Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carré

I write this latest blog post feeling all (hate to say it) fresh after a day off, having a good old clear out of my room and the weather finally starting to feel a little less icy. And to go with this cozy, warm feeling, I've got another classic novel for you in today's review, John Le Carré's infamous novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. I already know the story having watched the film a few years ago. I remember this vividly, mostly because the person who I saw it with fell asleep halfway through, and I must admit, I wasn't far off myself. It certainly wasn't a film to see in the cinema, but having watched it back, it is rather a good watch.

As I have said before, I'm not one of those people to write off a book if the film/TV adaptation is a load of rubbish. So I thought I would give it a try, having read a few others of his in the past including The Constant Gardener, a book I must admit I struggled with, but did read when I was only 16 or 17, hardly the target audience of the book.

The novel in question focuses on Le Carré's particularly famous character of George Smiley, who appears in one previous novel prior to TTSS (if you don't get the abbreviation, SERIOUSLY) and features in many later novels. We find Smiley has been shunted out of the Circus, a Government intelligence and spy group, after a disastrous exposure of a Czech mission goes seriously wrong.  Le Carré certainly seems to know what he is writing about. The novel is littered with so many references to spying, and sometimes it comes across as extremely complicated. But all I tried to remember whenever Smiiley is talking to someone is think, right a spy has had his cover blown. I found that helped a lot.

We open as Jim Prideaux, ex- Circus who got himself shot during the Czech disaster So with Smiley out of action, and with the order at the Circus completely changed, it soon comes to light that there a mole within the Circus who is leaking information to the Russians. Le Carré weaves an extremely intricate plot which I am not about to explain, and if you get easily confused with names and people telling constant anecdotes, then I really wouldn't advise reading this novel.

Kathy Burke as Connie Sachs

Whislt I did really enjoy this novel, it was hard going sometimes, especially when I was probably reading at the worst times, first thing in the morning and on the train home after a long day at work. You really need to concentrate for this one. I'm sorry I'm not saying much about the book, I think I would start to just confuse myself as well as yourselves if I went too deeply into the novel.... So if you enjoy an extremely clever spy thriller, look no further than this intricate classic. Look out for some great characters too, mostly who I remember from the film too, including Kathy Burke's Connie Sachs, Mark Strong's Jim Prideaux, and of course Gary Oldman Smiley.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is published by Sceptre, an imprint of Hodder and Stoughton, in the UK. 

Dear Lucy by Julia Sarkissian and If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

A real treat for you this week as I will be reviewing the latest two books I've read together. Yes a double whammy of books to read! Too much I hear you scream? Well fear not. I have not just lumped any random two books together. Both of these books I'm about to talk about deal with very similar issues. Whilst they are aimed at different audiences, they are both harrowing stories involving the plights of young girls and women, both with hugely varying effects...

Sometimes I just can't plan these things. But I happened to put these books next to each other without really knowing the real issues that both of the books dealt with. Oh well worked out well for me! I feel a little bit like I am back at university comparing two novels, but do not worry, there will be not a Harvard reference insight.

Dear Lucy, the first of our two female led novels, is told from the perspective of three different women, all at various stages of their life. The main character revolves around Lucy, or Dear Lucy as her mother so affectionately calls her. It is clear from the outset that Lucy has a psychological condition. She seems to hear and see things that others don't, as well as being extremely aggressive towards people when they do not help her. This has led to her being thrown into living with the mysterious Mister and Missus, the latter of who makes up our second perspective, with the third being from Samantha, a girl who is also living with them. It is clear none of them are related. From the very start, the book put me on edge. It was very hard to like any of the characters, and being such strong females, I found it uneasy to relate to any of them. There is a constant sense that everything will be explained, and in dribs and drabs it slowly begins to form. But this takes time. An awfully long time.

