John le Carré

OUR

GAME

A NOVEL

KNOPF (NY) (1995) — 1st trade edition

CONDITION:  VERY GOOD large book (~10 X 7 inches) with VERY GOOD cover.  Minor shelfwear at edges and corners.

From Reviews of this title:

… le Carre has never written more subtly or tellingly of the fate of agents doomed by their own success

Any reader who feared that the end of the cold war would deprive Mr. le Carre of his subject can now feel a measure of relief. If anything, his subject of East-West misunderstanding has grown richer, and he now possesses vast new territories to mine.

The key to le Carre's success is apparent here more than in earlier books. It lies not so much in the plot (relatively simple) or in the characters (relatively convoluted ). His strength is in the tough use of language to conjure up a scene so extraordinarily vivid that it stays in the memory. The use of contrasts is masterly.

Furious in action . . . takes us by the neck on page one and never lets go.

Irresistible . . . a sinuous plot, leisurely introduced, whose coils become increasingly constricting. There is crisp, intelligent dialogue, much of it riding an undercurrent of menace. And there is a hero who does not see himself as heroic but who struggles with inner demons as much as with the forces arrayed against him.

From other on line reviews (by readers):

This book is classic Le Carre.

I loved this book because it was different to JLC's normal work and because it is beautifully narrated by the master storyteller.

Sometimes you have to die to live. Sometimes you have to kill to love.

I had not read anything by le Carre’ in quite a while, and this book reminds me of why I enjoy his writing so much.

This is my second time through this novel. The first time was almost twenty years ago, when it was first released. Times have changed, and so have I, but this book remains an overlooked gem in a remarkable writing career. 

______________________