The Honourable Schoolboy
by John le Carré · first published 1977
57% recommend43% neutral
In the aftermath of the events described in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, George Smiley attempts to bring the Circus back from the brink and undo the damage caused by the traitor/mole Bill Haydon while still pursuing his "arch nemesis" Karla.
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…find the US/Chinese intrigues (and an incident that has a similar ring to it as the above news article). I recommend the full trilogy, as the first two books set up the third. You might also try The Honourable Schoolboy by John Le Carré. Set primarily in Hong Kong, it's part spy novel, part sweeping tour of Southeast Asia just as the last dominos are falling to Communism in the 1970s. Although it's technically in the…
on “Killing C.I.A. Informants, China Crippled U.S. Spying Operations” ↗le Carré is one of my favorite authors. I was happy to see the article cover The Honourable Schoolboy, which is certainly overshadowed by some of his others, but which, to me, always packed the hardest emotional punch. After reading le Carré, it's impossible to see the world in the same way again. I…
on “Re-reading the novels of John le Carré” ↗Surprised that the 'The Honourable Schoolboy' hasn't received more mentions or discussion. Nominally a George Smiley book, it was the character of the 'honourable schoolboy' - Westerby - that dismantled the romanticism usually found in espionage…
on “John le Carré has died” ↗The whole Karla trilogy was great, but I enjoyed The Honourable Schoolboy the most. Loved the detail. Read the books before I watched the recent Tinker Tailor film. I think they utterly miscued the description of Jim's capture (if you please excuse the spoiler). In the book,…
on “Which Is the Best John Le Carré Novel? (2014)” ↗The Honourable Schoolboy? It absolutely has that vast grey nothingness of expectation, hope, attempt, and when something eventually does happen, it turns out to have happened already and there's nothing to do about it any more.…
on “What is the best John le Carré novel?” ↗I've read just about everything by Le Carré, including, of course, The Honourable Schoolboy. I might check out Steinhauer. I think I read something by him, but can't remember what.
on “Killing C.I.A. Informants, China Crippled U.S. Spying Operations” ↗…was great espionage drama, but I also think your Eurocentric bias is showing. I have often wondered why Asia has been continuously overlooked in the espionage TV drama stakes. Even John LeCarré's "The Honourable Schoolboy" never got adapted to the screen. My conclusion is that it is not due to a lack of good material but due to political and cultural reasons. Westerners are uncomfortable with portraying Asian geopolitical…
on “Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe” ↗