The whole idea for the story is extremely unique, with the idea of Mister and Missus running some sort of halfway house for troublesome female children. Missus, whom we later find out can't have children so instead has adopted before, remains until the end far too unexplained and complex. With her back story of the death of her previous adopted child, along with her soon-to-be child courtesy of pregnant teenager Samantha, there is a deep sense of tragedy, but Sarkissian misses the mark with her. As for the other characters, Lucy's parts must be read slowly in order to follow her warped sense of being and thinking, and Samantha's typical tearaway teenager attitude, soon becomes tiresome. There are also some quite unbelievable and forced parts, especially the parts where Lucy roams around on her own talking to the chicken egg foetus (yes you read that right) she carries around in her pocket called Jennifer. Sarkissian, for me, doesn't quite make it sympathetic enough, instead giving Jennifer an annoying quality.

If You Find Me also features some strong female leads, except at a much younger age. At the time of reading it, I didn't even realise that the audience for the book is the young adult market. It was written with such a maturity, and dealt with such serious issues that I didn't even cotton onto the intended audience. The book is told from the viewpoint of Carey, a 15-year- old girl who, at the start of the novel, is fond living in a camper van in the middle of an American National Park with her younger sister. Abandoned by their drug addicted mother for sporadic periods of time, the mother has finally written to the social services who go, along with Carey's father, to discover them in squalid conditions.

At first, Carey is very distrusting of the outsiders, as anyone of her young age would. This is added to even more once we begin to learn details of just exactly her and her half- sister have been through. Having been taken away before she could remember many things, Carey has been raised in a life full of her mothers' lies. Murdoch so well captures this innocence of a teenage girl, as well as her mute half- sister Jenessa. Murdoch plays with dangerous territory when she almost slips into a high school novel when the two girls start school, but manages to keep the serious tone when Carey finally admits to a tragic, yet necessary crime that has been haunting her.

There are so many poignant moments in the book that made my heartache. Having to read the passages about Carey's being used so disgustingly by her mother made me wince, and it is no wonder why her little sister is so scarred she hardly talks. But the story develops into something we all want. Hope. Family. Comfort. It may have been interesting to eventually hear from the mother again, but she is never seen in the present throughout the novels. But this is one very small flaw in Murdoch's brilliant novel.

Whilst I may not have been the target audience for either novel, I found myself looking at both extremely differently. Both deal with terrible situations, as well as coming from almost completely female voices, but even though they are for different audiences, the writing of both is so complex and subtly interwoven into all the tenses, that I eventually enjoyed both. I did struggle with Dear Lucy for awhile, but I didn't put it down, meaning deep, deep down I liked it enough to finish it. The characters are extremely intriguing. As for If You Find Me, I truly sympathised with Carey and Jenessa throughout. Whilst sometimes Murdoch may drag out the transition period for the two girls, it is only realistic that it takes so much time for them to even start to feel comfortable in a normal family environment. I felt guilty, I felt sad, I felt hope. I highly recommend both books if you enjoy books with strong, female roles, dealing with moments in their life that none of them will want to look back on.

Dear Lucy by Julie Sarkissian is published by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK.

If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch is published by Indigo, an imprint of Orion Books in the UK. 

When Did You See Her Last? by Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket is one of those authors who just screams childhood to me. When I was in my younger years, and everyday that is getting further and further away, Snicket was my favourite author. Forget J.K Rowling, Snicket's books were much more my thing. I think I preferred the realism and the sarcasm that he wrote with. I saved up every year to by the latest book in his A Series Of Unfortunate Events series and enjoyed every one of them. Except the last one. What a terrible book that was. It completely ruined the entire series for me, as well as feigning my interest in Snicket. But I will always be thankful for him. He made my interest in reading continue as a young adult, and was the best transition to have from young adult books to the adult world.

A Series Of Unfortunate Events...my childhood in a picture

So due to my feigning interest as I put it, I stopped following him completely. Imagine my delight then to see when I traipsing through another charity box to find a book by him. Seeing his name made me instantly think about laying in bed late (when I should have been asleep) delving into the latest in his prior series. I mean of course I realise I am an adult now, but after reading such a depressing series of books, I decided a bit of nostalgia was highly necessary this week.

