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Silverview
In Silverview, John le Carré turns his focus to the world that occupied his writing for the past sixty years--the secret world itself.
Julian Lawndsley has renounced his high-flying job in the City for a simpler life running a bookshop in a small English seaside town. But only a couple of months into his new career, Julian's evening is disrupted by a visitor. Edward, a Polish émigré living in Silverview, the big house on the edge of town, seems to know a lot about Julian's family and is rather too interested in the inner workings of his modest new enterprise.
When a letter turns up at the door of a spy chief in London warning him of a dangerous leak, the investigations lead him to this quiet town by the sea . . .
Silverview is the mesmerising story of an encounter between innocence and experience and between public duty and private morals. In this last complete masterwork from the greatest chronicler of our age, John le Carré asks what you owe to your country when you no longer recognize it.
Julian Lawndsley has renounced his high-flying job in the City for a simpler life running a bookshop in a small English seaside town. But only a couple of months into his new career, Julian's evening is disrupted by a visitor. Edward, a Polish émigré living in Silverview, the big house on the edge of town, seems to know a lot about Julian's family and is rather too interested in the inner workings of his modest new enterprise.
When a letter turns up at the door of a spy chief in London warning him of a dangerous leak, the investigations lead him to this quiet town by the sea . . .
Silverview is the mesmerising story of an encounter between innocence and experience and between public duty and private morals. In this last complete masterwork from the greatest chronicler of our age, John le Carré asks what you owe to your country when you no longer recognize it.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 2021
About the author
John le Carré
171 books8,583 followersJohn le Carré, the pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell (born 19 October 1931 in Poole, Dorset, England), was an English author of espionage novels. Le Carré had resided in St Buryan, Cornwall, Great Britain, for more than 40 years, where he owned a mile of cliff close to Land's End.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,958 reviews
October 18, 2021
A definite winner for me.
The tale that connects the present with the distant and not so distant past, secrets and the ways the spy world operates. John le Carre knows how to uncover the truth in a most teasing way and how to make a reader speculate on the possible interconnections, subtleties and well-masked deeds.
The writing style, the language and the characters remind me a little of The Delicate Truth and The Constant Gardener which I could read non-stop. I always love the language, indiosyncratic for le Carre, and being a non-native speaker of English, I dive into it and learn, learn, learn ...
And let me just add that Mr Toby Jones does a terrific job with the interpretation of this book. His voice and diction match the story splendidly. You are the best, Mr Jones!
The tale that connects the present with the distant and not so distant past, secrets and the ways the spy world operates. John le Carre knows how to uncover the truth in a most teasing way and how to make a reader speculate on the possible interconnections, subtleties and well-masked deeds.
The writing style, the language and the characters remind me a little of The Delicate Truth and The Constant Gardener which I could read non-stop. I always love the language, indiosyncratic for le Carre, and being a non-native speaker of English, I dive into it and learn, learn, learn ...
And let me just add that Mr Toby Jones does a terrific job with the interpretation of this book. His voice and diction match the story splendidly. You are the best, Mr Jones!
November 13, 2022
Stewart Proctor is in the upper echelons of the British Secret Service and - during and after the Cold War - oversaw the handlers who actually recruited and ran spies.
During the Bosnian war, a husband and wife team of handlers recruited a Polish polylinguist named Edward Avon, an avid anti-communist eager to help the British cause.
Avon was to integrate himself into Serbian and Bosnian communities, gather data, and report back to his handlers, who would pass the information to Proctor.
Edward was considered a prize acquisition, and when his spy career ended, he moved to a British seaside region called East Anglia and got married.
In the present day, Secret Service honcho Stewart Proctor gets a letter from a British agent, which leads him to launch an investigation into Edward Avon.
Meanwhile, back in East Anglia, Julian Lawndsley- who got rich in London's business world - recently quit the rat race and opened a bookstore.
Julian is happy to chat when (former spy) Edward Avon drops into the bookstore one evening, since the gentleman with the European accent is amiable and erudite. Julian learns that Edward and his wife Deborah live on a ritzy East Anglian estate called Silverview, and that Deborah has terminal cancer.
Before long Edward convinces Julian to create an annex in the bookstore's basement called the Republic of Literature, which will carry 'literary books.' Edward will select and order the books using Julian's computer.
Julian soon learns that Edward once had a business deal with a local bric-a-brac store, to sell his wife's blue and white porcelain. This endeavor also required using the shop's computer.
Julian thinks nothing of all this, but the reader gets suspicious....especially when Edward asks for additional favors from Julian.
Meanwhile, spymaster Stewart Proctor is traveling around England interviewing people who knew Avon in his espionage days, trying to re-create Edward's history with the Secret Service.
In the course of the story we get a peek into the lives of intelligence agents, who have spouses and children like the rest of society, but whose work takes a huge toll on their personal lives. We also learn the truth about Edward Avon, and it's an interesting revelation.
This is John le Carré's last novel, published after his death, and it's not the writer's best work (in my opinion). Still, for people who like stories about spies and spycraft, the book is worth reading.
Author John le Carré
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
November 4, 2021
3.5 ☆
Before succumbing to cancer, a worried wife performs one last act of duty to the Service and couriers a secret warning. As Head of Domestic Security, Stewart Proctor must decide whether it's nothing more than a private marital spat or a revelation of treason that requires follow-up.
Julian Lawndsley has cast off the shackles of the rat race in the City's financial corridors for a simpler life in a small seaside town in East Anglia. Edward Avon pops up at Julian's new bookstore. In his rich and compelling voice, slightly tinged with a foreign cadence, Edward proclaims a friendship with Julian's father during their public school days. Edward is married to Deborah whose family estate Silverview is perched at the far side of town and which has a view of the sea. And in short order with subtle maneuvering, Edward soon entangles Julian into his schemes...
