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A Private Spy
- The Letters of John le Carré
- Narrated by: David Harewood, Florence Pugh
- Length: 16 hrs and 4 mins
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More Please
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Publisher's summary
An archive of letters written by the late John le Carré, giving listeners access to the intimate thoughts of one of the greatest writers of our time
The never-before-seen correspondence of John le Carré, one of the most important novelists of our generation, is collected in this beautiful volume. During his lifetime, le Carré wrote numerous letters to writers, spies, politicians, artists, actors and public figures. This collection is a treasure trove, revealing the late author's humor, generosity, and wit—a side of him many listeners have not previously seen.
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This is the story of a close, loving family splintered by the violent ideologies of Europe between the wars. Jessica was a Communist; Debo became the Duchess of Devonshire; Nancy was one of the best-selling novelists of her day; the ethereally beautiful Diana was the most hated woman in England; and Unity Valkyrie, born in Swastika, Alaska, would become obsessed with Adolf Hitler.
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Great story, terrible reader
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Becoming Duchess Goldblatt
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Becoming Duchess Goldblatt is two stories: that of the reclusive real-life writer who created a fictional character out of loneliness and thin air, and that of the magical Duchess Goldblatt herself, a bright light in the darkness of social media. Fans around the world are drawn to Her Grace's voice, her wit, her life-affirming love for all humanity, and the fun and friendship of the community that's sprung up around her.
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Oh Dear Duchess!
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By: anonymous
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Empire of Self
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The product of 30 years of friendship and conversation, Jay Parini's Empire of Self probes behind the glittering surface of Gore Vidal's colorful life to reveal the complex emotional and sexual truth underlying his celebrity-strewn life. But there is plenty of glittering surface as well - a virtual who's who of the American Century, from Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart through the Kennedys, Princess Margaret, and the creme de la creme of Hollywood.
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Well done!
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By: Jay Parini
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Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story
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David Foster Wallace was the leading literary light of his generation, a man who not only captivated readers with his prose but also mesmerized them with his brilliant mind. In this, the first biography of the writer, D. T. Max sets out to chart Wallace’s tormented, anguished, and often triumphant battle to succeed as a novelist as he fights off depression and addiction to emerge with his masterpiece, Infinite Jest.
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Max avoids hagiography or a sycophant's biography
- By Darwin8u on 06-11-13
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Charlotte Brontë
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Charlotte Brontë's life contained all the drama and tragedy of the great Gothic novels it inspired. Like Jane Eyre, she was raised motherless on remote Yorkshire moors and sent away to a brutally strict boarding school at a young age. Charlotte grew up and watched helplessly as, one by one, her five beloved siblings sickened and died; by the end of her short life, she was the only child of the Brontë clan remaining.
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Clear-Eyed Bio of Literature's Most Elusive Figure
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Gathering Blossoms Under Fire
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From National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Alice Walker and edited by critic and writer Valerie Boyd, comes an unprecedented compilation of Walker’s fifty years of journals drawing an intimate portrait of her development over five decades as an artist, human rights and women’s activist, and intellectual.
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A must-read for any creative artist!!
- By amazonluver on 04-30-22
By: Alice Walker, and others
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The Bookseller's Secret
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In 1942, London, Nancy Mitford is worried about more than air raids and German spies. Still recovering from a devastating loss, the once sparkling Bright Young Thing is estranged from her husband, her allowance has been cut, and she’s given up her writing career. On top of this, her five beautiful but infamous sisters continue making headlines with their controversial politics. Eager for distraction and desperate for income, Nancy jumps at the chance to manage the Heywood Hill bookshop while the owner is away at war.
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Absolutely adored
- By Ignatius Jay on 08-26-21
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When Lucy Mangan was little, stories were everything. They opened up new worlds and cast light on all the complexities she encountered in this one. She was whisked away to Narnia and Kirrin Island and Wonderland. She ventured down rabbit holes and womble burrows into midnight gardens and chocolate factories. She wandered the countryside with Milly-Molly-Mandy and played by the tracks with the Railway Children.
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I love this!
