Shop the Business Savings Event
Buy new:
-57% $11.49
FREE delivery Tuesday, January 14
Ships from: Gulf Coast Books LLC
Sold by: Gulf Coast Books LLC
$11.49 with 57 percent savings
List Price: $26.95
FREE delivery Tuesday, January 14. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$11.49 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$11.49
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Gulf Coast Books LLC
Gulf Coast Books LLC
Ships from
Gulf Coast Books LLC
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$0.96
Item in good condition and has highlighting/writing on text. Used texts may not contain supplemental items such as CDs, info-trac etc... Item in good condition and has highlighting/writing on text. Used texts may not contain supplemental items such as CDs, info-trac etc... See less
$3.98 delivery January 16 - 17. Details
Or fastest delivery January 10 - 15. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$11.49 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$11.49
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Ships from and sold by glenthebookseller.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
$15.00 with 44 percent savings
List Price: $26.95
FREE pickup Thursday, January 16 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35

0.27 mi | MANASSAS 20110

How pickup works
Pick up from nearby pickup location
Step 1: Place Your Order
Select the “Pickup” option on the product page or during checkout.
Step 2: Receive Notification
Once your package is ready for pickup, you'll receive an email and app notification.
Step 3: Pick up
Bring your order ID or pickup code (if applicable) to your chosen pickup location to pick up your package.
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$11.49 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$11.49
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

John le Carré
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Absolute Friends Hardcover – Big Book, January 1, 2004

by John le Carre (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 3,270 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$11.49","priceAmount":11.49,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"49","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"8CII0DE4VdLzDI4%2BkY1uqcSlPzk5giI0zecmooo0E1W2ICmbjxiATGKcBZzMEmMGB96Wr8v0s4NE0fZeNWeKya4UIrXPg%2FlFfedkWTRJ6wzPv6Qnyn7RJpyzNGdIokV6zesmec55Ai8I3dA6FcJYGiC2ob%2B3sI2wr3iVUeHlEqM5D6W6ED8Jqjh4xKGY%2BFS0","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$0.96","priceAmount":0.96,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"0","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"96","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"8CII0DE4VdLzDI4%2BkY1uqcSlPzk5giI0FisPSAofFi6RDI3HLaE%2B6PY1Wb6j2nj3BJBHQFUmPl%2FYxXueDBpc8sLHBRA5%2FCJryhJZEe3TpgVTZOMoyfVsJPnr5iH7BI7%2FZ0fLNZWrVsSXyj%2F51gtqknbGeEJgagz904E%2Fa0djepsJ2ZCgpRDQlep2kTyeQNsV","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}],"desktop_buybox_group_2":[{"displayPrice":"$15.00","priceAmount":15.00,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"15","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"00","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"8CII0DE4VdLzDI4%2BkY1uqcSlPzk5giI07gufAGXCmvH9Q%2F1laU7hd8xwln2nvQtWUHc1leZ10WRTX1nM2%2BsT2m7aLXUde0%2FbJUGSkWBit31kEJhrrlq9QqTCG4J295Yuq5wIHDtCKBCIPokW1636%2FRjmh7Qgqvzowl0QW2%2FHFD%2F4TgIfmsGbo0V1GEGQH5ln","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"PICKUP","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":2}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The friends of Absolute Friends are Ted Mundy, British soldier's son born 1947 in a shining new independent Pakistan, and Sasha, refugee son of an East German Lutheran pastor and his wife who have sought sanctuary in the West.
The two men meet first as students in riot-torn West Berlin of the late Sixties, again in the grimy looking-glass of Cold War espionage and, most terribly, in today's unipolar world of terror, counter-terror and the war of lies.
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    455 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Little, Brown and Company
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0316000647
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0316000642
  8. See all details
Next slide of product details

Frequently bought together

Absolute Friends
This item: Absolute Friends
$11.49
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Gulf Coast Books LLC.
+
A Legacy of Spies
$14.33
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Jan 15
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by shinystars and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
The Naive and Sentimental Lover (The Penguin John le Carré Hardback Collection)
$16.76
Get it Jan 16 - 27
In stock
Usually ships within 2 to 3 days.
Ships from and sold by Prime Deals, USA.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
3,270 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the story intriguing and well-written. They describe the book as a wonderful, memorable read with great character development and vivid portrayal of the world in the 1960s. Readers appreciate the slow pacing as the characters grow and develop. The empathy the characters display is touching and relatable. However, opinions differ on the writing quality - some find it nice and witty, while others say it's too long.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
Story qualityReadabilityCharacter developmentStylePacingEmpathyWriting quality
23 customers mention "Story quality"19 positive4 negative

Customers find the story engaging with its mix of insight and light fiction. They appreciate the memorable characters, action, and surprises along the way. The book is described as a great story by Le Carre that is touching yet full of mystery.