John le Carré died in December 2020, and he had left behind a slim unpublished manuscript, Silverview. In the afterword, the author's son stated that this draft had needed little editing as it had been repeatedly worked upon and then put aside since 2013. Compared with the complex plots of the George Smiley Karla trilogy, Silverview is a simpler, yet still oblique, tale of spies, thwarted foreign policies, and a frustrated Intelligence Service which may have further muddied the waters.
After reading nearly a dozen le Carré novels, his touch is apparent in the cynicism and in the less than adulatory assessment of the Service which dissembles its goals from its own people. Silverview is just as polished as Agent Running in the Field, the last book published while le Carre was alive, though it lacks the passion that fueled the acerbic wit of the latter. Most of this story is viewed in the rearview mirror as key events had transpired during the Cold War and then in the Bosnian War. Silverview is far from le Carré's best but it's still an appreciated parting memento from the great espionage writer.
My review was published first at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/si...
My only wise words of advice ... A radical's a radical. Doesn't matter whether he's an ex-Communist or an ex anything else. He's the same chap. You don't change your reasoning just because your conclusion's changed. Human nature.
Before succumbing to cancer, a worried wife performs one last act of duty to the Service and couriers a secret warning. As Head of Domestic Security, Stewart Proctor must decide whether it's nothing more than a private marital spat or a revelation of treason that requires follow-up.
No more air-conditioned treadmills, sunlamps and saunas for him, thank you; no more alcoholic revels to celebrate another dicey, socially useless financial coup, and the one-night stands that inevitably follow. London man is dead.
Julian Lawndsley has cast off the shackles of the rat race in the City's financial corridors for a simpler life in a small seaside town in East Anglia. Edward Avon pops up at Julian's new bookstore. In his rich and compelling voice, slightly tinged with a foreign cadence, Edward proclaims a friendship with Julian's father during their public school days. Edward is married to Deborah whose family estate Silverview is perched at the far side of town and which has a view of the sea. And in short order with subtle maneuvering, Edward soon entangles Julian into his schemes...
[Julian] was learning to see the entire Avon clan and its offshoots as being united, not in the secrets they shared, but in the secrets they kept from one another.
John le Carré died in December 2020, and he had left behind a slim unpublished manuscript, Silverview. In the afterword, the author's son stated that this draft had needed little editing as it had been repeatedly worked upon and then put aside since 2013. Compared with the complex plots of the George Smiley Karla trilogy, Silverview is a simpler, yet still oblique, tale of spies, thwarted foreign policies, and a frustrated Intelligence Service which may have further muddied the waters.
The truth is, old boy ... we didn't do much to alter the course of human history, did we? As one old spy to another, I reckon I'd have been more use running a boys' club.
After reading nearly a dozen le Carré novels, his touch is apparent in the cynicism and in the less than adulatory assessment of the Service which dissembles its goals from its own people. Silverview is just as polished as Agent Running in the Field, the last book published while le Carre was alive, though it lacks the passion that fueled the acerbic wit of the latter. Most of this story is viewed in the rearview mirror as key events had transpired during the Cold War and then in the Bosnian War. Silverview is far from le Carré's best but it's still an appreciated parting memento from the great espionage writer.
My review was published first at https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/si...
November 1, 2021
This book was disappointing for me. I generally like John le Carre, but found Silverview confusing and disjointed, and the pay-off in the end was meh. I just didn't know what was going on most of the time. The characters were shallow, every one an enigma of some sort. But as a result, I did not care about any of them.
Even the writing felt off. Lots of sentence fragments, dialogue that isn't dialogue, maybe it's in their heads, maybe it's said out loud, not sure who is speaking at times -- seriously, quotation marks were invented for a reason. I can see why he had not published it. The psychology of it and the (not-so-subtle) underlying criticism of British Intelligence and foreign policy are the high points.
Even the writing felt off. Lots of sentence fragments, dialogue that isn't dialogue, maybe it's in their heads, maybe it's said out loud, not sure who is speaking at times -- seriously, quotation marks were invented for a reason. I can see why he had not published it. The psychology of it and the (not-so-subtle) underlying criticism of British Intelligence and foreign policy are the high points.
Read
February 20, 2022I must preface this by saying that John Le Carre is the writer whose career trajectory I most admire and would most like to emulate. His earliest books were fairly simple, even The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. As he continued to write, he continued to grow artistically until he was writing such masterpieces as A Perfect Spy and The Constant Gardener. I always refer to him as "the incomparable John Le Carre" and I was very sad to hear of his death in December 2020. This, then is his final novel. Prior to passing away, he asked his youngest son to make sure it was published. It's vintage Le Carre. I think of his approach to novel writing as a take-no-prisoners affair in that he assumes readers are going to follow the plot no matter how convoluted it becomes and no matter how few times he's mentioned a character's name. This holds true for his final novel. It's very brief but as complicated as his longer works. There are spies, former spies, conflicted spies, and betraying spies. There are those who are duped and there are those that do the duping. Ultimately the book tells the story of how a terrible crime against a family during the war in Bosnia and Serbia turned a master spy into a master traitor. I truly loved it.
October 16, 2021
Released 14th October 21, the last published book of the late John LeCarre, a literary giant.
*****************************
“Who are you Edward?- you who have been so many people and pretended to be still others? Who do we find when we’ve pulled away the layers of disguise? Or were you only ever the sum of all your disguises?”
A chance encounter between Edward Avon, from the Bosnian intelligence force and Julian Lawndsley, a bookshop owner from East Anglia plus a letter that turns up at the door of a spy chief warning him of a dangerous leak, are all the ingredients needed to create a heightened level of suspense from the opening pages.
This chance encounter is in fact a meeting between the master and the novice as the somewhat naïve Lawndsley is persuaded to set up a new book venture in the unused basement of his shop to be called “Republic of Literature” and is furthermore manipulated into delivering a message to a woman in London that Edward claims to be having an affair with. In the meantime, Proctor, Head of domestic security, investigates Edwards’s days and involvement in the Bosnian war and with the hints of defection the story leads us through a path of deceit and lies, as more is revealed about all the characters and the plot in the book.
