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The Looking Glass War

By John le Carré
Series: Penguin Modern Classics
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Check link for latest rating. ( 18,018 ratings, 1,158 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Looking Glass War by John le Carré is a gripping espionage tale set during the Cold War. It follows an ageing intelligence agency as they attempt to revive their relevance by conducting a risky mission in East Germany. The novel explores themes of betrayal and the harsh reality of espionage, with a focus on the flawed nature of intelligence work and its human participants.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy espionage thrillers with a focus on the gritty realities of Cold War intelligence work. You might appreciate the intense character studies and le Carré's incisive exploration of the moral ambiguities faced by spies and intelligence officers.

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The Looking Glass War

When the Department - faded since the war and busy only with bureaucratic battles - hears rumour of a missile base near the West German border, it seems like the perfect opportunity to regain some political standing in the Intelligence market place. The Cold War is at its height and the Department is dying for a piece of the action.

Showing men carried away by fear and pride, The Looking Glass War is a powerful, moving story of human frailty.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Le Carre shows espionage at its best and worst in this novel, new to Penguin Modern Classics.

When the Department—faded since the war and busy only with bureaucratic battles—hears rumour of a missile base near the West German border, it seems like the perfect opportunity to regain some political standing in the Intelligence market place. The Cold War is at its height and the Department is dying for a piece of the action.

Swiftly becoming carried away by fear and pride, the Department and her officers send deactivated agent Fred Leiser back into East Germany, armed only with some schoolboy training and his memories of the war.

In the land of eloquent silence that is Communist East Germany, Leiser's fate becomes inseparable from the Department's.

Series: Penguin Modern Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Looking Glass War by John le Carré is described as a powerful and tragic exploration of espionage, focusing on the human aspects rather than the glamorous side of spying. The Financial Times praises the book for its rare and significant impact, while the New York Herald Tribune highlights its heartbreaking portrayal of spies caught in a sombre reality.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780141196398

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 November 2011

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 216g

Pages: 288

Collections

2025 Best Sellers Crime & Thriller Featured Fiction General Fiction In-Stock Fiction Books John le Carré Literary Fiction New Release Fiction New Zealand's Best Selling Books Penguin Books Penguin Classics Series: Penguin Modern Classics

About the Author

John le Carre was born in 1931. For six decades, he wrote novels that came to define our age. The son of a confidence trickster, he spent his childhood between boarding school and the London underworld. At sixteen he found refuge at the University of Bern, then later at Oxford. A spell of teaching at Eton led him to a short career in British Intelligence (MI5 & 6). He published his debut novel, Call for the Dead, in 1961 while still a secret servant. 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, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People. At the end of the Cold War, le Carre widened his scope to explore an international landscape including the arms trade and the War on Terror. His memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel, was published in 2016 and the last George Smiley novel, A Legacy of Spies, appeared in 2017. He died on 12 December 2020. His posthumous novel, Silverview, was published in 2021.

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