"...He spins a powerful story of two ideologically committed ‘agents’ willing to place themselves in serious jeopardy ‘to serve their countries,’ as it..." Read more

"...But it's a good challenge and that's what I like about all Le Carré books...." Read more

"...Mundy's early life also is a neat story within a story. All aspects of this friendship rang true to me. I have and had friends like Sasha...." Read more

"...As always, he illuminates the world of spies and spying...." Read more

17 customers mention "Readability"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging and memorable. They describe it as a brilliant read that requires an open mind. Readers praise it as another page-turner from beginning to end.

"...someone else's nitpicky slight and the worst reason to dismiss this great book. It's a man's life...." Read more

"...Another of le Carre's remarkable novels." Read more

"This was a wonderful book, as all the books I have read by John le Carre. As I started reading it, I was entranced by the characters...." Read more

"...A page Turner from beginning to end. A treat for his fans and a great introduction to the Author." Read more

16 customers mention "Character development"12 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the detailed character development and the author's use of the characters' thoughts. They find the story stunning with finely etched characters martyred before they can comprehend their foe. The writing style is detailed and rich, just as it is in Le Carré's other works.

"...I loved that so much of it was written with the character's thoughts...." Read more

"...The plot and characters were mildly interesting at best. At the end, I felt cheated and was sorry I'd invested the time to read it...." Read more

"...This is a sad work of multi-layered character assassination; and the characters are Mr.LeCarre's own!" Read more

"...The man is a great story teller and the characters always seem like people I've met...." Read more

7 customers mention "Style"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's style unique and memorable. They describe it as a vivid recreation of the 1960s world, a great contemporary work, and a plausible portrayal of political issues. The writing is described as rich.

"...I found it very unique in style and I was absolutely in love with the Ted Mundy character and his wonderful friendship with Sasha...a true..." Read more

"...In this story the world of the late sixties is vividly recreated as a world stage...." Read more

"...Throughout his novels the writing is rich, so rich that it might be called poetic prose...." Read more

"Eloquently written, elegantly crafted,insightful and scarily plausible. A page Turner from beginning to end...." Read more

6 customers mention "Pacing"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the slow pacing of the book as the characters develop. They find the plot historically accurate and prescient.

"...Le Carre does fine job of capturing the shadowy elements of big government interests in this book and how it wraps up two friends who are(I feel)..." Read more

"...A remarkable performance from a true master (and human being)." Read more

"...Like most of his books the plot is slow developing. I didn't know anything about the Inguish people and enjoyed learning something new." Read more

"Historically accurate. Prescient. Gut-wrenching." Read more

5 customers mention "Empathy"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book touching and emotional. They find the characters relatable and sympathetic, with morals and feelings of love and devotion. The book is described as heart-wrenching and full of mystery.

"...It's a man's life. There's so much feeling and travel there that, unlike most genre novels, it's the middle that I spend most of my time thinking..." Read more

"...His ability to make his characters relatable and sympathetic as they struggle to integrate their multiple complicated lives, both surface and..." Read more

"...They have morals and can feel love and devotion. they can be loyal to each other, even in the treacherous world they live in...." Read more

"...This book was no exception. Very touching, yet full of mystery" Read more

13 customers mention "Writing quality"7 positive6 negative

Customers have different views on the writing quality. Some find it nice and witty, with a wonderful command of language and vision. Others feel it's tedious, bland, and wasteful, with details that don't make for interesting reading.

"...He has a wonderful command of language and vision but squandering plot. Too bad ideology overcame a man whose prose is magnificent." Read more

"...This is not an easy read, turgid and dark, but we learn intensively about the two Absolute Friends...." Read more

"This is a superbly written work by an acknowledged master of the genre, but especially of the craft...." Read more

"...It was a tedious read, easy to put down and less than inviting to pick back up. Still, simply because it's a le Carre book, it belongs in a library." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • wsmrer
    5.0 out of 5 stars It’s 2003 & le Carre has a message
    Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    It’s a ‘unipolar world’ and the author has a message about what that means as his country joins ‘the Alliance’ aimed at the masters’ goals.

    He spins a powerful story of two ideologically committed ‘agents’ willing to place themselves in serious jeopardy ‘to serve their countries,’ as it often offered, in the Cold War period; winning the resulting awards, personal and official, and as he skillfully delivers – what that means to those in power and how they show their intensions in resulting times when these Friends are called upon again.

