A Legacy of Spies

By: John le Carré

Narrated by: Tom Hollander

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of A Legacy of Spies by John le Carré, read by Tom Hollander.

Chosen as a Book of the Year in The Times Literary Supplement, the Evening Standard, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, The Times

'A brilliant novel of deception, love and trust to join his supreme cannon' Evening Standard

'Vintage le Carré. Immensely clever, breathtaking. Really, not since The Spy Who Came in from the Cold has le Carré exercised his gift as a storyteller so powerfully and to such thrilling effect' John Banville, Guardian

Peter Guillam, former disciple of George Smiley in the British Secret Service, has long retired to Brittany when a letter arrives, summoning him to London. The reason? Cold War ghosts have come back to haunt him. Intelligence operations that were once the toast of the Service are to be dissected by a generation with no memory of the Berlin Wall. Somebody must pay for innocent blood spilt in the name of the greater good . . .

'Utterly engrossing and perfectly pitched. There is only one le Carré. Eloquent, subtle, sublimely paced' Daily Mail

'Splendid, fast-paced, riveting' Andrew Marr, Sunday Times

'Remarkable. Vintage John le Carré. It gives the reader, at long last, pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that have been missing for 54 years. Like wine, le Carré's writing has got richer with age. Don't wait for the paperback' The Times

'Perhaps the most significant novelist of the second half of the 20th century in Britain. He's in the first rank' Ian McEwan

'One of those writers who will be read a century from now' Robert Harris

Critic reviews

He can communicate emotion, from sweating fear to despairing love, with terse and compassionate conviction. Above all, he can tell a tale. Formidable equipment for a rare and disturbing writer

I have re-read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold over and over again since I first encountered it in my teens, just to remind myself how extraordinary a work of fiction can be (Malcolm Gladwell)

He's one of those writers who will be read a century from now (Robert Harris)

The best spy story I have ever read (Graham Greene on The Spy Who Came In From The Cold)

Perhaps the most significant novelist of the second half of the 20th century in Britain. He will have charted our decline and recorded the nature of our bureaucracies like no one else has. He's in the first rank (Ian McEwan)

A literary master for a generation (Observer)

Circus Aficionados Will Love It

Spans the whole life of the Circus, from wartime SOE to the present day. At his literary best, Le Carre recalls his cast of characters, telling new stories and filling in the gaps between the familiar tales. Thrilled me, but only leaves me yearning for more.

I don’t know

Maybe this book is necessary. Years after, it discloses the aftermath of Tinker, Taylor and of The Spy Who Came In… Mund remains as inscrutable as ever.

A foot note to a legacy

The entire novel reads like a wrapping up of a legacy, whether it's John lecarre's or George smiley's is not a mutually exclusive question. A legacy of spies is at stake and Tom Hollander performs rather than just narrate this book as the fans can reminiscence all that has went before.

I would recommend reading 'The spy who came in from the cold' and 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' before reading this book. It's not a necessity but you will be missing the gravity and depth of the story.

An exotically re-embroidered tapestry of memory and moment.

How genius-like to pick up a majestic piece of one's work and then work back into it with such finesse and skill so that the newly worked area appears not only seamless but adds to the brilliance.
Wow.
All the old magic is there beautifully developed into a modern tale where elements such as " what is any of it for?" and " what can an older person make of a committed life"-all elements blended together so movingly.
How powerful the reality is that any series of events in any life, let alone a spy's life, is manipulated by and affected by the jealousy, ambition and thwarted love of others.

Tom Holland settled in and by the end, the brilliant actor that he is, helped to make this an an exemplar for all literary audiobooks.

A great revisit of a smiley classic

with out giving any spoilers, you are far better off if at some time in your dark past, you have read "The spy who came in from the cold".