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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Is It Good vs. Evil, or Evil vs. Evil, September 24, 2004
This review is from: The Little Drummer Girl: A Novel (Paperback)
Mr. Le Carre wrote this book about the Middle East in 1983, and it is as timely a novel now as it was then. Charlie, a modestly talented British actress goes to work for Israeli intelligence to try and locate a secretive Palestinian agent. Indoctrinated with a false background of having a romantic affair with the agent's brother, she plays the role with such determination that she begins to believe this fictional experience. At various points in the novel the reader begins to wonder if Charlie will remain an Israeli spy or begin to identify with the Palestinians. Le Carre skillfully develops the philosophy of the opposing sides. The Palestinian and Israeli characters all feel the righteousness of their cause. Each feels that they are on the side of justice, and even human love, to oppose those whom they feel are motivated by purely evil intent. There is never a consideration of whether the end should justify the means. Anything goes when justice is on your side. You are left with the feeling that there is no resolution to this conflict. JLC is known for his slow, detailed exposition of plot and character. You read over 100 pages before you get a glimmering of what is probably going to happen. There are some thrills in this novel, but don't expect this to be an edge of your seat ride. The first part of the book involves a bombing in Berlin, and the author, in an updated introduction to the book, admits that maybe he should have shortened this section somewhat. I rather like the book's pace, seeing the development of the characters, and the gelling of the Byzantine plot. He's a skilful, intelligent writer, and that's just fine. One outstanding section of the book involves the chief Israeli agent, an expert manipulator, jousting with a British intelligence officer. The description of the pompous, controlling Brit is priceless, and the two characters' verbal fencing is immensely funny. This almost 500 page book could have been written in 200 pages by the typical mystery hack, but I enjoyed every word of this fine novel.
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30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Few old men, no cardigans, but still Le Carre, May 17, 2004
This review is from: The Little Drummer Girl: A Novel (Paperback)
This is a Le Carre novel for people who don't want to read of old men in cardigans sitting in dingy offices piecing together intelligence reports. The characters here are youthful, sexy, passionate. There are bombs and there is bloodshed. There is a hint of sophisticated sex, and there are lovers seeking comfort in each other's arms. We are a long way from George Smiley's Circus, but the novel is filled with the same brooding atmosphere as Le Carre's Karla novels. We meet Charlie, an out-of-work young bohemian actress with a somewhat violent boyfriend. She is recruited and offered a part in an Israeli secret-service production: she plays out the role of lover to a terrorist and is then sent out into the field to trap the terrorist's brother. As usual, Le Carre's style is to develop characters slowly and indirectly. For instance, rather than read that Charlie's boyfriend is violent, we just read what he tells Charlie as he bosses her about: "Carry my bag. Men don't carry bags, see". Also following his formula, Le Carre sets his characters in a dark joyless world. Amazingly enough, he manages to infuse lively Greek islands with the bleakness of the Yorkshire moors. Charlie is not happy on Mykonos and is easy to recruit. The novel is somewhat dated. There are no suicide bombers, there is no infatida. The Palestinian terrorists and their allies are sophisticated Marxist socialites, a common portrayal in the 70s and 80s. But it works as a story, as character development, and as a snapshot of the Palestine-Israel conflict in the early 80s.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Le Carre at his best, December 21, 2003
By A Customer
This review is from: The Little Drummer Girl: A Novel (Paperback)
I cannot believe there are no reviews on this wonderful work. John Le Carre is a gifted author and this, in my opinion, is his absolute best work ever. Written more than 20 years ago, his cautionary tale of espionage and terror in the Middle East- and played out on a world stage- will grab you from page one and enthrall. It is as timely and topical today as when it was first published. I re-read it after 9/11 and was amazed at how little changes in the Middle East, and how those events impact us in the West today. But beyond the topical interest- this is a strikingly beautifully written story, a love story, an espionage story, that stands as Mr Le Carre's most luminous work yet.
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