Magnus Pym, ranking diplomat, has vanished, believed defected. The chase is on: for a missing husband, a devoted father, and a secret agent. Pym's life, it is revealed, is entirely made up of secrets. Dominated by a father who is also a confidence trickster on an epic scale, Pym has from the age of seventeen been controlled by two mentors. It is these two, racing each other and time itself, who are orchestrating the search to find the perfect spy ...
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Le Carre's new novel overshadows The Spy Who Came in From the Cold and his other bestsellers. The author's intense feelings, linguistic artistry and stinging wit draw the reader into the story of Magnus Pym, traitor. Epic in scope and length, the narrative moves backward and forward in time, recording crises-ridden events from the viewpoints of numerous characters. Primarily, the revelations are in an epistle Pym addresses to his young son Tom. The writer is holed-up in a remote country cottage where he tries to explain his crimes to the boy before pursuers find him. For years a trusted agent in British Intelligence, Pym has been giving England's and America's vital secrets to a contact in Czechoslovakia. Now Jack Brotherhood, the spy's mentor in the honorable organization, sadly agrees with colleagues that Pym is guilty. The proof is his disappearance, coincidental with data gushing from CIA computers and sent by U.S. agents to their opposite numbers in London. Determined to minimize the damage of Pym's treachery and create a coverup if possible, Brotherhood takes charge of a team searching for the betrayer. As the lives of everyone involved in this netherworld of espionage become tragically immediate to the reader, Le Carre again masterfully chronicles the dangerous game-playing world of international espionage. 350,000 first printing; BOMC main selection.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
Le Carre's latest commences with the sudden disappearance from his posting and family in Vienna of elegant British master-spy Magnus Pym. The narrative immediately splits and alternates: one voice, dubious, insistent, tells of the diligent and urgent race among ex-agent wife Mary, co-worker Jack Brotherhood, and ubiquitous Czech agent "Sergeant Pavel" to find the possible defector; the other voice (Pym's own), ruminative, wry, relates the colorful history and amoral motivations behind the successful spy. By the time the two voices converge in the present, the comprehensive character Pymas seen by others and by himselfstands alone, ready to carry out his decision. Not a spy novel in the usual sense, then, but a skillfully manipulated, complex, and probingly written study spiced with lively anecdotes. To be savored. BOMC main selection. Rex E. Klett, Anson Cty. Lib., Wadesboro
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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More About the Author
John le Carre was born in 1931. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, secured him a worldwide reputation, which was consolidated by the acclaim for his trilogy: Tinke, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honorable Schoolboy, and Smiley's People. His novels include The Little Drummer Girl, A Perfect Spy, The Russia House, Our Game, The Taileor of Panama, and Single & Single. John le Carre lives in Cornwall.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is so much more than just another espionage thriller. It is really a character study of the central figure and a very satisfying psychological investigation into the anticedents of a spy's character. Magnus Pym was the perfect spy because of the way he was raised; specifically, the way he learned to perceive the world as he came to understand his father - a con man of great charm (based on Le Carre's own father) who always acted as though truth was whatever he wanted it to be at the moment. Maybe the title actually refers to the father and not to Pym. Perhaps?
Le Carre's use of language is always a pleasure, and here it is put to excellent use in recreating the world of Pym's past. The main plot of finding the missing Pym becomes less important than the subplots - often involving past events - and the overall structure of the novel is less driven by unknown outcomes than is a typical 'spy' story.
One is left with a great sense of sadness after finishing this book but no disappointment. Very original and very satisfying.
27 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Whew. It literally took me three years to read this book. I would start the book and quit reading by page 80, 90, sometimes 100. I never had the resolve to get past those first few chapters.
"A Perfect Spy" is as close to an autobiography as I think we'll get from LeCarre. While his later "Single and Single" touched on the same things, I greatly preferred "A Perfect Spy". It's a much darker, much more emotionally draining novel than "Single".
What a sad, disappointing, mesmerizing, depressing, ultimately satisfying novel LeCarre has written for us.
It's too tough to talk about the book without giving some spoilers, so all I'll say is that the story picks up gradually. The first bit is a bit tough, in my opinion, because of the flashbacks to the Magnus's childhood. Keep reading. It becomes clear later why you are spending time there.
What a story. I had a previously enjoyed "Tinker, Tailor" the most of his books, but I think "A Perfect Spy" might replace that. I'm off to finish the rest of the Karla trilogy now, but I'll always be thinking of Magnus, and how wonderfully he was written.
