillam who is also now retired. The novel makes use of the author’s exceptional research over his lifetime. John le Carré is now in the second half of his eighth decade on this earth. In his excellent prose, he presents a rather detailed description of the spy craft that is involved in an action, as well as the necessary cover-ups used when not all goes according to plan. Some are rather cold-blooded. The risks and rewards of working for The Office are shared in all the glory and gloom of the results.“The Office” or The Circus” as the world of British “spydom” is also known, is inhabited by a variety of characters that are recruited in a variety of ways. Some are sought for their expertise, some for their appearance, some for their gender. Peter recruits spies. There are a great number in the book, and sometimes, keeping track of each is difficult. I hope the print book lists them.Basically, this is the story of an operation called Windfall that was headed up by a man, code name, Mayflower and run by The Control. George Smiley, a spymaster of past fame in le Carré’s books, moved all these people around like chess pieces. He was a brilliant planner. On this case, he made use of Peter, who was willing to do anything necessary for G-d, his country, and George Smiley. He also loved his women.When it appeared that the Windfall operation was compromised, and agents were in danger, a cover-up was launched. The details of Windfall remained hidden for decades until the survivors of some of the agents who lost their lives, started asking questions and demanding fuller answers. Eventually, they threatened to sue and prepared a law suit. Peter was called in and questioned relentlessly. He was unable to locate George Smiley. Would he be the sacrificial lamb used to protect the overall image of the Service in these changing times when everyone and everything was suspect instead of sacrosanct as it had been in the past? At the time of the operation in question, Peter was a young man who had been sowing a lot of wild oats, not necessarily attesting to a man of great character. Could all the events be spun to make him the villain?It is a fascinating story of the inner workings of the British Spy Service complete with its protocols, cover-up efforts, debriefings, damage control, safe houses, and tactics. As it exposes betrayals and loss of life, it illustrates the sacrifices of those left behind as they pick up the pieces of their lives. It is not only the agent that does his/her part. The family suffers with them. As the novel exposes the methods, lies and manipulation used to get people involved in this business, it also illustrates how expendable a spy becomes when compromised or when rash decisions are made like disobeying orders, regardless of the reason. The larger picture was always considered greater than the life of the spy. Because the story covers Russian efforts to recruit spies and double agents, which is in the news today, it is really timely.Tom Hollander, the narrator of this book, did a fantastic job making what could have been dull, lengthy descriptions far more fascinating than tedious.
    • 4/5
      In a series of eight previous books, John le Carré created a world of spies who fought the Cold War with grit, determination, an occasional lapse of morals, and a genuine regret for those lapses. He also created a wonderful cast of characters, most especially George Smiley, but quite a few others who populate Britain’s “Circus,” the Directorate of Military Intelligence or MI6, analogous to the U.S. CIA. Le Carré's ninth book in the series, A Legacy of Spies, is no disappointment.Le Carré’s reputation was made with The Spy Who Came in from the Cold in 1963. This latest book is something of a retelling of the earlier work, but from the point of view of Peter Guillam, Smiley’s faithful assistant. In fact, the second book is set several decades later than The Spy. The British government is being sued by the descendants of the agents who were sent to their deaths in the earlier book. Guillam is a reluctant witness to the events that are the basis of the lawsuit. Le Carré cleverly lets Guillam tell the reader what he says to attorneys for the plaintiffs and for the government, but he often does not tell the truth. George Smiley appears only briefly, but his reputation and aura linger in the background throughout the story. Perhaps Smiley should not play too important a role because if the author were entirely consistent with his earlier works Smiley would be about 113 years old! Evaluation: Le Carré is a master of English prose, and even though this is a spy novel, it is also excellent literature. (JAB)
    • 4/5
      The legacy of the Cold War (only the Cold War?): after 40 or more years the past catches up with Smiley’s ’loyal foot soldier’ Peter. The aim justifies the means. Collateral damage? To be regretted, surely, but thats how it is. - The seediness of it all. Was it worth it? And for what?I preferred this book over the two by le Carré I remember well: Constant Gardener & Absolute Friends. (XII-17)
    • 3/5
      The most impressive aspect is the self-examination, described late in the story. Was all the effort poured into Cold War intelligence work worth it? Did it stop wars? Did we do it because they did? Or was it a case of politicians wanting to thin they are “one up” on the other fellow? And his European outlook is so refreshing. Reminds me of the heyday of Robert Maxwell’s newspaper, The European”. Maxwell’s story is somehow akin to the world of Mr. Smiley, but will probably never be told. What’s all this guff about him not being an ‘artist’ and ‘at its best, operates at a high literary level?’ When is the poor man to be rid of snarky comments? Possibly the best policy is to have a journalist review him, rather than the rat pack of other, less successful, writers. Le Carré has earned the right to be gloriously appreciated without the endlessly snide bollocks debate about genre writing. Is there any clue as the year in which this book is set? Because if it is set in 2017 (or thereabouts) George Smiley would be well over 100. It is clear from Le Carré’s earliest novels that Smiley had left “his unimpressive school” in the 1920s and been recruited, while at his “unimpressive Oxford College” by the “Overseas Committee for Academic Research” on “a sweet July morning in 1928.” As such I’d be expecting George to be celebrating his 110th birthday about now. Perhaps Peter Guillam, who must be well into his 80s, merely imagined his old colleague – the way old people have conversations with the dearly departed dead, because they seem more real than those who are left alive. Le Carré employs two layers of flashback to get us into the appropriate time period. If you’re into Spy Fiction. read the rest of this review on my blog.