Whilst LeCarre draws the reader into playing their part and can sometimes leave the book endings with its own level of suspense, it begs the question if perhaps on this occasion he did not get round to finishing the book properly. But then again, this is what we know of Silverview. It was believed to be finished in 2016 only to be released posthumous on 14th October 21, at LeCarre’s request. No explanation was given by his family or his editor as to why LeCarre did not want the book published during his lifetime when he went on to write two more novels, but this is the last of LeCarre’s books to be published.
What we do get from the book is more insight into LeCarre’s view of the intelligence service and its monstrous bureaucracy, and the incongruity of the secret world of the intelligence services, in his view, in need of reform. Perhaps his timely release is to encourage the reflection on the relationship between the nation’s government and its people. When two old spies meet, the comment reflects not just the tone and view in the book but also of LeCaree’s own personal view
“We didn’t do much to alter the course of human history did we? Philip replies ��.. as one old spy to another I would have been more use running a boys club”
No doubt this will become one of the best sellers in 2021, and one of the most anticipated novels this autumn since the death of the wonderfully talented legend that is John LeCarre. The popularity of John LeCarre’s body of work is enormous and has brought him world wide acclaim as the best spy novelist ever. I would certainly endorse that view having read so many of LeCarre’s books and enjoyed so many of the film adaptions of his novels. However, I wish the master of espionage had left us with one of the biggest achievements of his career and unfortunately Silverview did not achieve that in my opinion. Nevertheless, this is a novella at 200 pages, but it still possesses all the intrigue we come to expect from LeCarre, I adore his writing style, the multi-layered and complex nature of his plots and he will always remain one of my favourites authors of all time.
*****************************
“Who are you Edward?- you who have been so many people and pretended to be still others? Who do we find when we’ve pulled away the layers of disguise? Or were you only ever the sum of all your disguises?”
A chance encounter between Edward Avon, from the Bosnian intelligence force and Julian Lawndsley, a bookshop owner from East Anglia plus a letter that turns up at the door of a spy chief warning him of a dangerous leak, are all the ingredients needed to create a heightened level of suspense from the opening pages.
This chance encounter is in fact a meeting between the master and the novice as the somewhat naïve Lawndsley is persuaded to set up a new book venture in the unused basement of his shop to be called “Republic of Literature” and is furthermore manipulated into delivering a message to a woman in London that Edward claims to be having an affair with. In the meantime, Proctor, Head of domestic security, investigates Edwards’s days and involvement in the Bosnian war and with the hints of defection the story leads us through a path of deceit and lies, as more is revealed about all the characters and the plot in the book.
Whilst LeCarre draws the reader into playing their part and can sometimes leave the book endings with its own level of suspense, it begs the question if perhaps on this occasion he did not get round to finishing the book properly. But then again, this is what we know of Silverview. It was believed to be finished in 2016 only to be released posthumous on 14th October 21, at LeCarre’s request. No explanation was given by his family or his editor as to why LeCarre did not want the book published during his lifetime when he went on to write two more novels, but this is the last of LeCarre’s books to be published.
What we do get from the book is more insight into LeCarre’s view of the intelligence service and its monstrous bureaucracy, and the incongruity of the secret world of the intelligence services, in his view, in need of reform. Perhaps his timely release is to encourage the reflection on the relationship between the nation’s government and its people. When two old spies meet, the comment reflects not just the tone and view in the book but also of LeCaree’s own personal view
“We didn’t do much to alter the course of human history did we? Philip replies ��.. as one old spy to another I would have been more use running a boys club”
No doubt this will become one of the best sellers in 2021, and one of the most anticipated novels this autumn since the death of the wonderfully talented legend that is John LeCarre. The popularity of John LeCarre’s body of work is enormous and has brought him world wide acclaim as the best spy novelist ever. I would certainly endorse that view having read so many of LeCarre’s books and enjoyed so many of the film adaptions of his novels. However, I wish the master of espionage had left us with one of the biggest achievements of his career and unfortunately Silverview did not achieve that in my opinion. Nevertheless, this is a novella at 200 pages, but it still possesses all the intrigue we come to expect from LeCarre, I adore his writing style, the multi-layered and complex nature of his plots and he will always remain one of my favourites authors of all time.
October 26, 2021
When I was much younger, I stumbled upon the novel “ Call for the Dead.” I became entranced by John LeCarre, eagerly looking forward to each new release. I awaited the posthumously published “ Silverview” with a sense of anticipation and wistfulness, knowing that I would never again be able to savor a newly published book by this author.
This final book is a fitting addition to LeCarre’s body of work.For me, it is not fruitful to evaluate where the book ranks within his prodigious output.It is satisfying enough that”Silverview” contains the elements that have made me an avid follower of this author.He once again constructs a plot that centers around the mendacity and betrayals that are rooted in the human predilection for self delusion and willingness to believe justifications that reduce subtly shaded problems into simply accepted clarion calls to action.He embeds his themes in sinuously crafted narratives that reflect on bureaucratic incompetence, geopolitical turbulence and the role of institutions in impacting individual lives.
We are immediately thrust into a level of intrigue when a young lady,pushing a pram on a rainswept morning, delivers a secret letter to a spymaster in London.On that same morning there is a seemingly chance encounter in East Anglia between Edward Avon,a figure with a shadowy past, and Julian Lawndsley.Julian is a bookseller with little knowledge of books who has eschewed the pressures of a City financial trader to pursue a more tranquil life in a small seaside town.It soon becomes apparent that this is a meeting between a seducer and a naïf.Edward has past ties to the secret world.Julian is struggling to find his way in his newly chosen career and is grateful for Edward’s offer to help in selecting stock for the bookshop and in organizing Julian’s computers.As this process unfolds, the spymaster in London has examined the secret letter and departs for East Anglia to investigate a serious security leak.
LeCarre’s sparse, subtle prose slowly unwinds the serpentine plot and reveals backstories, delusions and nuances of social interactions in a constricted yet shifting milieu.People are watched,monitored and hunted.The characters confront truths about themselves and the ways in which they deceive themselves and others.
