George Smiley

     I started to get interested in this book, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre, this year due to an article in Booklist magazine by Will Manley. There was a new movie of this book coming out and the author said he just couldn't see anyone else besides Alec Guiness playing George Smiley, the chief operator in the book, a M16 spy for the "circus". That piqued my interest. Then I found a copy of the book in our library catalog with Frank Muller as the reader. Another famous name, someone really known for his excellent reading of audio books and I wanted to listen to him read the book. I would also read the book myself at times. It was hard to follow at first, but the audio helps. George Smiley is retired, and the authorities come to him to research undercover for a mole in the organization. I think that Frank Muller deliberately "did" the voice of Alec Guiness, the man famous for his role as George Smiley. It is filled with tension, especially as they get closer to trapping the spy. I have read le Carre years ago, and it's his detail, his dialog, and drama that all set his work apart. Because there is so much detail, description, that it makes the novel harder to follow than the sparse, action-now thrillers that are so popular. It is worth sticking with, George Smiley is one character that grows on you, the reader feels for his desperation in finding the mole. I also found out that Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a trilogy, so I am now reading, ie. listening to The Honorable Schoolboy, part 2of the trilogy. It is read by Michael Jayston. Frank Muller died in 2008. I notice that Jayston also does the voice of George Smiley as Alec Guiness. By the way, I did watch the BBC production of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, a six hour production that was excellent. Now to compare it to the new version with Gary Oldman in the key role.