Superb Performance from Mr Jayston

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes - absolutely. I have to admit that I have tried to read the novel and watch the BBC series, and the first defeated me and the second completely baffled me. This is the first version of 'Tinker Tailor' I've actually got through and completely understood.

Who was your favorite character and why?

George Smiley is one of the great characters in fiction, and the tension of the relationship with his wife (who only appears fleetingly at the end of the novel) adds another dimension to an already complex and beautifully drawn character. However, this is a novel of great characters, so Tarr, Prideaux and the marvellous Connie also need an honourable mention, and the 'absent' characters (Anne and Karla) are as well drawn through the main characters' commentary as the characters who are present.

Which character – as performed by Michael Jayston – was your favourite?

Smiley, without a doubt. In s subtle way, Jayston channels the spirit of Alec Guiness in his performance, which is both appropriate to the character and makes it easier to distinguish Smiley's voice from the other characters.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It may have been better, as one tends to lose track if there are gaps between listening to parts of the novel.

Any additional comments?

As Jayston played Guillam in the original BBC series, he has an understanding of all of the dynamics and allows the listener to readily make sense of the complex plot - highly recommended.

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6 people found this helpful

The movie has nothing on the audio book

narration is wonderful
hooked on it from start to finish.
The movie does the book no justice no matter how many awards it got and all the top billing names, wasted potential.
highly recommend.

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Just fantastic

loved this book and the incredible performance of the reader. his skills brought the book alive with the characters becoming three dimensional and full of mystery not totally black or white but full of very many shades of grey.

worth spending time listening to this story for all of its twists and turns and s reminder of what cold war England was like.

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excellent book, well read by narrator

I though this book was excellent. I hadn't read the book before, but saw the BBC mini series and the movie. Incidentally, Michael Jayston was in the mini series as Peter Quillam. I don't know if that has influenced his narration here, as he seems to adopt the voices of his co-stars when reading their lines. Either way his narration is excellent.

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one of the finest spy books ever written

the story line is so detailed and in depth, it could be true. certainly if you enjoy smoke and mirrors, then you don't get any better than tinker tailor!

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One of the best spy books ever, shame about the audio quality...

Highly compressed audio sounds horrible, please audible give us the option of higher kbps so that Michael Jayston's voice can be heard in all of it's mellifluous glory

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Superb

Appreciating the quality of the 'Tinker, tailor..' story, when first published & then the supreme casting, performances & BBC production, I am now greatly impressed by this audio book. Michael Jayston's distinctive voice & characterisation, made Guillam the mainstay to Alec Guinness' definitive Smiley. It seems to me, that Jayston delivers all the best elements & characteristics of the fine voices in that production, quite brilliantly. An extraordinarily good tale introduced us to the inimitable Smiley & left the reader hungry for more. Little did we know...

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Brilliant story, beautifully read

Beautifully drawn characters. You are drawn in right from the beginning. I have listened to this many times and hear some small thing that is new every time that just makes it even better.

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Great production of Le Carré's masterpiece

Thinker Tailor Soldier Spy is widely considered to be one of the best novels ever written by John Le Carré, so much as to merit two distinct movie adaptations. It is in this intricate hunt for a mole within the top of the British Secret Service that Le Carré's recurring character of George Smiley really shines, both for his great abilities, but also for his great vulnerabilities.
The audiobook adaptation is well made. The narrator is known to be not that great with female characters, but in this novel those characters represent a very small part of the whole, so the overall quality is still very high.

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A true classic

This is brilliantly read by Michael Jayston , could not be bettered, each character distinct and wonderfully realised, if you want to hear another great book read by him try Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household

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