Ultimately, LeCarre’s legacy goes beyond that of a spy novelist. He distinguishes himself by his portrayal of the romance of seduction.In the process he prompts the reader to consider the difference between the face we present to the world and the inner secret view of self that every one harbors within. “ Silverview” is a worthy creation that forces us to consider this eternal conundrum.
This final book is a fitting addition to LeCarre’s body of work.For me, it is not fruitful to evaluate where the book ranks within his prodigious output.It is satisfying enough that”Silverview” contains the elements that have made me an avid follower of this author.He once again constructs a plot that centers around the mendacity and betrayals that are rooted in the human predilection for self delusion and willingness to believe justifications that reduce subtly shaded problems into simply accepted clarion calls to action.He embeds his themes in sinuously crafted narratives that reflect on bureaucratic incompetence, geopolitical turbulence and the role of institutions in impacting individual lives.
We are immediately thrust into a level of intrigue when a young lady,pushing a pram on a rainswept morning, delivers a secret letter to a spymaster in London.On that same morning there is a seemingly chance encounter in East Anglia between Edward Avon,a figure with a shadowy past, and Julian Lawndsley.Julian is a bookseller with little knowledge of books who has eschewed the pressures of a City financial trader to pursue a more tranquil life in a small seaside town.It soon becomes apparent that this is a meeting between a seducer and a naïf.Edward has past ties to the secret world.Julian is struggling to find his way in his newly chosen career and is grateful for Edward’s offer to help in selecting stock for the bookshop and in organizing Julian’s computers.As this process unfolds, the spymaster in London has examined the secret letter and departs for East Anglia to investigate a serious security leak.
LeCarre’s sparse, subtle prose slowly unwinds the serpentine plot and reveals backstories, delusions and nuances of social interactions in a constricted yet shifting milieu.People are watched,monitored and hunted.The characters confront truths about themselves and the ways in which they deceive themselves and others.
Ultimately, LeCarre’s legacy goes beyond that of a spy novelist. He distinguishes himself by his portrayal of the romance of seduction.In the process he prompts the reader to consider the difference between the face we present to the world and the inner secret view of self that every one harbors within. “ Silverview” is a worthy creation that forces us to consider this eternal conundrum.
October 14, 2021
Hard to close the book on this one. I'll write more. Read it on a flight from Maine to DFW. Not quite a novel but a lovely novella by one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century.
February 1, 2022
Τρία χρόνια πέρασαν από την τελευταία φορά που διάβασα βιβλίο του Τζον Λε Καρέ, και πραγματικά απορώ με τον εαυτό μου, γιατί ενώ μου αρέσει σαν συγγραφέας, τον έχω παραμελήσει τόσο πολύ: Αυτό είναι μόλις το πέμπτο βιβλίο του που διαβάζω! Τέλος πάντων, θέλω να ελπίζω ότι θα επανορθώσω από εδώ και πέρα. Λοιπόν, το "Σίλβερβιου" είναι το τελευταίο δημοσιευμένο μυθιστόρημα του μαιτρ των κατασκοπευτικών ιστοριών και είναι ένα λιτό και απέριττο αλλά συνάμα οξυδερκές κατασκοπευτικό δράμα, που αναδεικνύει με ρεαλιστικό και ανθρώπινο τρόπο τον κόσμο των μυστικών υπηρεσιών, τον κόσμο των κατασκόπων, που και αυτοί άνθρωποι είναι, με προβλήματα και αδυναμίες, όπως όλοι. Μια κάποια προσοχή τη θέλει κατά την ανάγνωση, γίνεται λίγο περίπλοκο και αμφίσημο εδώ κι εκεί -όπως νομίζω όλες οι ιστορίες του συγγραφέα-, σίγουρα δεν τα δίνει όλα έτοιμα στο πιάτο ο Λε Καρέ, εξάλλου ο κόσμος των κατασκόπων είναι γεμάτος μπερδέματα, ψευδείς πληροφορίες, λάθη και παραλείψεις. Η γραφή είναι πολύ καλή, χωρίς φιοριτούρες και πολυλογίες, με λεπτή αίσθηση του χιούμορ και τον απαραίτητο κυνισμό. Γαμώτο, πρέπει να διαβάζω συχνότερα Τζον Λε Καρέ: Κάνει καλό.
October 17, 2021
This has the feel of a valedictory book, suffused as it is with a backward-looking, retrospective narrative - all the real 'action' as such has already taken place during the Cold War and Bosnian conflict, and in the present there's both a piecing together of this past story and an understanding of the consequences which have ensued.
It's no surprise, then, that the spymasters are largely aged, ill, dying - and the Service itself feels a bit of a has-been, looking back to its glory days while struggling now with maintaining a place in the world which Britain has, largely, lost.
This isn't, for me, vintage le Carré but it's still astute in political terms.
It's no surprise, then, that the spymasters are largely aged, ill, dying - and the Service itself feels a bit of a has-been, looking back to its glory days while struggling now with maintaining a place in the world which Britain has, largely, lost.
This isn't, for me, vintage le Carré but it's still astute in political terms.
October 17, 2021
This was such a brilliant story! I think it ranks up there with his classic The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. All the moral ambiguities that are standard in
LeCarre’s characters are front and center in Silverview. Highly recommend. Sorry it’s his last novel.
LeCarre’s characters are front and center in Silverview. Highly recommend. Sorry it’s his last novel.
June 19, 2023
I've owned this book for months, but never got around to reading it. I revere the writing of Mr. LeCarre, and was afraid an underweight novel published posthumously would sour what has been, until now, a great source of wisdom and fun for me.
O ye of little faith. This novel was as close to perfect as anything else he's written.
The way he describes people! At a funeral:
And the way he explains his plots! Here, an active spy is approaching two people retired from spying, explaining that he's in charge of putting together training exercises. He enlists their help, asking them about a particular incident on which he wants to prepare a 'case study' for junior cadets to learn from in spook school. He does not mention any names, only the city in which the incident took place.
