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Title details for Smiley's People by John le Carré - Available

Smiley's People

#7 in series

by John le Carré
Alex Jennings
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
George Smiley is one of the most brilliantly realised characters in British fiction. Bespectacled, tubby, eternally middle-aged and deceptively ordinary, he has a mind like a steel trap and is said to possess 'the cunning of Satan and the conscience of a virgin'. When a Russian émigré is found murdered on Hampstead Heath, Smiley is called out of retirement to exorcise some Cold War ghosts from his clandestine past. What follows is Smiley the human being at his most vulnerable and Smiley the case officer at his most brilliant; and it takes to a thrilling conclusion his career-long, serpentine battle with the enigmatic and ruthless Russian spymaster Karla... Starring the award-winning Simon Russell Beale as Smiley, and with a distinguished cast including Anna Chancellor, Lindsay Duncan, Maggie Steed, Alex Jennings and Kenneth Cranham, this enthralling dramatisation captures every nuance of le Carré's complex and compelling novel - the final book in John le Carré's Karla trilogy. 'a radio triumph... Simon Russell Beale's pitch-perfect master spy' - Financial Times.

  • Creators

  • Series

    George Smiley

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    May 1, 2010

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781408439920
      • File size: 81326 KB
      • Duration: 02:49:25

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The conclusion to the famous Karla trilogy, in which George Smiley attempts to entrap his Soviet counterpart and settle old scores, is magnificent on audio. John le Carré's absorbing world of spies and espionage is one of human voices--of many nations and emotions--all artfully filtered through his caustic world view. Through the narration of British actor Jayston, layers of interpretive sound collide in fantastic verisimilitude. Jayston captures both sides of Smiley: his obsessive, steely drive to redeem the past and his melancholic musings on the ultimate impossibility of victory in such a contest. His European and Russian dialects are convincing, enhanced as they are by sensitive pacing, clear enunciation and vocal moods so appropriate that the listener enters the text completely. A wonderful performance. P.W. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      The BBC's stunning dramatization of le Carré's works reaches a conclusion with SMILEY'S PEOPLE, the wrap to the trilogy that pits Smiley against Russian superspy Karla. The story begins with the death of the retired spy Vladimir, an event that drags Smiley himself out of retirement and sets him on a journey that will try his wits and will. Simon Russell Beale is nuanced and deft as Smiley, playing a hard and driven spy while revealing through internal monologue his vulnerable and uncertain inner self. Condensing such a rich novel into three hours is no small feat, and the BBC delivers with outstanding richness. A gem of the genre. F.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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