Status
Available
Call number
Library's review
England, 1994.
Timothy Cranmer (eller Tim Cranmer) er pensioneret fra Tjenesten ovenpå den kolde krig. En onkel er død og han trækker sig tilbage til Somerset til gården Honeybrook Manor for at dyrke vin. En af hans venner Lawrence Pettifer (kaldet Larry) er lingvist og også skubbet ud af aktiv
Tim kan ikke lide at politiet dukkede op ud af det blå og kontakter Tjenesten igen. I gamle dage var Tim føringsofficer for Larry. Tim husker nogle måneder tilbage, hvor Larry kom forbi og blev præsenteret for Emma. Senere forlod Emma Tim til fordel for Larry. Larry var dobbeltagent og den russiske føringsofficer i den sidste tid hed Konstantin Tjetjejev og var ingrusjeter (eller som russerne elskværdigt kalder minoriteterne: 'sorterøve'). Tim bliver indkaldt til et møde hos Tjenesten. Det udvikler sig til noget, der ligner forhør, men Tim får mest ud af det: Tjenesten ved ikke at Emma er indblandet. Og de fortæller Tim at russerne mangler mindst 37 millioner pund og at sporene peger på Tjetjejev (som Larry kalder TT) og Larry, som begge er pist væk. Russernes stedlige spionchef oberst Volodja Zorin er i husarrest og går nok en grim skæbne i møde. Tim har fået noget at tænke over og han er jo i forvejen eksspion, så han er ekstra mistænksom. Med god grund for da han kommer hjem lægger han mærke til at gruset er revet (sikkert for at fjerne dækspor, men de fjernede så også lige hans egne fra da han kørte). Brevene i postkassen er en dag forsinkede og klæbet lidt for godt til. Og inde i huset kan han lugte en lille smule cigaretrøg. Han tænker tilbage på sin tid i skolen, hvor Larry dukkede op som en ny dreng, som ikke ville indordne sig og derfor fik bank. Fx ville han ikke omtale Winchester Fodbold som Vores Spil.
Pudsigt nok har Tim fået restaureret den lille kirke, der hører til Honeybrook Manor og selv om den ikke bliver brugt mere, har den et hemmeligt kammer, som han gætter på at ingen har betrådt i flere hundrede år. Her gemmer han dagbøger, stjålne sagsmapper og papirer på en hemmelig identitet, ingen kender til. Inden Larry forsvandt, bankede Tim ham grundigt og efterlod ham som død i et vandhul Mineries, kaldet Priddy Pool. Men var Larry faktisk død? Og hvis ja, har politiet mon fundet liget? Tim snuser forsigtigt videre, samtidig med at han ved at han bliver overvåget af Tjenesten. En Andreas Munslow er sat på tjansen. Tim besøger også sin ekskone Diana, der var syv år i Tjenesten, inden hun forlod den. Han finder tegn på at Larry er i live og på at han og Emma havde planlagt det hele fra begyndelsen. En Jamie Pringle har snakket finanser med Larry og endda givet middag med sæsonens sidste rype, dvs sidste uge i september og det var efter at Tim gav ham bank.
Luck og Bryant kalder Tim til forhør. De har fx indhentet Larrys bankoplysninger og fundet de 150.000 pund, som var hans fratrædelsesbeløb fra Tjenesten. Det tager ikke politiet lang tid at finde ud af at begrundelserne for mange af indbetalingerne på kontoen er fup. De har også fundet Emmas smykker, som Larry har solgt til en smykkehandler for 22.000 pund fredag den 29 juli 1993. I det hele taget lægger de kraftigt pres på Tim, men uden at han giver efter. I stedet aktiverer han en hemmelig identitet Colin Baristow og kontakter Tjenesten for at spore Larrys bil. Det spor fører ham til Bristol. Naboen bekræfter at Larry havde et ordentligt blåt øje, da han sidst så ham, men Larry er på ferie eller rettere Terry, for hans dæknavn er Terry Altman. Tim kan nemt se at han har fundet Larry og Emmas hus og at det er forladt i hast. En telefonsvarer og efterladte dokumenter leder videre til Hardwear, som ejes af en tæppehandler, som også sælger våben. Tim snakker med indehaverens kone, Julia. Hun fortæller at manden Aitken Mustafa May er på rejse og at hun ikke har hørt fra ham i en uge. Tims alarmklokker ringer højt ved den besked og han tager ud til firmaets lager, hvor han efter lidt søgen finder tre mishandlede lig. En af dem er Aitken og de to andre er hans sekretær og hendes mand, dvs Larry og Emma er i alt fald ikke døde lige der. Et godt gæt er Aitken er blevet dræbt af Skoven, som er navnet på den ingusjenske mafia. Tim giver Julia besked og skynder sig så ud af landet. Han tager først til Paris, hvor han finder Emma hos en Dee, alias grevinde Ann-Marie von Diderich. Efter at have fået bekræftet sin viden om at Larry er blevet entusiastisk ingrusjeter-forkæmper og at Tjetjejev er med i plottet, begiver Tim sig til Moskva. Han tager kontakt til en af Zorins bekendte og får besked på at tage med en bil, der holder ved hans hotel. Det viser sig at være en Issa, som ikke tror helt på hans historie og holder ham fanget i et par uger, inden han tager ham med til Tjetjejev. Denne fortæller at deres leder Basjir Haji er død, dræbt i et russisk angreb. Tjetjejev og de andre tager Tim med ud i bjerglandsbyen, hvor det er sket. Larry er ret sikkert også død i angrebet, men der er ingen spor af ham. Måske trives han bedst som martyr. Tim har ikke noget at vende tilbage til og bliver hængende sammen med de andre.
