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The Russia House

By John le Carré
Series: The Penguin John le Carré Hardback Collection
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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
Barley Blair, a small-time publisher with a penchant for whisky and jazz, becomes entwined in espionage when a drunken encounter in Moscow leads him to a Soviet scientist with potentially earth-shattering information. Recruited by British Intelligence, Barley navigates a delicate liaison with Katya, a woman as disillusioned and isolated as he is, against the backdrop of a slowly thawing Cold War. Le Carré masterfully explores the fragile hope for humanity's future amidst betrayal and political intrigue.
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Ideal for readers who appreciate intricate spy novels with deep characterisation and a richly atmospheric exploration of Cold War tensions.

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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

A hardback series for le Carré collectors

The Russia House follows Barley Blair, who is not a Service man but rather a small-time publisher and a self-destructive soul whose only loves are whisky and jazz. One drunken night at a dacha in Peredelkino during the Moscow Book Fair, Barley befriends a high-ranking Soviet scientist who could be the greatest asset to the West since perestroika began, and makes a promise. Nearly a year later, his drunken promise returns to haunt him. A reluctant Barley is quickly trained by British Intelligence and sent to Moscow to liaise with a go-between, the beautiful Katya. Both are lonely and disillusioned, and each is increasingly certain that if the human race is to have any future, all must betray their countries...

In his first post-glasnost spy novel, le Carré captures the effect of a slow and uncertain thaw on ordinary people and the shadowy puppet-masters who command them.

Series: The Penguin John le Carré Hardback Collection

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  • The Russia House
    A hardback series for le Carré collectors The Russia House follows Barley Blair, who is not a Service man but rather a small-time publisher and a self-destructive soul whose only loves are whisky and jazz. One drunken night at a dacha in Peredelkino during the Moscow Book Fair, Barley befriends a high-ranking Soviet scientist who could be the greatest asset...
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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241337202

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 05 March 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 34.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 408g

Pages: 448

Collections

Fiction General Fiction John le Carré Literary Fiction Penguin Books Penguin Classics Series: The Penguin John le Carré Hardback Collection

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.

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