Now due the nature of the charity box, I often get stuck reading the second in a series of books, waiting and waiting to get my hands on the first in the series (if I ever get the chance). This is the case here I am afraid, but if I ever get the chance, I shall review book 1 in his brand new series of novels, All The Wrong Questions. Today's blog will look at the second in the series entitled When Did You See Her Last?. A bit of research to get some context due the lacking first novel, I was delighted to discover that Snicket's new series is a prequel to A Series Of Unfortunate Events.

Lemony's latest offering

Reading the first page immediately bought back memories of Snicket's style. The wit was there from the first page. The second novel in the series sees us following Snicket himself in a dying seaside town called Stain'd-by-the-Sea. His brilliance with using names was still there, already giving me a grim impression of this almost abandoned town. Snicket is an apprentice to a police detective investigating the disappearance of a local rich girl. His teacher thinks the case is easily solved, but as expected, Snicket is on the case to show there is so much more to the story. Playing someone of younger age, the characters in the new series do for me what the Baudelaire triplets did in A Series Of Unfortunate Events. They taught me to be intuitive, bright, confident and know that adults aren't always right as they grow up.

Now I don't want to give too much plot away here, but it is typical Snicket. Full of twists and turns, as well as the moments where you think everything is finally going to plan for a spanner to be thrown in the words. It is so comforting to know that there is still a lot of intelligent and witty fiction out there for children, and not just sticker books with One Direction's face on. There were a few parts I didn't quite understand, such as what age Snicket is supposed to be in the novel, but I'm sure all would become clear with the first book. as many of the characters are children in the book, as an adult it was easy to see their innocence and disillusion. But as is typical for Snicket, he gives children a chance to fight for change, even in his sometimes surreal world.

So even if you think you are too old to read him now, don't knock it until you've tried it. There are still plenty of adult themes within the novel, including murder, kidnapping and deception. I couldn't help but feel that it is all building up to an exciting conclusion. Buy this book, even if not for your child or a child you know, buy it for yourself. Snicket hasn't lost it. It may even rouse a child's interest in his previous fiction, something I think was so very important! And to keep my interest as an adult? Well my version of an adult, is something pretty special.

When Did You See Her Last? (book 2 in the All The Wrong Questions series) is published by Little, Brown in the UK. 

Death In August & Death In Florence by Marco Vichi

So not am only am I treating you all to your third review in as many days, but today's review features TWO BOOKS. Yes two whole books for you to potentially enjoy should you by any slim chance, agree or disagree with my ramblings. So here goes...

I have always been quite a fan of the crime genre, not the crap out there by writers such as Martina Cole, Lisa Gardner and Karen Rose, but quality stuff from the likes of Stieg Larsson and Gillian Flynn. But I have gone off it recently, so after reading quite a different variety of books, I thought I would slip back into some crime novels. Searching through the charity books, I discovered two books by Marco Vichi. Both of the titles had 'Death' in the title so that heavily denoted crime. Not only this, but flicking through the blurbs, they are both set in Florence, Italy. One of my favourite cities. The Italian in me (only half a person mind) added them to the bottom of the pile.

Both of these books are from a series of novels featuring the veteran war hero turned policeman Inspector Bordelli. The first novel in the series, Death In August, is our first look at the character of Inspector Bordelli. An extremely complex character, he is the stereotypical Italian man. Can't keep a woman, eats far too much and smokes even more. He is rather unlikable which made the first book extremely difficult to read. The plot centres around the mysterious death of a local rich lady. It is classic Agatha Christie, with plenty of red herrings and a seemingly obvious explanation for everything in the end. There is even the classic big reveal at the end. But Vichi doesn't quite pull it off. It all feels rather rushed and awkward. Perhaps it was just a bad translation. It was the first book in awhile that I nearly didn't bother finishing, the last being one of Martina Cole's latest tripe.

