Customer Reviews

Our Game

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

As Le Carre has matured as an author, his books have had less and less to do with with satisfying genre requirements and more to do with exquisite character portraits and the authors own concerns. This is not to say that his story telling abilities have suffered, but Le Carre has always been subtle, and in "Our Game" his subtlety reaches new levels.

The protagonist, Tim Cranmer comes late to the important things in his life. All the "action" has already happened in this novel - many of the important events in this novel are past memories, either remembered in flashback (or revealed through interrogation). Other main events are discovered by Cranmer as already happened as he picks his cautious way through crime scenes or recent battlefields. Even love, or his recognition of it, has come to him late.

So Cranmer's quest is his attempt to discover his real past so as to provide him with a future, or at least a present. Le Carre's writing is at the peak of its form. Sometimes drol, often witty, always poetic and wonderfully intelligent, his writing captures the humanity of its character and the inhumanity of the uncaring world in deft strokes.

This is not a novel of gunplay, hi-tech espionage, car chases and narrow escapes. Neither is this a George Smiley novel. They were written almost 30 years ago and the author has moved on. This novel sits outside the genre of the spy novel, whose vague trappings the author hijacks for his own uses. The ending, which some people may not like as it is not "neat" and "final" is wonderfully unresolved, just like life.


I read this book when it was first released and have just reread it. In 10 years time, I will probably read it again. And probably enjoy it even more.

In Britain, retired civil servants are typified by life in rural cottages, pottering about in a rose garden and Sundays with The Times. Tim Cranmer doesn't quite fulfill the picture. His "rural cottage" is an inherited spot of land containing a chapel. His rose garden is a struggling vineyard. And Sundays are occupied by visits from his former protege. Instead of a demure wife to complete the picture, Tim's resident lady is half his age and a composer. Hardly the picture of a staid bureaucrat out to pasture. Perhaps all these variations are due to Cranmer being other than a "retired civil servant" - he's a retired spook.

Spies never truly retire. They may distance themselves somewhat from the sharp end, but there are always loose ends left over and old cases that resurrect themselves. The dissolution of the Soviet Union was supposed to put ranks of spies from the West [and John Le Carre] out of work. They were considered poorly adapted to the new conditions. Le Carre and his literary creations have refuted that notion. His "retired" spy becomes enmeshed in a conspiracy of stupendous scope. It seems his protege, who was a double pretending to spy for the Soviets, is involved in an embezzlement - 37 billion BP, to be exact. The money is to finance a war of "national liberation" - a little item of ethnic minorities having faith in their identity. Their location is in the ramparts of the Caucasus Mountains, where loyalties are fierce, but the population scattered. Lacking resources, they seem to have convinced Cranmer's double to help finance weapons' purchases.

Larry Pettifer, Cranmer's long-term protege, is an intellectual. He changes ideologies like his socks. A consummate wheeler-dealer, he duped his Soviet minders for many years. What effect did his most recent case officer have to change him? And where does Tim's resident consort, who disappears mysteriously, fit in to the picture? Emma finds Larry charming, but his flighty personality and behaviour seem inconsistent for a woman yearning for stability. Has she fled from security to embrace adventure? What price will Tim pay to recover her?

The Western powers seek stability as well. Le Carre imparts the view that once the Soviet Empire dissolved, capitalism sought but fresh opportunities for investment. Justice and enterprise are often at odds, the more so when resources like oil or minerals are involved. Le Carre has taken up the cause of justice in all his writings, but his more recent ones speak with a more strident voice. Cranmer is portrayed as a voice of an older generation, quietly pleased that the Soviet Union is moribund. The issues of the post-Soviet East seem remote. Le Carre, with his usual skill, portrays a man drawn in by events beyond his control or his ken. It is easy to sympathise with him. But it is Pettifer's idealism that speaks for Le Carre. Never an ideologue, Le Carre's finely wrought narrative confronts us with our own uncaring self-interest. Capitalism may have triumphed, but the victory isn't without flaws. An excellent read and a tribute to Le Carre's skills in plot and characterisation. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

This sleeper is one of Le Carre's best efforts. For years he struggled with the theme of the romantic triangle, in the early and only partially successful non-spy book, The Naive and Sentimental Lover, and as deep background in the Smiley trilogy. But here he finally masters the subject, the end of the cold war giving the writer freedom to first stretch out to cruising speed, then take off full speed to parts unknown. It is still, loosely, a spy book, giving the story narrative tension and interest. But it really is obviously something from the heart, just a fine novel for those who love the novel. Sentence for sentence, paragraph for paragraph, the proof is in the pudding. It's one of Le Carre's best.