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Cassette
This is the finest book I have ever read. I first read it about 8 years ago, and read it again a few years later. Nothing else he has written comes close to eclipsing the brilliance of this work. What is the secret of this masterpiece? The secret is... almost every sentence written has greater meaning and greater significance than the simple words that form them. The text is oozing with innuendo, suggestion and ambiguity. The characters are vivid and almost walk of the pages. This book induced one of my favourite quotes, ascribed to Ricky: "Ideals are like the stars. We cannot reach them, but we are enriched by their presence" Well, I was enriched by this masterpiece.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
excruciatingly boring
Read the one star review by "A reader" who captured my feelings perfectly. The worst JL book of many I have read.
Published 2 months ago by Sleepy parent
Le Carre's Masterpiece
The reviews here make clear that John Le Carre's A Perfect Spy is not for all tastes. To my mind, though, it is the finest book of Le Carre's long and distinguished career,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Grey W. Satterfield Jr.
A Perfect Bore
I struggled to get through this book and eventually skimmed just to get finished so I could read something else. Read more
Published 3 months ago by BruceMack
The Sins of the Father
I have read A Perfect Spy three times over the years. Each time I have read it more slowly than the last. It is that kind of book. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kevin Coombs
classic LeCarre espionage plus detailed character analysis
I do not understand the negative reviews of this novel, or the comments made by some reviewers on how long it took them to get through this book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by reader
The Perfect Waste of Time
Don't get me wrong - I love John Le Carre books. The Honorary Consul would be my favorite, but all the Smiley series are great. This book was a complete disappointment. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Peter Carey
A Perfect Spy
I've never been able to read last the first dreadfully ho-hum few chapters of this allegedly thrilling spy novel. Edge of my seat? Not so much. Read more
Published 7 months ago by John Addington
Bla bla bla bla bla
Even if it had been 250 pages it still would not be worth the time. Bla bla bla bla bla .....
Published 8 months ago by Jeanne Milholland
This Is The One - Le Carre's Finest Book Ever
It's inevitable that an author will continue to write after he's written his masterpiece. It's what an author does. Read more
Published 8 months ago by China Rider
Masterful, as usual
I'm still reading the book, but it is vintage LeCarre, with depth of character and descriptions of people and situations that convince you that you have met a person like that, or... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Bill H.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
In the small hours of a blustery October morning in a south Devon coastal town that seemed to have been deserted by it's inhabitants, Magnus Pym got out of his elderly country taxi-cab and, having paid the driver and waited till he had left, struck out across the church square. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
staff lavatory, green filing cabinet, perfect spy, green cabinet Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sir Magnus, Herr Ollinger, Sefton Boyd, Miss Dubber, Uncle Jack, Jack Brotherhood, Sir Makepeace, Makepeace Watermaster, Sir Kenneth, Perce Loft, Herr Pym, Sergeant Pavel, Head Office, Morrie Washington, Aunt Nell, Grant Lederer, Magnus Pym, The Glades, Foreign Office, Gulworth North, Frau Ollinger, Thomas Mann, Chester Street, Bee Lederer, Fifth Floor New!
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Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
In the small hours of a blustery October morning in a south Devon coastal town that seemed to have been deserted by it's inhabitants, Magnus Pym got out of his elderly country taxi-cab and, having paid the driver and waited till he had left, struck out across the church square. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
staff lavatory, green filing cabinet, perfect spy, green cabinet Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sir Magnus, Herr Ollinger, Sefton Boyd, Miss Dubber, Uncle Jack, Jack Brotherhood, Sir Makepeace, Makepeace Watermaster, Sir Kenneth, Perce Loft, Herr Pym, Sergeant Pavel, Head Office, Morrie Washington, Aunt Nell, Grant Lederer, Magnus Pym, The Glades, Foreign Office, Gulworth North, Frau Ollinger, Thomas Mann, Chester Street, Bee Lederer, Fifth Floor New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 11
books:
See all 11 books this book cites
11
books
cite this book:
See all 11 books citing this book
- The Honourable Schoolboy by John Le Carre in Back Matter
- The Russia House by John Le Carre in Back Matter
- The Vietnam War (Atlas of Conflicts) by R. G. Grant on page 336
- South of France: French Entree 10 (No. 10) by Patricia Fenn on page 192
- The Good Soldier: A Tale of Passion (Oxford World's Classics) by Ford Madox Ford on page 167
See all 11 books this book cites
- The Night Manager: New York Times bestseller by John Le Carre in Front Matter
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre in Back Matter
- Towards Coherence Between Classroom Assessment and Accountability (National Society for the Study of Education Yearbooks) by Mark Wilson on page 36
- James Bond in the 21st Century: Why We Still Need 007 (Smart Pop series) by Glenn Yeffeth on page 110
- The Gospel According to Tony Soprano: An Unauthorized Look Into the Soul of TV's Top Mob Boss and His Family by Chris Seay on page 110
See all 11 books citing this book
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