A Small Town in Germany: A Novel Paperback – March 5, 2013

I am revisiting John Le Carre bit by bit. I had not read this one, and took a chance. And what did I find? A diamond. As with all Le Carre books, you have to be a bit patient. Get through the "british" slang, and you are off and running. You really feel the tightening of the noose around the disaster in the making in a British embassy. You get a sense of the machine-like investigator - angry, challenging, threatening. Both jury, judge and executioner. And the condemned? Well, that is what is always in the back of one's mind: who is the condemned? The thief, or the enablers. In that regard, the reader will wonder why the entire embassy staff wasn't arrested and set back to England is shackles. The plotting is well done, indeed. Truly an enjoyable read.

In the past couple of years, I've been re-reading a lot of the favorite spy novels that I read during - oh good-lordy! - the past 30 years!! I went on a probably ten year sabbatical away from heavy fiction and after that much time away I found I suddenly craved to revisit a dozen or so of my faves in politic-thrillers, espionage novels, and a few newfound ones that reviews or burbs had generated that sort of drawing-in feeling of for me.Most of the best espionage fiction requires little further reviewing, and this goes double for the master creator of these type of yarns (JLC or David Cornwell!).But this one is one that had become more obscure in my memory, and I feel the need to sketch it and maybe draw some more folks into the brilliance of this less lauded gem; one of the master's lesser known works. This by now nearly 60 years old version of a stark, growling Germany prowls out of Le Carre's stark vision of the world and lands inside your mind. It becomes (for me) like a memory of the bleaker parts of childhood, and is strangely both terminally obscure and at the same time unforgettable as a historical pinpoint. I was fascinated by the perplexing nature of the characters, and how they are diminished by the whole political aura that surrounds their lives. Although I wasn't around in the 1960s, they must have been more politically, glumly frightening on the Euiropean mainland than the 80s I recall of the Cold War. If some unspeakable fear did not haunt each of these characters, they would surely need to go looking for it. Such was the story element of a pervasive cloying. Of some external uncontrollable politic, which, no matter how well you did, would not let up, and which really, was the truth in those earlier depths of the Cold War, the dull, hopeful and hopeless reality of things.Anyhow- that mysterious sensation I've tried to describe is what comes slowly off this novel. Unforgettable, in its depiction of the density of little human behaviors when caught in the grind of the big political world. It speaks a lot - and yet nearly silently - about those things which should not be forgotten about the Cold War's menace. And, as with much of Le Carre, about the puny humans who create it in order to escape it. Fear everywhere. Wonderful stuff. 4 stars instead of 5 for to reflect a plot which has little need of suspenseful action-filled-action. 5 stars for cerebral action. I'll settle on 4 for my review.

There's some beautiful writing here, and the heart that's found in all of the le Carré oeuvre, but the story -- full of fussy British manners and so much fluff -- may be too realistic for it to be interesting at this point. He did a splendid job of showing a broken empire still surviving on airs and fumes, but the story gets bogged down by all of these fussy diplomats. It could have been funny, but instead feels stuffed with too many details. The ending is heartbreaking, and that's what makes it worthwhile. I do wonder what on earth the reception was upon first publication. I can't imagine that any of the nations mentioned would have been very pleased.

And to me this is one of his best. Rich in the subtleness of human nature; loaded with intrigue; and anchored in history he writes a tale that at once explains the conflicting times of which he writes as well as the curious behavior to which we all may yeild. More that just a master of observation the author explores the corners of the human heart. Now funny, now sad, now longing for something real he writes about the disappointment we all feel when life is unfair. Yet beneath it all is an ever present optimist simply asking the question: can we not rise above this to act in our own better nature?It's a page turner.... Yes it is...

Another winner from le Carre. I gave a copy to my grad school history mentor. John le Carre captures the ambience of post WW2 Germany, in this, an almost sci fi fantasy of alternative history. I just managed to finish the second Bourne book. It was perfect for reading while sick - put me to sleep easily as it is poorly written, convoluted, full of verbiage, rarely engaging.... but I did manage to read it and vow never ever pick up another novel by Robert Ludlum. Reading A Spy Came In... a third time would be much more rewarding! And anyone who agrees with me, please comment or email me at [email protected] and let me know who else is good in this genre. I find that like Lundlum, most of the best sellers are crap.

Nonstop intensity, relentless detail. Brings alive a past which certainly remains relevant today. To be savored, not blasted through. Dark but enjoyable.

I've been meaning to read this book for about 45 years - ever since I was posted to the British Embassy in Bonn from the FCO in London but, although I enjoyed reading about Bonn and Germany again, I found the book quite boring at times and I couldn't completely understand the "denouement", which seemed to come suddenly and out of the blue. So, a bit of a let down, really.

A wonderful thriller indeed!

Who (what?) is a spy, and who (what?) isn't?That is the question delightfully answered by the late master of the genre. Or is it? That's the trick with this book, you never really know. That result will not be satisfying to some, and I must admit that it left me feeling vaguely unfulfilled. But Le Carre makes this little book just intriguing enough that you will want to finish it, to learn the truth.The only problem here is, what IS the truth? And that is never really clear.Not a typical spy novel at all, A Small Town In Germany delves into the intrigue of the spycatcher rather than the spy. A minor functionary in Britain's embassy in Bonn has gone missing, as have several secret files, all at a time critical to Britain's desire to enter the European Common Market. The rise of a German political demagogue (who may or may not be a Soviet mole attempting to move West Germany toward the Soviet sphere) plays a key role in the MI5 spycatcher's efforts to ascertain whether, in fact, the missing man was indeed a spy, or just someone who has gone AWOL for personal reasons.The intricacies of the operation of an embassy are bared for all to see, and it isn't pretty. Who is sleeping with whose wife? Who is gay, and a potential security risk? Have all the necessary security protocols been enacted., and have they been followed? This may sound boring, but to this son of a former British spy in Germany (long dead now, sadly) it is intrigue of the highest delight.Le Carre was surely a master. His writing style is old-worldly, driven by description, and complex. But putting oneself in the mindset of late 60's Germany, with all of its political upheavals, drives you to read this right to the bitter end. In a way, Le Carre puts you into Smiley's shoes. I enjoyed it, even if the ending wasn't really an ending in the traditional sense. Try it and see for yourself.

👍🏻

This novel provides a fascinating historical insight into postwar relations between Germany and Britain, with eerie relevance for current European circumstances

It was a long time ago I read LeCarre thrillers. Intelligent; well written, good plot, credible characters. Looking forward to reading "A delicate truth"