Little Drummer Girl and Other Stories cover art

Little Drummer Girl and Other Stories

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Little Drummer Girl and Other Stories

By: John le Carré
Narrated by: John le Carré
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About this listen

The Little Drummer Girl (Abridged): Charlie, a brilliant and beautiful young actress, is lured into 'the theatre of the real' by an Israeli intelligence officer. Forced to play her ultimate role, she is plunged into a deceptive and delicate trap set to ensnare an elusive Palestinian terrorist.

A Perfect Spy (Abridged): Magnus Pym, ranking diplomat, has vanished, believed defected. The chase is on: for a missing husband, a devoted father and a secret agent. Pym’s life, it is revealed, is entirely made up of secrets. Dominated by a father who is also a confidence trickster on an epic scale, Pym has, from the age of 17, been controlled by two mentors. It is these two, racing each other and time itself, who are orchestrating the search to find the perfect spy.

The Russia House (Abridged): It is the third summer of perestroika. Barley Blair, London publisher, receives a smuggled document from Moscow. Blair, jazz-loving, drink-marinated, dishevelled, is hardly to the taste of the spymasters, yet he has to be used—sent to the Soviet Union to make contact. Katya, the Moscow intermediary, is beautiful, thoughtful, equally sceptical of all state ideology. Together, as the safe clichés of hostility disintegrate, they may represent the future—an idea that is anathema to the entrenched espionage professionals on both sides.

©1983 David Cornwell / 1986 David Cornwell / 1989 David Cornwell (P)2015 Hodder & Stoughton
Espionage Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense

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Critic reviews

"An exciting story, excitingly told." (The Observer)

"An irresistible book...Charlie is the ultimate double agent." (The New York Times)

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Three of le Carré's finest novels expertly abridged without losing any critical threads. It's (almost) always an enjoyment to listen to authors reading their own works, and le Carré was one that never disappoints. However the quality of the recording is showing its age, especially "A Perfect Spy" (for whatever reason le Carré reads "The" Perfect Spy), which makes him sound like speaking from the bottom of a fish tank. Some engineering work could be done to sharpen the voice or heighten the pitch.

Le Carré at his best, quality of production not so

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Skilfully written and narrated, but I found it far too ornate. it's a study in story writing, but not an engaging novel I totally loved the Cold War novels. This is very different.

Very different to the Cold War novels

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