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Title details for A Perfect Spy by John le Carré - Available

A Perfect Spy

by John le Carré
Full Cast
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Magnus Pym, Counsellor at the British Embassy, is hosting a dinner party at his home in Vienna when he receives an unexpected telephone call that will profoundly affect his life. Once the guests have gone, Pym breaks the news to his wife, Mary: his father, Rick, is dead. In a state of shock, he says something Mary cannot understand - 'After all these years, I'm free.' Magnus flies back to England to attend the funeral - and doesn't return. As Mary and MI6 spymaster Jack Brotherhood desperately try to find out his whereabouts, it soon becomes clear that Pym has been keeping secrets from both his family and his employers, the British Intelligence Service. Hiding out in a remote cottage in Devon, where he goes by the name of Mr Canterbury, Magnus begins to write his memoirs - retracing his rise and fall and revealing how Rick led him step by step into a double life of deception, broken promises and betrayal... This recording, adapted from the John le Carré novel by Rene Basilico, was believed lost from the BBC archive, but was rediscovered after almost twenty years and restored.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    April 1, 2011

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781408481370
      • File size: 113770 KB
      • Duration: 03:57:01

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Magnus Pym, a British spy, disappears to write his memoir after attending his father's funeral, and the Service is looking for him. Much of the story in this BBC Radio adaptation is moved forward through conversation and interviews, a structure that can occasionally make it bog down. Even so, the unfolding reminiscence about the friendship that developed between Pym and an operative from the other side is an interesting one that will hold listeners' interest. The drama is presented as eight half-hour episodes, a format that is suited to listening a section at a time rather than all at once. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Top British intelligence officer Magnus Pym has gone missing. THE PERFECT SPY is two intertwined stories: the race of Pym's handlers to track him down and Pym's chronicled life since childhood, which he is writing while secretly holed up. Michael Jayston's powerful enthusiasm surges throughout as he dramatically portrays the tense, frantic, backtracking spy craft to discover Pym's whereabouts. His narration is also passionate in depicting the emotive forces behind Pym's account of how he became the spy that he is. Jayston masterfully captures the layers of psychological motivations that are le Carré's stock in trade. Jayston has performed many of le Carré's novels, and in A PERFECT SPY both author and narrator are in top form. F.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Taut, intricate, and urbane--this BBC/Scotland radio adaptation captures the sound and feel of the British-grey atmosphere and cold war imagery of John le Carr�'s 1986 masterwork. The story focuses on a spy who seems to be a friend and confidant to all who suddenly disappears. With a tone that moves between hope and a feeling of lost chances, British character actor Julian Rhind-Tutt dives deep into the motivations of the perfect spy--Magnus Pym. The plot twists include a number of flashbacks, so it is left to the wonderfully naturalistic performances by the entire cast to keep the story immediate and grounded. It's not often that a spy novel can be described as heartbreaking, but that's just how close to the bone and well told this spy story is. B.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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