Smiley's People

A George Smiley Novel

By: John le Carré

Narrated by: Michael Jayston

Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Tell Max that it concerns the Sandman....

A very junior agent answers Vladimir's call, but it could have been the Chief of the Circus himself. No one at the British Secret Service considers the old spy to be anything except a senile has-been who can't give up the game - until he's shot in the face at point-blank range. Although George Smiley (code-name: Max) is officially retired, he's summoned to identify the body now bearing Moscow Centre's bloody imprimatur. As he works to unearth his friend's fatal secrets, Smiley heads inexorably toward one final reckoning with Karla - his "dark grail".

In Smiley's People, master storyteller John le Carré brings his acclaimed Karla trilogy to its unforgettable, spellbinding conclusion.

©1980 John le Carré (P)2011 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"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.... Through the narration of British actor Jayston, layers of interpretive sound collide in fantastic verisimilitude.... 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." (AudioFile)

Great Trilogy, flawed Author

Ok… this will be only my 2nd full reading of SP. The 1st time was close to 40 years ago when I was barely 20. I read it right after TTSS, the masterful 1st part of the Smiley Karla trilogy.
It wasn’t until last year, 2022, that I finally read the middle book, AHS. After that 1st read I decided I would re-read TT, then the other two in quick succession. So, I have just finished the trilogy with SP.
You might guess, that, I would be a fan of David Cornwell, and, you would be right.

He’s (was, that is) a tremendous writing talent and story creator with a sublime ability to turn words into memorable masterpieces.
Many of the phrases from both TTSS and SP have stuck with me for all these decades and have played some part in making me who I am today.
..but, as I read these books in recent days, a couple of notions come to mind that I missed back in the dark ages of the 70’s & 80’s:
1) What a flaming misogynist DC was. Yes, a lot of that can be attributed to his generation and his upbringing, but, it is what it is. He paints all of the women in his books, even his heroines, as silly, brainless nincompoops having the discretion of alley cats.
2)He’s a dyed in the wool racist. But his brand of racism extends to caucasians as well. Pretty much anyone who isn’t white, English, upper class is a pathetic POS worthy of pity at best but unworthy of respect regardless.

Well, we must separate the art from the artist… otherwise… there’d be precious little art in this world to enjoy.

Cheers…!

Le Carre is a master of the spy novel.

John Le Carre in the style of a spy story tells a multifaceted allegory of the human struggle between good and evil. It is extremely well written. The characters are classic and the drama is Shakespearean. It is some of the best writing of the twentieth century.

Superbly done.

The penultimate Cold War fable performed by a man who exceeded all of my expectations. Truly, they couldn’t have found anyone better to narrate this novel. Well done!

superb suspense

Often overlooked because his plots are so intricate and intriguing, Le Carre is a great writer

Like a movie for the ears

John Le Carré comes as close to true life as anyone else. He has the gift of detail that makes you feel like you’re there and the narration by Michael Jayston is absolutely wonderful.

Suitable ending, and superb

Karla has degraded his agency, embarrassed his country, and destroyed his marriage. Smiley now has a chance at revenge - but revenge requires resorting to the tactics of his enemy. Is it worth to cost? Expertly written as always and brilliant.

The penultimate story of man I’ve strives to be

George Smiley is, without reproach the essence of all literary characters that I modelled myself after … The quiet, seemingly innocuous little man that sits, dominating the room, absorbing everything, knowing the answers and all the angles, yet only voicing questions when absolutely necessary that often nobody understands the significance till hindsight bestows 20/20 clarity. This story is, beyond doubt the finest example of that prowess. And a ponderous, insightful, conclusion to Le Carré’s Karla Trilogy; because, more than the preceding two, it demonstrates the brilliance with which Smiley deftly, and meticulously, negotiates the world of the Cold War. The only thing that must be overlooked, is that, at the time it was written, the conflict was perceived to be ending.
… and, as footnote though it should not be overlooked, Jayston gives a masterful voice to the silent perplexity of Smiley’s inner mantas.

One of the Best Spy Novels

The storyline follows George Smiley’s final encounter with his nemesis, Karla. Michael Jayston’s performance is poignant and sharp. Le Carré’s style is evocative of the greatest era of the Spy - a masterful conclusion of a trilogy.

Excellent.

A masterful summation of the Karla trilogy, its many threads brought together in an elegant tapestry of word, meaning and revelation. Le Carré at his best.

Fabulous

Fabulous reading of a great (the great?) spy novel. It's notable that the voicing for George Smiley tracks Alec Guinness's voice, so if you have seen the production of Smiley's People in which he plays Smiley, the impact of this reading is really heightened. Utterly satisfying.