'Spencer' is a fake name I put in to avoid a spoiler, but what a great way to illustrate that he hasn't fooled the retirees for one moment. Up until this point in the story, we've had no indication that Spencer is in trouble. Classic LeCarre -- don't spell anything out; have your characters evade and deflect and never come out and make clear statements, but when necessary, clue in the reader to what's really important by having somebody cut through all the bullshit floating around.
Back to Lily a moment -- I don't belive her name was chosen coincidentally, for Death stalks these pages at closer range than many of his other novels. In this case, not only are the ongoing lives of many characters in question, but the entire class structure of the British has been transferred to hospice.
And back to Proctor: "Like all families of its kind, the Proctors knew from birth that the spiritual sanctum of its ruling classes was its secret services."
What a happy note to end my LeCarre career on.
O ye of little faith. This novel was as close to perfect as anything else he's written.
The way he describes people! At a funeral:
The vestry door stood open. Rush crosses on the wall. The incense of his childhood but no Vicar and no Lily. He kept going and found her standing in a patch of deep grass, between two vast buttresses, a Victorian waif in a black cloche hat and a long skirt. At her feet, a small mountain of red wreaths and flowers.To me, this is as close to a photograph or even film clip inserted into text as I'm every likely to find. In England, far to the north of where most people in the US live, the sun rides lower on the horizon, and I can see the slanting light, smell the wet grass, and almost feel the rough gray stone on the wall behind her.
And the way he explains his plots! Here, an active spy is approaching two people retired from spying, explaining that he's in charge of putting together training exercises. He enlists their help, asking them about a particular incident on which he wants to prepare a 'case study' for junior cadets to learn from in spook school. He does not mention any names, only the city in which the incident took place.
'And, just to be on the safe side,' said Proctor (the active spy), resorting to a more formal tone, 'although the subject of the case history we'd like you to tell us about is alive and kicking, we do not propose to alert him in any way to our interest. Put officially, all contact with him is strictly embargoed until you're advised otherwise. Is that fully understood?
To which Joan let out a long-drawn-out sigh, and said, "Oh dear. Poor Spencer. What have you gone and done now?"
'Spencer' is a fake name I put in to avoid a spoiler, but what a great way to illustrate that he hasn't fooled the retirees for one moment. Up until this point in the story, we've had no indication that Spencer is in trouble. Classic LeCarre -- don't spell anything out; have your characters evade and deflect and never come out and make clear statements, but when necessary, clue in the reader to what's really important by having somebody cut through all the bullshit floating around.
Back to Lily a moment -- I don't belive her name was chosen coincidentally, for Death stalks these pages at closer range than many of his other novels. In this case, not only are the ongoing lives of many characters in question, but the entire class structure of the British has been transferred to hospice.
And back to Proctor: "Like all families of its kind, the Proctors knew from birth that the spiritual sanctum of its ruling classes was its secret services."
What a happy note to end my LeCarre career on.
June 15, 2023
I haven't always been a fan of this author. But when I saw that a character was going to be running a bookstore, I thought, why not give this book a try. Hmmm...
I am now bringing my review to Goodreads.
Death and spys have been typical le Carre. He seemed to know that espionage is a nasty business that attracts readers. And look how well he has done with his books being translated into film. But rarely has death been so central or so painful.
And no doubt, at 89, this being his last book, he may have been thinking about his own legacy.
Interestingly, his main character, only appears fleetingly and she is the one who is revealing her pending death - and yet it is central to the book. Is le Carre also being revealing about himself, too?
Complicating matters is the presence of her alive husband who inserts himself into the life of the bookseller, Julian. (Remember? His character was the one that attracted me to the book in the first place.)
Julian has moved to a quiet seaside town with dreams of opening a bookshop. By chance - or is it?
There is a lot of anger amongst the characters. Lots of frustrations. Despair and frustration about barbarities committed in the name of geopolitical interests. It comes out through the characters. Is this the authors last chance to say what he needed before he left us?
I am now bringing my review to Goodreads.
Death and spys have been typical le Carre. He seemed to know that espionage is a nasty business that attracts readers. And look how well he has done with his books being translated into film. But rarely has death been so central or so painful.
And no doubt, at 89, this being his last book, he may have been thinking about his own legacy.
Interestingly, his main character, only appears fleetingly and she is the one who is revealing her pending death - and yet it is central to the book. Is le Carre also being revealing about himself, too?
Complicating matters is the presence of her alive husband who inserts himself into the life of the bookseller, Julian. (Remember? His character was the one that attracted me to the book in the first place.)
Julian has moved to a quiet seaside town with dreams of opening a bookshop. By chance - or is it?
There is a lot of anger amongst the characters. Lots of frustrations. Despair and frustration about barbarities committed in the name of geopolitical interests. It comes out through the characters. Is this the authors last chance to say what he needed before he left us?
October 13, 2021
At this time in the pandemic (October 2021) what I needed was a gripping tale that I could get lost in for about a week or so to escape the endless chatter about Covid or whether the Chinese were about to engulf the world - or at least eat Taiwan as an appetizer. Imagine my delight when I found a Le Carre book that I had not read, and his final book at that! So, oh great god Amazon, bring it forth for my reading pleasure, and the god obliged with it's usual speed, efficiency and disregard for cardboard.
After ripping off the cardboard and disposing of the inflatable bags, I was initially disappointed to see how thin the book was - less than 300 pages. This will not occupy a full week , I thought, and so it proved to be for I devoured it in two relatively short sittings, or rather lying downs. It was great, up to Le Carre's usual standard. Despite the initial or obvious lack of a adversary or an amiable foreign agent, I was hooked from the outset and read vocaciously to discover who was part of the Circus, who wasn't and what they were all up to. I loved the main characters, several of which had fascinating back stories ..... but you will have to read it to find out more. i think I will now go back and re-read all his books...