    Reading twenty years later John le Carre’s message still carries its impact into ‘our times’ – enjoy.
    5 Stars
    7 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • carobbermuda
    4.0 out of 5 stars challenging but brilliant.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    I'm an educated person but not so well that I didn't find this book challenging. But it's a good challenge and that's what I like about all Le Carré books. I found it very unique in style and I was absolutely in love with the Ted Mundy character and his wonderful friendship with Sasha...a true friendship that is so hard to find. I was sad and pissed off at the end (the reason I gave it a 4 star and not 5 star rating). I loved that so much of it was written with the character's thoughts. He really makes you think and if you're not paying full attention you have to go back and read the paragraph again. Brilliant!
    And here's a little spoof for Kindle - greatest thing in the world because, amongst other reasons, you can instantly check the dictionary meaning of a word. A feature I have to use quite a bit in Le Carré books.
    9 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Barfly Bob
    3.0 out of 5 stars A LITERARY LION IN A CODE PINK DRESS
    Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    This book is not up to the author's high standards of novelistic arts. In fact, at times it seems little more than a vitriolic editorial disguised as a novel. The author uses his characters as mouthpieces to voice his anti-Iraq war sentiments which amount to little more than the usual "Bush lied, babies died" slogan of the Left. He should confine his editorializing to his essays and be about the business of creating the fine fiction of which he is capable.

    The plot and characters were mildly interesting at best. At the end, I felt cheated and was sorry I'd invested the time to read it. I hope the author resists the urge to slip into his Code Pink dress for future novels. The color is unbecoming on a man of such tremendous talent.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Michael Moore
    5.0 out of 5 stars LeCarre's World
    Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2004
    Verified Purchase
    is always a pleasure to visit. I've read his novels since Call for the Dead first came out. The man is a great story teller and the characters always seem like people I've met. In this story the world of the late sixties is vividly recreated as a world stage. The friendship lies at the core of this novel and how it starts and then develops occupies a nice portion of this book. Mundy's early life also is a neat story within a story. All aspects of this friendship rang true to me. I have and had friends like Sasha. The anti American plot element is deserved but certainly not vitriolic by any means. If this is the first time reading this author, I would not recommend starting with this one. I'd say start with the Constant Gardener, then the Smiley novels and that will give you a great sense of how this author peoples his world.
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mark Twain
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great
    Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Yes, there is a bit of editorialising when the narration moves back into the present day, but those were (are) present problems and they never felt like they weren't Mundy's thoughts (as opposed to Le Carre's). But that's someone else's nitpicky slight and the worst reason to dismiss this great book. It's a man's life. There's so much feeling and travel there that, unlike most genre novels, it's the middle that I spend most of my time thinking about and revisiting.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Timothy F. Johnson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Le Carre Does it Again
    Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Published in 2003, this book is one of Carre’s later, “end of Cold War” stories. As always, he illuminates the world of spies and spying. His ability to make his characters relatable and sympathetic as they struggle to integrate their multiple complicated lives, both surface and
    secret, is superb. I highly recommend Absolute Friends!
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • nonplussed
    5.0 out of 5 stars Read for the Joy of Words
    Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Once again I've delved into the books by Le Carre. Throughout his novels the writing is rich, so rich that it might be called poetic prose. This is not an easy read, turgid and dark, but we learn intensively about the two Absolute Friends. Moreover, this is a history lesson over a spate of years. It's not quite nihilistic but IS lugubrious and I must admit to a very sad end. I was left musing the emptiness of war and the devaluing of human lives.
    Le Carre stands alone in this writing style, and for those who like words and beautiful writing, please read.
    17 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Robert
    3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good
    Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This book reminds me of 2 other of his books, The Perfect Spy and The Honourable Schoolboy. It starts in cold war and ends during the so called war on terror after 9/11.
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • WENVOENIAN
    5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute Friends, Absolutely Great
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 26, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    John le Carré, tell great stories. Convoluted, twisting all ways and always interesting and value for money. Three more words. Lol to make the required number for the review.
    Report
  • teka
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nice
    Reviewed in Canada on October 11, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    As expected tks
    Report
  • Tim Hawkins
    5.0 out of 5 stars The legend continues.
    Reviewed in Australia on November 5, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Classic Le Carre. Great characters, a woven tale of personalities caught up in a world beyond their powers or expectations.
    Report
  • mauricioe
    4.0 out of 5 stars Muito bom
    Reviewed in Brazil on August 21, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Descreve o caráter humano dos espiões e como são impiedosamente manipulados pelos governos das potências mandantes, independentemente de sua ideologia politica.
    Report
  • Catherine Keane
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not up to standard
    Reviewed in France on January 20, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I was looking forward to reading another Le Carré but it seemed to drag out in the beginning and frankly it took me nearly half the book to see where he was going. Then as usual, the plot thickened - but not as much as l would have enjoyed.
    Report