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The Secret Pilgrim

The Smiley Collection
By John le Carré
Series: The Smiley 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
The Secret Pilgrim follows Ned as he navigates the aftermath of the Cold War, now demoted to the training academy. He invites his old mentor, George Smiley, to address a passing-out class, where Smiley shares candid truths rather than polished stories. Through these reflections, Ned revisits his complex career spanning from Scotland to Europe and the Middle East, questioning the impact and cost of his life's work in espionage. This final Smiley novel offers a profound and humane exploration of loyalty, sacrifice, and the shadowy world of intelligence.
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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?

Ideal for readers who appreciate intricate spy novels, Cold War histories, and character-driven thrillers steeped in moral ambiguity. Fans of John le Carré's celebrated Smiley series will find this concluding volume compelling and thought-provoking.

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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

As we publish all of le Carré's work for the first time, the Smiley Collection offers a special look for the books featuring John le Carré's most iconic character – George Smiley.

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 Secret Pilgrim, the great spy gives his own humane and unexpected answers.

Series: The Smiley Collection

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241330944

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 27 February 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 111.0mm

Height: 181.0mm

Weight: 240g

Pages: 416

Collections

Crime & Thriller Fiction General Fiction History & Archaeology History & Military John le Carré Military History Penguin Books Penguin Classics Series: The Smiley Collection Spy & Espionage Thriller

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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