Tim, the "retired" spy is one of Le Carre's best characters ever -- cuckholded by his own Joe, the happy sappy college professor Larry. The wit and bite flow between every line as the evidence dawns on our protaganist, against where his imagination wants to go, where his ditzy but beloved girlfriend has gone. No one has written more clearly about pure mad infatuation. The rural background allows fun and games with Le Carre's grab bag of spycraft, which loyal readers will be happy to find is hardly exhausted. The hero's search for Larry and his girl defies genre -- comic, tragic, noir, surrealistic, gritty realism -- all at once. The destination: unchartered territory, fueled by both human curiosity and passion.

This book will not satisfy all readers, particularly those who want genre or more obvious lessons. The puzzle only grows but this website wisely counsels against giving away the ending in these reviews. It would not give you the bigger answers anyway: if there are indeed any. All in all, the total effect is Zenlike, a courageous shot at expanding the possibilities of the novel. And it is an especial reward to those who just love writers and writing, especially the English speaking variety. The sounds and cadences, if read aloud, are all over the map but organically centered, rich and resonant as if Le Carre first recited it like a bardic epic heard whole deep within his own soul.

This is not Le Carre's best book. If you haven't already read them, I suggest you read the Smiley trilogy which begins with "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" -- one of the great masterpieces of the last century in my humble opinion. "Our Game" by contrast is good -- not great.

One of the problems is that the characters aren't very appealing. Tim is an insufferable public-school Englishman about whose fate we care nil plus the square root of zero. Larry is a professor who's committment to the downtrodden of the world seems an ego trip, the female lead is an airheaded artist who doesn't seem to merit the sort of admiration she gets.

But the subject matter is interesting. Who ever heard of the Ingush people until Le Carre wrote about them? His portayal of them is superb: the downtrodden ethnic groups of the former Soviet Union asseting themselves brutally, stupidly, unsuccesfully, but with doomed courage and dedication. "Our Game" is kind of thin gruel compared to Le Carre's great cold war novels, but it's worth a read.

Le Carre, author of numerous intriguing novels concerning the spy-world of the Cold War, is concerned with both spies no longer needed by the British Foreign Office and the resurgent nationalism in the Caucasian Mountain region amidst the breakup of the Soviet Union in this novel, "Our Game."

The story is told from the perspective of the ultimate, unflappable bureaucrat, Tim Cranmer, a controller of spies in the field, who has been forced to retire. "Timbo's" idyllic country-estate life, with his vineyards and young exotic, artistic live-in girlfriend, Emma, is blown sky-high with the disappearance of both Emma and Larry, his former star double-agent, now turned college lecturer and indulger of radical causes. But Tim is sharply questioned by the police and his old office and realizes that he has been implicated in some clandestine scheme concocted by Larry and his old Russian contacts.

The book follows Tim's thoughts as he is constantly examining the past, questioning his remembrances and his understandings in his dealings with Emma and mostly Larry. He is both wary and envious of Larry's capacity for action and his ability to capture others, in this case, Emma. At times the introspections and doubts bring the pace of the book to a slow crawl.

Tim is forced into a game of investigation and evasion. The trail leads to support for the cause of the oppressed Ingushetians of the Caucasians. However, the resolution of the entire affair may leave many readers grasping for a more definitive conclusion.

As usual Le Carre is unsurpassed in capturing the subtleties and tone of the spy world and its uncertainties. But that may not be enough to rescue this book.

The title of "Our Game" plays on a version of Winchester football (English football), a version so arcane that even the players don't always know the rules. Le Carre follows his title with strict adherence, refusing to let his characters--or even his readers--understand the goal of this "game."

