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The Secret Pilgrim

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( 8,643 ratings, 529 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
In The Secret Pilgrim, John le Carré takes readers into the world of espionage through the reflections of an aging spy, Ned. As he reflects on his career during a lecture by his former mentor, George Smiley, Ned shares insights into his experiences and the moral ambiguities of spy life. The novel explores themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the ever-evolving nature of international espionage.
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Format: Hardback
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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?

You might enjoy this book if you are fascinated by espionage tales filled with intrigue and reflecting on the tense atmosphere of the Cold War. It offers a compelling exploration of the life of spies, providing a reflective and thought-provoking narrative that delves deeply into themes of loyalty, identity, and the moral complexities faced in the world of intelligence.

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The Secret Pilgrim

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 Carre collectors

The Cold War is over and Ned has been demoted to the training academy. He asks his old mentor, George Smiley, to address his passing-out class. There are no laundered reminiscences; Smiley speaks the truth - perhaps the last the students will ever hear. As they listen, Ned recalls his own painful triumphs and inglorious failures, in a career that took him from the Western Isles of Scotland to Hamburg and from Israel to Cambodia.

He asks himself - Did it do any good? What did it do to me? And what will happen to us now? In this final Smiley novel, the great spy gives his own humane and unexpected answers.

Series: The Penguin John le Carré Hardback Collection

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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 Secret Pilgrim by John le Carré receives high praise for its exceptional writing and captivating storytelling. The "Mail on Sunday" acknowledges le Carré as delivering some of his finest work, while the "Observer" commends the book as both consummate and enthralling.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241337189

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 05 March 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 31.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 386g

Pages: 416

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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