Charity (Faith, Hope & Charity Trilogy) [Paperback]

Len Deighton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1997 | Series: Faith, Hope & Charity Trilogy

The third volume in the trilogy that began with FAITH and HOPE, in which Bernard Samson wonders how the Cold War will end for him and his family and whether he can continue to out-fox the upper-class desk pilots who have so cleverly dominated his life.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

After steering master spy Bernard Samson through Faith and Hope, Len Deighton wraps up his trilogy with a predictable dose of Charity. Although the beleaguered spook has plenty of intrigue to deal with, this installment seems more diffuse and less plot-driven than its predecessors. Still, Deighton fans will probably enjoy the resolution of several outstanding cliffhangers, including the likelihood of a decent retirement package for the protagonist. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

With this successor to Faith and Hope, British spy Bernard Samson has used up nine lives as the hero of three trilogies. Yet he, and Deighton, remain full of vitality. In his latest depiction of the hermetic world of English spies, "all those inscrutable public-school ruffians," Deighton brings us up to 1988. Because Deighton's work is an evolving saga of spycraft channeled through Samson's life and times, readers unfamiliar with the earlier books may feel like newcomers at a dinner party for old friends. As Deighton regulars appear-including Samson's tortured, rising intelligence star, Fiona; her vulgar father; department members Dicky, Bret and Gloria; Samson's mentor, Silas; and his boyhood pal, Werner-there's a lot of hashing and re-hashing of old and new murders, a dying ex-spy and a missing lockbox. Quickly enough, all readers will be swept up by the complicated plot and by Samson's sly asides: "Maps are of course the decor adopted by men reluctant to display their taste in art"; an American Anglophile's car "was tall and angular, built in those days before every Rolls wanted to squat down and look like a Mercedes." Despite an ending that is surprisingly mild, this tale, like those before it, is well crafted and reliably satisfying. $100,000 ad/promo; simultaneous HarperPaper publication of Hope; U.K., translation rights: Brie Burkeman; first serial and dramatic rights: Jonathan Clowes.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006479006
• ISBN-13: 978-0006479000
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,002,409 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Len Deighton is the master, July 1, 2000

By 

Stephen Horn (Bethesda, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Charity (Mass Market Paperback)

Bernard Samson is one of the great characters of modern popular fiction. The three trilogies are, collectively, in my opinion, the greatest piece of spy drama ever written, with the singular exception of le Carre's great trilogy (Tinker, Tailor; Honourable Schoolboy; Smiley's People), the high water mark of the genre. Actually, it's really not fair to compare them. Despite what the jacket tells you, the Samson epic shouldn't be read out of sequence. Start with Berlin Game and work your way through, grateful that there are nine of them (ten, if you read Winter, which probably should be read first to understand Samson's family history). Action buffs may be disappointed because the thrill is in the characterization and the mystery: nothing is as it seems and the intrepid Samson soldiers on, perhaps the last man standing on the battlefield of the cold war. When I finished Charity I was sad, and envious of those that would discover Berlin Game and have the whole journey ahead. That, to me, is the true measure of a book or books. Bravo, Mr. Deighton. Well done.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bernard Samson takes his bow at last, September 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Charity (Mass Market Paperback)

I approached Len Deighton's final entry in the Bernard Samson series with some degree of sadness. In the 10+ years that I have been reading the books, my empathy with the character has become more and more pronounced.( As a measure of my devotion...my wife and I named our firstborn daughter Fiona...even though we did not like the character, we loved the name...) This particular novel was decidedly elegiac; Bernard muses on growing old, losing friends and family and trying to retain his hold on what is really valuable, all while he doggedly pursues many unsavory truths. While I was very disappointed with the resolution of the Bernard/Fiona/Gloria triangle- the marriage is clearly beyond help, and Gloria is MUCH more appealing than Fiona - I enjoyed the book quite a bit,mostly due to Deighton's masterful portrait of Bernard Samson as a tired, cynical, middle-aged seeker, tilting with windmills that all too often turn out to be monsters after all. Bravo, Len and Farewell Bernard. I'll even miss Dicky.

What now, Mr. Deighton? I for one have always been intrigued by the legendary Samson Senior...might we ever get a peek at his own career exploits...?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Circles Within Circles, May 9, 2000

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 110,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Charity (Mass Market Paperback)

Bernard Samson is one of my favorite espionage characters. I was delighted by this excellent completion of the Faith, Hope and Charity trilogy.

The hard part about Deighton's trilogies is that they leave the reader hanging between books, dying for the next one. Charity does not resolve everything, but it certainly takes care of a lot of the dangling questions.

The plot complications invite paranoia. It seems like nothing is ever what it appears to be. The only constant is that Bernard continues to play the role of the unwitting dupe in others' ploys. Since he is a good and thoughtful person, that pulls us away from having sympathy for the spymasters who dream up the plans to go awry so often. It raises the rather nice question of how far the means can and should go to justify the end.

Will we ever have enough of the Cold War and its espionage? Perhaps not. If so, we are fortunate that Len Deighton has written this book.

If you have not read the earlier Bernard Samson novels, I strongly urge you to begin at the beginning with Winter. You'll have two advantages that way: You will appreciate the plot development better, having known of the prior complications; and you won't have to wait for the next book to come out. If you follow this advice, I envy you. You have a lot of fun reading ahead!