Putting a book distance between the first novel and one of the later books in the series Death In Florence, I was quite reluctant to read it after my previous read. I decided to give it a go and was pleasantly surprised. Being a much longer book, it felt like Vichi had given it more time to play out and not feel as speedy. Centreing on the death of a young boy who is found buried in the woods, there is a much greater sense of plot throughout. There is a passage later in the book that is quite uncomfortable to read, where we learn about the death of a boy, involving a sex game with a group of old Fascists that has been going on for years. But then if no-one wrote about stuff like this, we wouldn't know it happens.

One thing that Vichi does extremely well is surrounding the unlikable Inspector Bordelli with intriguing characters. Many of them are ex- convicts that he has let off, or even an old prostitute he has a close friendship with. It helps to add much more depth to the plot, as well as Bordelli himself, learning about his character through how he interacts with them.

Death In Florence is a much easier read, with many of the Christie cliches stripped away. It almost loses it in the middle of the book when Florence floods and the investigation takes a back seat. Whilst this may be realistic, it only hinders in the storytelling and becomes slightly mundane after awhile. I did read this in the midst of the flooding in Surrey near my house so maybe I was just sick of high tides.

The height of the Florence 1966 floods depicted in Death In Florence

So if you a fan of crime, I would certainly give them a go. The first book is so short that it is almost worth reading just to be introduced the characters, so as to go on and be able to enjoy later books in the series. But did they make me fall in love with crime fiction again? That would have to be a no.

Both of these novels are published by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK. 

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Look at me. Sticking to my promises! Here is my second review in as many days (and get ready for number three tomorrow).

It only occurs to me as I type this in the semi- darkness of my room hunched over my laptop what depressing subjects the books deal with that I have been reading lately. If you care enough to scroll down, you will see my review of The Invention Of Wings, which dealt with the issue of slavery. Tonight's review involves the Holocaust and the Second World War. Such happy, uplifting topics. But as I said yesterday with slavery, it is vitally important people write about these topics so we never forget the suffering that people had to suffer.

I already knew about the story of The Reader having watched the film adaptation of the novels a few years back. But I always find that the original text of any adaptation has an extra spark and atmosphere about it. So as soon as I put this at the bottom of my to read pile, I was looking forward to it. As it is a translated text, I do worry sometimes if something is lost in the English version, but I can't say I even noticed that it was originally written in English.

Kate Winslet in the film adaptation

The Reader is written from the perspective of a 15-year-old boy called Michael Berg. We as the reader (please ignore the intended pun) are thrown straight into the dramatic tension throughout when he runs into Hanna Schmidt when he is taken ill. He later goes back to thank her once he is better. As with many things, one thing leads to another. And so begins their affair. I should just add here how there is a huge age difference between them. So not your typical summer affair story.

Schlink writes with such craft about how they fall into a daily routine of sleeping together, bathing each other and then Michael reading to the illiterate Hanna. This illiteracy later comes to play a vital role in the novel when Hanna is taken to court for her SS past. Obviously back then illiteracy was much more common, but it is scary how in the Western wold, there were still and still are today people who could not even read or write. That means people who can't read and learn about history the way that we can; reading novels such as this.

The novel follows Michael as he grows up, and how their affair effects him at every stage of his life. There is a constant sense of heartbreak throughout, something Schlink seamlessly writes into Michael's narrative. He can't seem to let go of Hanna, she herself being an extremely complex, distant and cold character. But with her background, you could hardly blame her for being as she is. This runs right up to the end, where she eventually kills herself when she is due to be released from prison. In a way, despite being quite an unlikable character, you do feel sympathy for her by the end.

Bernhard Schlink

And of course there is the serious issue of the Holocaust. Schlink brings a new angle to looking at the terrible slaughtering that occurred by looking at the convictions, and personally for me, experiencing looking into the violence of female soldiers running worker camps. I found it extremely uncomfortable to read, especially when she seems to be just as callous throughout, in the way she treats Michael included. The Holocaust is never an easy subject to read about, but Schlink manages such a matter of fact style about it, it makes it that little more horrific. And not just because of the act that Hanna has committed during the war.