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Fall
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In February 1991, Robert Maxwell triumphantly sailed into Manhattan harbor on his yacht, the Lady Ghislaine, to buy the ailing New York Daily News. Taxi drivers stopped their cabs to shake his hand, children asked for his autograph, and patrons of the hottest restaurant in Manhattan gave him a standing ovation while he dined. Ten months later, Maxwell disappeared off that same yacht in the middle of the night and was later found dead in the water. As John Preston reveals in this revealing biography, Maxwell’s death was as mysterious as his remarkable life.
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Don't make men like this anymore
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Mark Twain: Man in White
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Pulitzer Prize finalist Michael Shelden illuminates Mark Twain’s twilight years in this brilliant account of the legendary author’s life. Drawing heavily on Twain’s own letters and journals, Mark Twain: Man in White recounts both Twain’s private family experiences and his larger-than-life public image.
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Fantastic book
- By Tad Davis on 08-23-10
By: Michael Shelden
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What listeners say about A Private Spy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- LGLH
- 05-05-23
Letters As Interesting As His Books
A correspondence that reveals a complicated man whose life from childhood on was as layered as an onion. Harewood and Pugh do a terrific job, with his interpretation maintaining a credible tone that adds enormously to the book's mood and her dating and occasional input providing emphasis points that keep the thread comprehensible. Particularly interesting, I think, for writers, as he offers not only tidbits of advice re the craft throughout but also provides an excellent example of how to function as a highly successful author.
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- Tom Greaves - gmail
- 10-31-23
Compelling listen with some annoying flaws
I finished it and was happy to spend the time with a favorite author.
Would someone please teach David Harewood how to pronounce et cetera? His rendering grated on me. My dread was not relieved until the book ended.
The insistence on reading the same addresses over and over wore me down. Could we not abbreviate to Tregiffian, Cornwall or Gainsborough Gardens, London?
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1 person found this helpful
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- William B. Manion
- 02-10-23
Increased appreciation for the author
As a fan of spy genre, I appreciated much but not all of his work. But after this book of his letters, an amazing, candid look at the real human behind the writings, my appreciation jumped from 75% to 95% plus. A real person, not a character from entitled aristocracy playing with people’s lives. Puts a human perspective on historical events.
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- R. Miklich
- 03-06-24
A wonderful poignant insight to a remarkable man.
I love and have read many of his novels but this collection of his letters brings into focus the inner brilliance of the man. Pity some many of his letters were lost but this collection is a treasure for those who admire this man.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Pamela
- 12-21-22
Quiet, Dignified, & Articulate
I really felt I was peering over the shoulder of le Carré. These letters shine a light into the thoughts of an author I have treasured for decades (as is substantiated by my bookshelves.) I don’t care to know about the “messiness” of his private life, as he describes it, and I am well aware of the limitations he honored regarding his career with MI-6. I am interested in what interested him, what gave him joy, how he felt about his books and career. A Private Spy gives me all that and more. It is a tribute and one well earned.
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- Dan
- 01-31-23
Truly engrossing from start to finish
Loved this book. David Harewood's reading was so convincing that I'd have sworn it was read by the author. I was never a fan of "spy vs spy" novels, but I've always loved "The letters of whomever" books. This did not disappoint. I recently enjoyed "The Leonard Bernstein Letters", a wonderful book, and "A Private Spy" was equally delightful. I am puzzled by one thing, tho'. With the accent on the last syllable of Carre', I always seemed to hear Ka'-ray. Go figure. While I'm sure Audible would prefer we not get political, I must say that what was said about our former president will endear Carre' to me forever.
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- Reckoning
- 12-29-22
Loved, but I’m a big fan
I loved collection of gorgeous, mellifluous British prose. David Cornwell is a letter writer’s letter writer. If you are like me—a geeky, literary Anglophile—you will adore it.
I’d advise casual readers of it le Carré‘s work to read more of them. But if you are an especial deep-dive fan, get this book and savor.
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- Christian M. Talbot
- 02-21-23
Wonderful coda to le Carré’s novels
If you’re a fan of le Carré’s novels, then you will love this inside look at his private life.
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- Marion
- 01-18-23
Terrible narrator
Reading David Cornwell's youthful letters, the narrator sounds 200 years old. After that, he just sounds sort of dumpy and unshaven. (Michael Jayston was the perfect narrator for LeCarre's books, as good as LeCarre himself.) I couldn't get past the first couple of hours, so it will have to be the print edition for me.
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