Call for the Dead
by John le Carre
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Book Summary Information
Author: John le CarreEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-10-01
ISBN: 0802714439
Number of pages: 171
Publisher: Walker & Company
Book Reviews of Call for the Dead
Book Review: A well crafted and skillfully told story about an old friend
Summary: 5 Stars
This is John Le Carre's first book, originally published in 1961, and inevitably most of us come to it with a pre-existing sense of the author's importance: Le Carre is one of the finest living writers in the English language. However, if we read it without reference to his later works, "Call for the Dead" is well written and skillfully plotted. The plot is simple, more elegant perhaps than sparse. The characters are also presented in a very clean and careful manner; indeed the hallmark of this short book is its sparse and sharp line. It is an enjoyable read; a well crafted and skillfully told story.
But, of course, it is impossible to disentangle "Call for the Dead" from history and the subsequent literary corpus of this spectacular writer. For those of us acquainted with these later books, "Call for the Dead" is of great interest because right from the beginning we see the ill-at-ease George Smiley absent mindedly polishing his glasses on the lining of his tie. We realize that we are going to know this shy and awkward spymaster, to become intimately involved in his live and his future. It is a strange experience, all the stranger when we realize that our "knowledge" of George Smiley has come only from the creative genius of Le Carre. What a remarkable creation!
It has been suggested that this book might be a suitable first read for someone new to Le Carre. I cannot agree. In itself, this short and well-balanced story will probably NOT make you want to read more Le Carre. However, if you already are acquainted with Le Carre's work, this little book has all of poignancy of a newly discovered and unread journal of a dear friend. You want to read it to see find out more about this person that you have known for so long.
"Call for the Dead" is a pleasant and easy read but, for me at least, it is more significant for casting light on so much that I have subsequently read of Le Carre. I hope that you find this little book as pleasurable as I did, and I suggest that if you are new to Le Carre you try some of his later works ("Smiley's People" of "Honourable Schoolboy") first.
David S-G
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