Whilst it could be easy to sympathise with Hanna's character due to her illiteracy, her coolness and shrewd attitude give The Reader an air of depression. But I couldn't put it down. Michael's narrative and attachment to Hanna at his young age, along with the constant reminders of the tragedies that have occurred, all bring to the forefront the history of Germany, and how it has effected generations after.

The Reader is published by various publishers. The version I read (above) is published by Orion Books. 

The Invention Of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Now life has been rather busy for the past few weeks. Not that that has stopped me from reading plenty of books mind... I have just become incredibly lazy with writing reviews. But I'm catching up now. So I've already shattered any illusions you may have that I have read a book a day as I will be uploading quite a few reviews this week. I am ashamed for getting so behind! Ahh life...


Last year I read Sue Monk Kidd's first novel The Secret Life Of Bees and thoroughly enjoyed it. The huge best seller was a thrilling look into black oppression in the 1960s and Kidd continues to look at black oppression in her latest novel The Invention Of Wings. We are transported back to the beginning of the 1800s, when slavery was rife in the USA in many areas. Told through a dual narrative from the two main characters, Sarah Gimké, daughter of rich family who own many slaves, and Handful or Hetty, a slave of equal age. Kidd uses this to give us both sides of the story, the guilt that Sarah begins to feel about how er family are slave owners, and Handful's traumatic accounts of slavery from a first hand point of view. Handful is presented to Sarah as a gift on her 10th birthday, immediately bringing to the forefront the sheer ownership that the white population of the time took.

Now this year has seen more spotlight heaped onto the issue of slavery as the success of the film 12 Years A Slave has highlighted the importance of telling these tales of slavery still is. Steve McQueen has said many a time how there are millions still in slavery conditions, a shocking fact that needs to be dealt with radically and quickly. And novels such as Kidd's are equally just as important at reminding everyone of the horrors of slavery, ensuring we never forger how badly we have treated others in the past.

The novel itself is split into different time periods, as we track the two girls growing up, growing closer and growing into women. It was extremely readable but it may have been interesting to hear from some of the other characters in the novel. There are some voices that need a little more detailing, not avoiding the danger of telling a story through just two opinions. There are so many characters that intrigue through Sarah and Handful's narratives that would have been just as fascinating to hear from. Whether it be Handful's runaway mother, constantly stealing things from the white household, or Denmark Vesey, a free slave leading the revolution, or even Sarah's stern mother. So many horrid events occur throughout the novel, whippings, hangings and even something I had never come across before, tying a slave's leg to their neck behind them, choking them if they dare to move. These need the voices of the people who suffered them. Although it is traumatic enough from Handful and Sarah, a little more perspective would have added to it. However, there are some extremely saddening moments from Handful, especially her delight at how much she is commercially valued at by her owner. It should never be how much someone is worth to be sold to make them happy.

Aside from this, I cannot fault this novel. It is certainly a page turner and doesn't get caught up in unnecessary details. The skips in time help to keep it fresh throughout as well, as we get to learn what we have missed in the time that has passed. The thing that I loved about the novel was how it eradicated any stereotype that women did nothing at the time to put a stop to the the evil that was happening around them, much like Patsy from 12 Years A Slave. And imagine my delight when I discovered at the end of the novel, Kidd telling in her author notes that Sarah Gimké was a real- life abolitionist. I don't know where my own stereotype  of this comes from, seeing men argue over whether slavery was right or wrong, as if there ever should have been a question.

Sarah Gimké- remember that name folks

So whilst Sue Monk Kidd may have done good in again not letting us forget about the horrors of slavery, for me she has made me learn about the life of Sarah Gimké, and helped to make me that little less ignorant. It is important that historical figures such as Sarah are more commonly known because I have never heard of her before reading this novel. Kidd so well merges the historical fact with her own flowing fiction, something that is rare to find in today's world. I can only hope a film is made to bring Sarah's story to an even greater audience.

Another review tomorrow folks!


The Invention Of Wings is published by Headline books in the UK.