After ripping off the cardboard and disposing of the inflatable bags, I was initially disappointed to see how thin the book was - less than 300 pages. This will not occupy a full week , I thought, and so it proved to be for I devoured it in two relatively short sittings, or rather lying downs. It was great, up to Le Carre's usual standard. Despite the initial or obvious lack of a adversary or an amiable foreign agent, I was hooked from the outset and read vocaciously to discover who was part of the Circus, who wasn't and what they were all up to. I loved the main characters, several of which had fascinating back stories ..... but you will have to read it to find out more. i think I will now go back and re-read all his books...
October 23, 2021
Final novel from John le Carre who died during December 2020. I'll be reading it as I have all his books!
Started reading the book two days ago. Just enjoying the read. Sigh. Did not want to rush this. My only alternative after this book is to go back and reread his entire output! Now that's an idea.....
I finished the book and had to think about what I'd read for a bit. The afterword by the author's son, who had promised to see the book through publication after his father died, helped a great deal. I don't want to say much else as you need to just read the book and decide things for yourself. For me, it's 5 stars for a lifetime of pleasure reading!
Started reading the book two days ago. Just enjoying the read. Sigh. Did not want to rush this. My only alternative after this book is to go back and reread his entire output! Now that's an idea.....
I finished the book and had to think about what I'd read for a bit. The afterword by the author's son, who had promised to see the book through publication after his father died, helped a great deal. I don't want to say much else as you need to just read the book and decide things for yourself. For me, it's 5 stars for a lifetime of pleasure reading!
August 28, 2023
After 2 of the 3 GR reviewers I trust most when it comes to le Carré (Beata and LCJ) gave this, his last novel, five stars, I knew it was one I shouldn’t miss. (Candi, you’re the third, and it doesn’t seem that you’ve read it yet. You probably should.)
Others may criticize Silverview for its lack of scope, or rehashing on a smaller scale territory previously covered. IMO, that is actually the strength of the book. It is one of the most accessible of his books, self-contained and understandable on its face. The secrets, as they unfold, fit together neatly. I suppose that if your fondness for le Carré is predicated on the opacity of the plots, this could be a shortcoming. It was not for me.
The moral ambiguity that le Carré builds into all his books is front and center in this one. The story unfolds from the perspective of two characters - Stewart Proctor, a member of MI6 in the waning days of his career, and Julian Laundsley, a young man who abandoned a successful career in finance to open a bookshop in a small town in East Anglia. Their mutual interest is Edward Avon, a Polish emigre, former agent for MI6, and friend of Julian’s father in his youth, who happens to live in the same town with his dying wife, an MI6 employee of great renown.
It is the moral dilemmas that have confronted Edward throughout his life that are the core of the book, with echoing repercussions for Proctor and Laundsley. Le Carré’s exquisite writing does not fail him here, as he adroitly describes people, places and issues with painful clarity, never going for the cheap, emotional shot, letting the stories tell themselves and allowing us to react as we see fit. As has been said so often, le Carré transcends genre fiction. Few authors in the last 60 years can match him in output and style.
Note: As Beata mentioned in her review, actor Toby Jones’ narration captures the story well.
Others may criticize Silverview for its lack of scope, or rehashing on a smaller scale territory previously covered. IMO, that is actually the strength of the book. It is one of the most accessible of his books, self-contained and understandable on its face. The secrets, as they unfold, fit together neatly. I suppose that if your fondness for le Carré is predicated on the opacity of the plots, this could be a shortcoming. It was not for me.
The moral ambiguity that le Carré builds into all his books is front and center in this one. The story unfolds from the perspective of two characters - Stewart Proctor, a member of MI6 in the waning days of his career, and Julian Laundsley, a young man who abandoned a successful career in finance to open a bookshop in a small town in East Anglia. Their mutual interest is Edward Avon, a Polish emigre, former agent for MI6, and friend of Julian’s father in his youth, who happens to live in the same town with his dying wife, an MI6 employee of great renown.
It is the moral dilemmas that have confronted Edward throughout his life that are the core of the book, with echoing repercussions for Proctor and Laundsley. Le Carré’s exquisite writing does not fail him here, as he adroitly describes people, places and issues with painful clarity, never going for the cheap, emotional shot, letting the stories tell themselves and allowing us to react as we see fit. As has been said so often, le Carré transcends genre fiction. Few authors in the last 60 years can match him in output and style.
Note: As Beata mentioned in her review, actor Toby Jones’ narration captures the story well.
February 7, 2022
I feel like I had a better grasp of the plot before I started reading this. A jumbled, unenjoyable mess.
October 17, 2021
Having read Mick Herron's review in The Guardian from October 14 (2021), I would recommend anyone interested in reading this book to check that out before reading this book. I simply jumped into the book based on author's previous works after excitedly checking it out from my library. I found myself mightily confused through much of the book.
There were major characters and events to follow, but it seemed to me like observing stick figures being moved about atop a shoebox theatre. Yes, it's about spooks, but these spooks are unusually spooky.
The title comes from the name of a house featured in the book, but Herron explains better than I can. At first I liked the main character who had left a city career and opened a book shop, but things happen to him that are hard to swallow. If I could advise, I would have told him to just stay in London.
Rest in peace, dear author.
Library Loan
There were major characters and events to follow, but it seemed to me like observing stick figures being moved about atop a shoebox theatre. Yes, it's about spooks, but these spooks are unusually spooky.
The title comes from the name of a house featured in the book, but Herron explains better than I can. At first I liked the main character who had left a city career and opened a book shop, but things happen to him that are hard to swallow. If I could advise, I would have told him to just stay in London.
Rest in peace, dear author.
Library Loan
November 26, 2021
This manuscript was discovered by John le Carre's son and seemed a fitting finale to his previous works. There is a lot of discourse and insight based upon earlier Cold War events. Julian, the main character, is a former London hotshot who flees his life there to open a bookshop in a small English village. He befriends Edward and is drawn into his world of secrets and spies. The clues and mysteries unravel through the atmosphere and dialogue of all the players. The different plots eventually converge. The melancholy of the disenchanted intelligence officers was only enhanced by my own sadness that this was John Le Carre's last novel.