    • 4/5
      Wonderfully written with a typical Le Carré convoluted narrative. But great to revisit old friends from the Circus.
    • 5/5
      Le Carré is 85 and appears to be at the height of his powers. Amazing.While this novel is set 50 years after The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (I think...when this novel takes place is hazy...I think it's present day, but that would make Smiley over 100 in his cameo), it is the finest prequel I've ever read. Le Carré effortlessly weaves new details into an old story, every new idea works perfectly, and I think he manages to give a handful of old spies their humanity back in some small way.
    • 5/5
      Loved, loved, loved, loved, loved.(Adviso: don´t read unless you´ve read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, & Tinker, Tailor.)
    • 5/5
      John le Carre is widely acknowledged as one of the best writers of spy fiction, though I feel that this rather misses the point. He is, quite simply, one of the finest novelists, in any genre. His ability to create a cast of entirely plausible characters engaged in intricate yet utterly credible plots seems limitless. In this latest novel, much heralded by critics and press, he returns to some of his most enduring and popular characters. A Legacy of Spies is narrated by Peter Guillam, George Smiley’s right hand man from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which is, after all, possibly the greatest spy story of them all. Le Carre’s insights into the secret world are as sharp and comprehensive as ever, and the story gleams with his instantly recognisable, though never successfully imitated, dialogue, and a smattering of his socially dysfunctional characters. I presume that the author must now be well into his eighties, but his observations remain as sharp as ever, and while there is an air of nostalgia throughout the book, his setting utterly contemporary. Now retired and living off his pension on his family’s small farm holding in Brittany, Guillam is surprised to be contacted by his former employers and summoned to London. The contemporary Secret Service has grown sensitive to changing attitudes among both their political masters and the general public, and finds itself operating in a culture in which the Freedom of Information Act, and intense media scrutiny are key factors. In this climate, the Service now finds itself the subject of a civil action arising from the ‘collateral damage’ of an operation it mounted some forty years ago. Being one of the few principal characters still around and contactable, Guillam seems to be prime candidate to be scapegoat.As a civil servant myself, I recognise the prevailing official view that, if something isn’t documented in the case files, then (officially) it didn’t happen. Guillam is persuaded to read through the (significantly filleted) files covering a couple of old operations, and is grilled, in Devil’s Advocate mode, by the Service’s lawyers. Having embarked upon this exercise, Guillam is overwhelmed with his own memories of the operations under review, many of which are markedly in conflict with the official version as recounted by the files. His memories flit around a host of characters that have featured in previous novels, and there are many engaging vignettes and fleeting references that will chime with the attentive reader (Guillam’s former flautist lover, for example). There is, however, no requirement to have read any of the earlier books. This operates perfectly well as a standalone novel, as well as being a companion volume to the earlier novels featuring George Smiley. Indeed, I am almost now seriously considering going back to reread the whole Smiley canon.Another dazzling work from an author who is still at the top of his game, more than fifty years after his first astounding successes.
    • 5/5
      There is one word to describe John Le Carre’s book, A LEGACY OF SPIES. That word is PERFECTION.An extra, added bonus was that as I read, I kept referring to the recent movie, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. It was very satisfying to read A LEGACY OF SPIES and have the character’s images be present in my mind - a 3-D book.