What purports to be an espionage thriller is much more a whodunit set against the drab backdrop of post-Cold War England and the haunted memories of one of Her Majesty's secret servants, Tim Cranmer. Cranmer's girlfriend and top agent have disappeared and the authorities are demanding answers from him. Even Cranmer begins to doubt his innocence--although this interesting sidestep was quickly righted. As is to be expected, le Carre develops Cranmer's personality with depth and sincerity, but this numbing dive into the depths of one man's self-absorption left me gasping for air. Even compared to the typically dreary atmosphere of le Carre's other books, this novel seems dark and pointless. Aside from his protagonist, he never truly allows us to become familiar with the other people involved. Through the use of first person, le Carre cheats us from experiencing much of the story. If this was intentional, to set us up for future surprises, for example, I would understand. Instead, I knew the basic ending long before our hero seemed to, and I found myself waiting impatiently for him to catch up. I held out hope for a worthwhile revelation...but it never came.

I'm a dedicated le Carre fan, but this novel was much simpler and less satisfying than I've come to expect from him. Even his shorter works had more actually story to them. Le Carre will always be the master of the Cold War angst and zeitgeist, but this expose of a tired former agent left me mostly tired. For better post-Cold War works, try the same author's "The Night Manager" or "The Constant Gardner."

This was the first time I have picked up a John Le Carre novel. As much as I read, even I am surprised by that record. Don't ask me why I chose this one and not the more famous "The Spy That Came in From the Cold" or "The Russia House." I think when I read the book jacket, something jumped out that interesed me more--perhaps because many of the events in Chechnya are straight from todays' headlines.

John Le Carre is a master of language and of character development. Patrick O'Brien comes to mind in the same veign of storytelling elegance. You just know that you are dealing with someone who is the man among boys in the NY Times Bestseller List realm. Le Carre is highly intellegent in his approach and how he makes intricate details centerpieces to plot. I truly enjoyed just being sucked into this novel, which is sometimes hard to say when describing strict genre writers. You can tell Le Carre is writing this because he enjoys his work.

I have a hunch this is not his best work. I have heard so much about Le Carre from friends and reviews that I know that his works are worthy and necessary reading. Perhaps this is a book I may have to come back and read again after I have become more acquanted with his artistry. My only criticisms are that Tim Cranmer was hard to penetrate as a main character and the story has several complicated flashbacks. Most assuredly they are necessary (I hope), but I found myself getting confused and distracted. Like I said, maybe I need to read more of his work and come back to this novel at another time in the future. Perhaps I will pick up some technique or formula I was missing that only fans of John Le Carre can pick up on.

Good writers of this type of genre are reknown because they know their subjects so well and know the landscape their characters dwell in so intimately that the stories they tell are believable. Le Carre will be an author remembered 100 or 200 years from now, I am sure. He is incredible to read and it is fun to read. That is the true measure of any author--make it enjoyable. I will other reviews of John Le Carre in the future I am most sure of that.

I've read most of Le Carre's books and have enjoyed them. The last one I read before this one was Night Manager, and I thought he painted himself into a corner and couldn't think of a great ending. Fine, the guy is certainly one of the best story tellers on the planet, and we can give him one that is less than his par. But then I read this one, was yet again blown away by the quality of his characterization, his depiction of setting, the incredible research, and the pace of the plot. But again, this story had another disappointing ending for me. Sure, it reaches you on a certain level about the life of a master spy and the reality of the agents you run, but it still could have had a more satisfying ending. So, now I'm thinking I still wish like heck that I could write like this guy, but I look to others for great story telling with great endings. So, I give this 4 stars for the incomparable writing (and everybody can learn from him), but the story is tarnished by the ending.

Stylish, well-written and intelligent. So why was I so impatient to finish this book and get on to another one? Because, for me, it's entertainment 'density' was only borderline acceptable. I feel like I've been reading that book for half my life and now I'm finally free - not a good sign. Maybe that's too strong, because I wouldn't say I disliked the book. It just wasn't satifying enough. Tim Cranmer is a boring old man with too much money, a vineyard and a liking for pretensious old jewelry. How can you engage properly with a book narrated by this man? OK, you can feel sorry for him as the life in his life deserts and betrays him, but a whole book with this man gets a bit tedious.

I almost skip every other line in the final 50 or so pages. And in the end, I really don't know what has happened. I give credit for the author to fully develop two characters. Emma remains the same woman who comes from the dark with no background, no family and past history from beginning to end.

What is the book really about? I don't know. Maybe it's about quaint friendships between Tim and Larry or maybe it's about self-iscovery but the author never explain that clearly. Anyway, all that have little to do with spying and espionage.

It is a book I regret having the privilage to read .