December 9, 2021
The last book from the master, John le Carre, who we lost last year on Dec 12. An excellent read - highly recommend if you are a le Carre fan.
June 25, 2023
This year I note I read James Herbert’s last book and now John le Carre’s. I have to say I did not find Silverview as good as many who have critiqued it did. The characters did not seem as rich and fleshed out as in say a George Smiley. Could be because it was finished off by le Carre’s son. That said it was a clever plot and many references to Suffolk I could relate to - like the bookshop in Aldeburgh.
September 4, 2022
When I snagged this at the airport for a paltry $2 CAD, I'd hoped to get through it during my airport wait and a flight. Well, it ended up taking a bit longer due not to the quality of the writing, rather my inability to read when turbulence strikes. Nonetheless, my second le Carré novel--his last--was a poignant and taught spy novel.
When compared to The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, this novel/novella feels infinitely more provincial and narrowed in its focus. There's no grand attempt at espionage at the outset, and the reevaluation of past actions and loyalties reveals itself in alternating POV chapters. The opening chapter follows a proverbial bloodhound out to find the source of a leak from an esteemed and palliative colleague. The alternating chapters focus on former London banker, now real bookseller, Julian Lawndsley as he befriends the eccentric and charming Edward.
Where the book goes is half the excitement, but I found myself rather enamoured with le Carré's writing in this novel. He has a knack for a densely packed paragraph that brings a scene to life and stand-ins for dialogue that work quite well. Though the plot occasionally felt like it was evading me, a cursory examination of the ever-trustworthy Wikipedia article assures me I understood it all. It's a bit of a trick to get used to the writing in these novels, but one that pays dividends.
In the end, this was a welcome diversion from the thicker, more challenging piece of literature that's on my bedside table. I loved the ending and final line, which landed with much the same impact as The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. I suppose the man has a knack for endings and as far as final novels go, this is a fine send off.
When compared to The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, this novel/novella feels infinitely more provincial and narrowed in its focus. There's no grand attempt at espionage at the outset, and the reevaluation of past actions and loyalties reveals itself in alternating POV chapters. The opening chapter follows a proverbial bloodhound out to find the source of a leak from an esteemed and palliative colleague. The alternating chapters focus on former London banker, now real bookseller, Julian Lawndsley as he befriends the eccentric and charming Edward.
Where the book goes is half the excitement, but I found myself rather enamoured with le Carré's writing in this novel. He has a knack for a densely packed paragraph that brings a scene to life and stand-ins for dialogue that work quite well. Though the plot occasionally felt like it was evading me, a cursory examination of the ever-trustworthy Wikipedia article assures me I understood it all. It's a bit of a trick to get used to the writing in these novels, but one that pays dividends.
In the end, this was a welcome diversion from the thicker, more challenging piece of literature that's on my bedside table. I loved the ending and final line, which landed with much the same impact as The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. I suppose the man has a knack for endings and as far as final novels go, this is a fine send off.
January 6, 2024
"The thing is, old boy- between ourselves, don't tell the trainees or you'll lose your pension- we didn't do much to alter the course of human history, did we?"
The small things about Le Carre that I've found dull in the past still seemed dull. The allusions to marriage between spies and their inevitable affairs struck me- as Smiley's marriage problems did in TTSS- as very chaste and very English, and basically boring as hell. Also, as in TTSS, not all that much happens in real time. We learn more about the book's mysterious central figure, Edward, through a spy's debriefing than through Edward saying or doing very much. And yet I think it's a testament to Le Carre's skill that I was hooked into the mystery of this guy's life so effectively, and that it left me with so much to think about.
It's a strangely timely novel, I'd say.
I haven't read much about Le Carre a.k.a. Cornwell, and I don't know what the consensus is regarding his opinion of the people he used to work for, or theirs of him. But what I took away from Silverview was a sense of how antithetical the intelligence services are to anyone who develops a heretical moral viewpoint - the strange notion, for example, that the lives of Palestinians are just as inherently valuable as the lives of people in the west- or who develops the opinion that maybe the spooks shouldn't be entitled to the hermeticism of their classified world. Antithetical to any passionate ideological commitment, except of course for the one that's so ingrained- to the Queen in this case, is I guess how the British would put it- that the enlisted don't even recognize it as one. I felt that Le Carre was offering a glimpse into the kind of world these people would like to create (have created?), in which the only ones with access to vital information are those who know best- which is to say, not us. As one character puts it early on, "the spiritual sanctum of Britain's ruling classes was its secret services."
If that sounds overly polemical, though, blame me. The book itself isn't heavy-handed. But I don't think I'm entirely off-base either, because Le Carre's son speculates in the Afterword on the subject of why his father kept this more-or-less finished manuscript in a drawer, seemingly reluctant to publish it. And he concludes that maybe his dad didn't like what it suggested (perhaps more directly than usual) about his old co-workers.
Either way, there's something quietly powerful about this story. But it also has an opaque withholding quality, a reluctance to give up all its characters' secrets. It seems an appropriate last novel for a former spy.
November 12, 2021
Well that was an unexpected pleasant surprise. Chose this on a whim as an add-on to my BOTM pick, and glad I did. I’ve never read le Carre before and remember not liking the Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy movie, so this was a surprising choice. I liked the story and they way it unfolded. I do have a feeling that had he lived to “work” it some more and publish it when he was ready, it would have more “meat on the bones”. Alas, it is what it is. I enjoyed it.
October 14, 2021
I read John Le Carré’s Silverview today and what a joy it was! Le Carré truly was a master of his art and Silverview - a brilliantly crafted spy novel, fine-tuned to the precision of a Swiss clockwork - is a farewell worthy of Le Carré’s literary genius.
October 17, 2021
Masterful, gripping, thought-provoking and brilliant. As I read this I was both astounded and saddened knowing that it will be the last work that we receive from this, one of our greatest contemporary authors. Cheers to you and rest in peace David Cornwell!
October 22, 2021
A magnificent final work,from an extraordinary author.
