The Tailor of Panama
£0.01
Disappointing - A rather disappointing novel - not up to Le Carre s usual standard. Set in Panama, a garrulous and imaginative tailor to the great and good is recruited as a spy. His fabrications have unforeseen and tragic consequences. While sections of it are enjoyable, they are set in a mediocre whole, along with some chapters that are so dull it was a struggle to keep reading.The principle character, Pendel the tailor, is irritating. Some of the supporting characters are more interesting but because the book focuses on Pendel they provide only brief enjoyable interludes. Although the principle behind the story is a good idea, it becomes bogged down in complex politics and I found it disjointed and hard to keep the thread of the story. The two star rating reflects the fact that this isn t an actively bad novel, just rather lacklustre. It does have some good parts which show glimpses of Le Carre s normal quality of writing. This is probably a novel for dedicated fans of the genre only. For non-fans I d recommend trying another of Le Carre s novels instead.
A tangled web... - Interesting spy thriller set in Panama after the collapse of the Noriega regime. Excellent sense of time and place and of the desperation of the characters making the best of a confusing time where no-one is sure of their future. At the centre of this Pendel, the Tailor, and Osnard, a British agent, each weave lies over lies and attempt to create their own realities, that in the end must crumble despite their ever more frantic story-telling.
If you saw the movie, Do not read - The plot though rather good, could not keep my attention. Some of the characters are well written, but others, seem to drag the book down. The book does not flow and you will find yourself putting it down to do something. The story is a satire on the time when America has just handed over the Panama canal. Though I cannot believe that any agency would fall for the information that was passed on by Harry, the tailor and would be spy. Of course I read the whole book, becasue my rule is once you start ....finish it. Other wise I would have put it down. Just watch the movie.
What s all the fuss about? - I m surprised by the rave reviews on this site. I bought the book expecting to like it, but I was disappointed. This was my first Le Carre novel, and after devouring several of Forsyth s and Follet s efforts, I was looking forward to this one, but I think Le Carre should stick to doing what he does best: writing thrillers, not trying to reproduce a Graham Greene classic. Panama comes across as ugly and boring, I couldn t get myself interested in the main characters, not even Mickie Abraxas or Harry Pendel, and certainly not the Watford-born rogue spy. I thought the British Ambassador, Maltby, was truly funny though, and is the only character who made me laugh. I ve since read The Spy who came in from the Cold, which I couldn t put down. I know which Le Carre I prefer.
Le Carre Does Our Man in Havana - If you read and liked Graham Greene s Our Man in Havana, I predict you will like The Tailor of Panama. The books have many similarities, especially in their satirical treatment of the spying establishment and those who serve it.If you have not read Our Man in Havana, be aware that this book is not at all like any other Le Carre spy book you have read before. So if you are looking for another of his great reads in the genre of The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, The Looking Glass War, A Small Town in Germany, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley s People, this is the wrong book for you.On the other hand, if you are open-minded enough to wonder what Le Carre s idea of humor would like in making fun of spies, spying, and spy novels, then you have come to the right place. This is one of the two great satires of this sort. Our Man in Havana is the other. I recommend them both, when you are in the mood for that kind of a story.As I read this book, I was constantly reminded of stories that often surface in the newspaper about spies who have been working both sides against the middle to improve their incomes. Eric Ambler was drawn to that theme, and Mr. Carre seems to share that fascination in this book.In a broader sense, the satire here is really about the foibles we all have. If you have an easy time laughing at yourself, you may find moments when you see yourself in the mirror through Le Carre s fine novel.