Product Description

George Smiley has become chief of the battered British Secret Service. The betrayals of a Soviet double agent have riddled the spy network. Smiley wants revenge. He chooses his weapon: Jerry Westerby, The Honourable Schoolboy, a passionate lover and a seasoned, reckless secret agent. Westerby is pointed east, to Hong Kong.

So begins the terrifying game ...

His command of detail is staggering, his straightforward, unaffected prose is superb. In short, wonderful value
The Sunday Times

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #145422 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 576 pages

Sunday Times
'His command of detail is staggering, his straightforward, unaffected prose is superb. In short, wonderful value`

Review

'His command of detail is staggering, his straightforward, unaffected prose is superb. In short, wonderful value`

‘Simply the world’s greatest fictional spymaster’

‘Energy, compassion, rich and overwhelming sweep of character and action . . . one of the finest English novels of the seventies’

The Times
‘Energy, compassion, rich and overwhelming sweep of character and action . . . one of the finest English novels of the seventies’

Customer Reviews

A Masterful Story
This is the second of Le Carre's Smiley trilogy. Following the Secret Services uncovering of a Russian mole Smiley is put in charge to rebuild the battered and demoralised service.

We follow the exploits of Gerald Westerbury as he sets out to uncover the destination of $500,000 of funds transferred to a trust account in Hong Kong by the Russians. Jerry has to discover what this money is for.

There is cross and double cross by the main protaginists as there are several stories running in tandem. As Smiley plots he is under pressure from the Americans and the machinations of his own political masters. Does anyone know what is happening or who is planning what?

What is Drake Ho, the Chinese industrialist, up to? Who is Liese Worth? Did Ricardo, a drug running CIA pilot, die in Laos? What is the role of drake's dead brother in everything?

In typical Carre fashion the story is told in the third person, as though reminising after the fact. We are led through the events after they happened. We know that something major is waiting but not what exactly.

The hero of the piece is Westerbury. He is the old school spy, sent in as a journalist and left to run with little support. We see the efforts of a demoralised agency trying to rebuild and inject a new pride.

Another great story from the master of Cold War spying.

The honourable schoolboy - John Le Carré
THS forms number 2 in the Smiley / Karla trilogy - although as any Le Carré reader knows some characters pop up in other stories.
For me this novel is the pinnacle of Le Carré's writing. It's brilliantly constructed. It's undoubtedly a densely packed novel - one friend couldn't manage to read it "because there were too many words". I found and still find it to be a brilliant story, incredibly well written. I've re-read it several times and my current copy, bought sometime in the late 70s, is falling apart through over-use. One reviewer, whose comments are on my copy, states that in his opinion, THS was one of the finest English novels of the 70s. I've always agreed with this. Of the three Smiley/ Karla books THS has been my favourite since I first read it. Many words there may be but how they're put together makes this one of the best novels written in English. For James Bond spy fiction fans this probably is not for you. For those who appreciate brilliant writing then enjoy it.

Honourable Schoolboy
Exciting, complex and fast paced novel. Read it again recently, third time over the years and it has worn very well indeed.
Le Carre is the master in my h.o.