August 9, 2022
A relatively short le Carre, published after his death. There is a touching afterword by his son in which he muses that his father may not have wanted the book published in his lifetime because it is less than complimentary about the Service that he loved and to which he was always loyal. He stresses that this is his theory only and is without foundation but, having read the book, I suppose it is possible.
Julian leaves the City to open up a bookshop on the Suffolk coast. He meets Edward Avon who tells him he’s an old school friend of his late father, befriends Julian, supports his business and asks some favours of him. Julian is not of an inquisitive nature. We know he’s not a great reader, despite opening a bookshop, and clearly he hasn’t read any spy novels or he might have been less naive! Enjoyable, a quick read, and a fitting cheerio from the master of all spy novel authors.
Julian leaves the City to open up a bookshop on the Suffolk coast. He meets Edward Avon who tells him he’s an old school friend of his late father, befriends Julian, supports his business and asks some favours of him. Julian is not of an inquisitive nature. We know he’s not a great reader, despite opening a bookshop, and clearly he hasn’t read any spy novels or he might have been less naive! Enjoyable, a quick read, and a fitting cheerio from the master of all spy novel authors.
November 11, 2021
"What can it have been like, he wondered, to be forged in that furnace of guilt and shame?
To know that even if you spend your whole life trying, you’ll never get rid of the stain?"
To know that even if you spend your whole life trying, you’ll never get rid of the stain?"
November 10, 2023
November 10, 2023 Update A possible continuation series has been announced with a new George Smiley novel set between the events of The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1963) and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1974) being written by John le Carré's son Nick Cornwell (who writes using the penname Nick Harkaway. Read further at The Guardian by Lucy Knight, November 10, 2023.
Final Secrets
Review of the Viking hardcover edition (October 12, 2021) released posthumously with the eBook/Audiobook.
I binged through several re-reads & first reads of John le Carré (1931-2020) novels after his passing and picked up the posthumously published novel Silverview almost immediately after its release. I wasn't very taken by its opening at that time and didn't follow through with reading it. Now I am re-binging Carré after reading A Private Spy: The Letters of John Le Carré (2022) and the memoir The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life (2016) and seeing the latter's film adaptation at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival in September.
As revealed in the author's letters, Silverview was not the final book that he was working on at the time of his death. If it had been completed, that would actually have been a collection of short stories revisiting the Smiley vs Karla battle of British vs Soviet spymasters. Silverview was written sometime after A Delicate Truth (2013) and put aside in 2014.
Photograph of John le Carré by Jonathan Player, Image sourced from The Guardian (see link below)
Even if Silverview isn't top drawer Carré, it is still interesting to read as an addendum to his writing. It does not feel fleshed out and is quite short at 200 pages or so. Carré's son Nick Cornwell (who otherwise writes science fiction under the penname of Nick Harkaway) was the editor for this posthumous release and provides an Introductory Note. As the letter to Stoppard reveals, Carré felt that he was revisiting previous themes of mole hunters and traitors without sufficient new insights and subplots.
Other Reviews
The Last Complete Masterwork? by Anthony Cummins, The Guardian, October 12, 2021.
Silverview Is Not the Defining Final Chapter of a Literary Career by Dan Stewart, Time, October 12, 2021.
John le Carré's Last Completed Spy Novel Crowns a Career Attuned to Moral Ambivalence by Joseph Finder, The New York Times, October 12, 2021.
Trivia and Link
John le Carré's home in Cornwall, England which was recently put up for sale. Image sourced from RightMove Co. UK. [Note: Links were working as of October 13, 2023. Image and link may no longer be available once the house is sold.]
Final Secrets
Review of the Viking hardcover edition (October 12, 2021) released posthumously with the eBook/Audiobook.
I binged through several re-reads & first reads of John le Carré (1931-2020) novels after his passing and picked up the posthumously published novel Silverview almost immediately after its release. I wasn't very taken by its opening at that time and didn't follow through with reading it. Now I am re-binging Carré after reading A Private Spy: The Letters of John Le Carré (2022) and the memoir The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life (2016) and seeing the latter's film adaptation at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival in September.
As revealed in the author's letters, Silverview was not the final book that he was working on at the time of his death. If it had been completed, that would actually have been a collection of short stories revisiting the Smiley vs Karla battle of British vs Soviet spymasters. Silverview was written sometime after A Delicate Truth (2013) and put aside in 2014.
Finished the novel, read it, wasn’t convinced, wasn’t moved, revisited too many old themes, & decided to dump it. - Excerpt from a letter to Tom Stoppard, dated 27 October, 2014 from A Private Spy: The Letters of John Le Carré
Le Carré’s reasons for withdrawing Silverview varied by the hour, along with whether it was ‘dumped’ or simply ‘shelved’. The book was kept at his home office, and he left the decision to publish or not with his heirs. - editorial comment from A Private Spy: The Letters of John Le Carré.
Photograph of John le Carré by Jonathan Player, Image sourced from The Guardian (see link below)
Even if Silverview isn't top drawer Carré, it is still interesting to read as an addendum to his writing. It does not feel fleshed out and is quite short at 200 pages or so. Carré's son Nick Cornwell (who otherwise writes science fiction under the penname of Nick Harkaway) was the editor for this posthumous release and provides an Introductory Note. As the letter to Stoppard reveals, Carré felt that he was revisiting previous themes of mole hunters and traitors without sufficient new insights and subplots.
Other Reviews
The Last Complete Masterwork? by Anthony Cummins, The Guardian, October 12, 2021.
Silverview Is Not the Defining Final Chapter of a Literary Career by Dan Stewart, Time, October 12, 2021.
John le Carré's Last Completed Spy Novel Crowns a Career Attuned to Moral Ambivalence by Joseph Finder, The New York Times, October 12, 2021.
Trivia and Link
John le Carré's home in Cornwall, England which was recently put up for sale. Image sourced from RightMove Co. UK. [Note: Links were working as of October 13, 2023. Image and link may no longer be available once the house is sold.]
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