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Title details for The Secret Pilgrim by John le Carré - Available

The Secret Pilgrim

#8 in series

by John le Carré
Anna Chancellor
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'. The Berlin Wall is down, the Cold War is over, but the world's second oldest profession is very much alive. Smiley accepts an invitation to dine with the eager young men and women of the Circus' latest intake; and over coffee and brandy, by flickering firelight, he beguilingly offers them his personal thoughts on espionage past, present and future. In doing so, he prompts one of his former Circus colleagues into a searching examination of his own eventful secret life. Starring the award-winning Simon Russell Beale as Smiley, and with a distinguished cast including Patrick Malahide as Ned, this engrossing dramatisation brings le Carré's masterful novel vividly to life. 'A radio triumph... Simon Russell Beale's pitch-perfect master spy' - Financial Times.

  • Creators

  • Series

    George Smiley

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    July 1, 2010

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781408402504
      • File size: 81380 KB
      • Duration: 02:49:32

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      John Franklyn-Robbins gives a fully voiced, unabridged performance of THE SECRET PILGRIM, which is, without reservation, worthy of the novel's excellence. Much of the power of Franklyn-Robbins's reading comes from the feeling that he is talking to you alone, providing intimacy through undistorted sound. The recording technique is perfect for the intended tone. He has an excellent vocal range and wonderful voices, and he gives Ned an appropriately worldly, battle-weary voice. Franklyn-Robbins's rendition of the forty-page dialogue between the interrogating Ned and the pathetically lonely Cyril Frewin is a stunning example of how oral interpretation can enhance one's understanding and appreciation of a text. P.W. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Near the end of his own career as a cold-war spy, the narrator invites his mentor, George Smiley, to address his students as they complete their spy training. Seeing Smiley again evokes for him a series of memories, some involving Smiley, all marvelously written vintage le Carré. Loosely linked stories may not have the drive of a coherent long-form narrative, but the device offers different pleasures, allowing for reflection on how the service has changed since Smiley's day, making room for narrative gems that don't fit in a novel but are far too good to waste. Michael Jayston could not be better, giving a wry, elegant wide-ranging performance that brings Smiley, Toby Esterhazy, and many other old friends from the Smiley novels back to vivid life. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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