Pudsig roman. Jeg har det lidt svært med at se en kynisk agnostiker som Tim vælte sig rundt på denne måde og ende med at blive hellig kriger for Ingrusjetien. Men englændere er jo nogle mærkelige hvid-røve.
Timothy Cranmer (eller Tim Cranmer) er pensioneret fra Tjenesten ovenpå den kolde krig. En onkel er død og han trækker sig tilbage til Somerset til gården Honeybrook Manor for at dyrke vin. En af hans venner Lawrence Pettifer (kaldet Larry) er lingvist og også skubbet ud af aktiv
Show More
tjeneste og over på en af de mindre universiteter. Nu er Larry forsvundet og Tims kæreste Emma Manzini er vist heller ikke hjemme og politiet i form af to ikke helt dumme kriminalassistenter Oliver Luck og Percy Bryant banker på. Tim forsøger at fortælle dem en historie fra de varme lande, men de har gjort deres hjemmearbejde og lader ham gerne lyve, indtil de så præsenterer ham for beviser for at han er fuld af løgn.Tim kan ikke lide at politiet dukkede op ud af det blå og kontakter Tjenesten igen. I gamle dage var Tim føringsofficer for Larry. Tim husker nogle måneder tilbage, hvor Larry kom forbi og blev præsenteret for Emma. Senere forlod Emma Tim til fordel for Larry. Larry var dobbeltagent og den russiske føringsofficer i den sidste tid hed Konstantin Tjetjejev og var ingrusjeter (eller som russerne elskværdigt kalder minoriteterne: 'sorterøve'). Tim bliver indkaldt til et møde hos Tjenesten. Det udvikler sig til noget, der ligner forhør, men Tim får mest ud af det: Tjenesten ved ikke at Emma er indblandet. Og de fortæller Tim at russerne mangler mindst 37 millioner pund og at sporene peger på Tjetjejev (som Larry kalder TT) og Larry, som begge er pist væk. Russernes stedlige spionchef oberst Volodja Zorin er i husarrest og går nok en grim skæbne i møde. Tim har fået noget at tænke over og han er jo i forvejen eksspion, så han er ekstra mistænksom. Med god grund for da han kommer hjem lægger han mærke til at gruset er revet (sikkert for at fjerne dækspor, men de fjernede så også lige hans egne fra da han kørte). Brevene i postkassen er en dag forsinkede og klæbet lidt for godt til. Og inde i huset kan han lugte en lille smule cigaretrøg. Han tænker tilbage på sin tid i skolen, hvor Larry dukkede op som en ny dreng, som ikke ville indordne sig og derfor fik bank. Fx ville han ikke omtale Winchester Fodbold som Vores Spil.
Pudsigt nok har Tim fået restaureret den lille kirke, der hører til Honeybrook Manor og selv om den ikke bliver brugt mere, har den et hemmeligt kammer, som han gætter på at ingen har betrådt i flere hundrede år. Her gemmer han dagbøger, stjålne sagsmapper og papirer på en hemmelig identitet, ingen kender til. Inden Larry forsvandt, bankede Tim ham grundigt og efterlod ham som død i et vandhul Mineries, kaldet Priddy Pool. Men var Larry faktisk død? Og hvis ja, har politiet mon fundet liget? Tim snuser forsigtigt videre, samtidig med at han ved at han bliver overvåget af Tjenesten. En Andreas Munslow er sat på tjansen. Tim besøger også sin ekskone Diana, der var syv år i Tjenesten, inden hun forlod den. Han finder tegn på at Larry er i live og på at han og Emma havde planlagt det hele fra begyndelsen. En Jamie Pringle har snakket finanser med Larry og endda givet middag med sæsonens sidste rype, dvs sidste uge i september og det var efter at Tim gav ham bank.
Luck og Bryant kalder Tim til forhør. De har fx indhentet Larrys bankoplysninger og fundet de 150.000 pund, som var hans fratrædelsesbeløb fra Tjenesten. Det tager ikke politiet lang tid at finde ud af at begrundelserne for mange af indbetalingerne på kontoen er fup. De har også fundet Emmas smykker, som Larry har solgt til en smykkehandler for 22.000 pund fredag den 29 juli 1993. I det hele taget lægger de kraftigt pres på Tim, men uden at han giver efter. I stedet aktiverer han en hemmelig identitet Colin Baristow og kontakter Tjenesten for at spore Larrys bil. Det spor fører ham til Bristol. Naboen bekræfter at Larry havde et ordentligt blåt øje, da han sidst så ham, men Larry er på ferie eller rettere Terry, for hans dæknavn er Terry Altman. Tim kan nemt se at han har fundet Larry og Emmas hus og at det er forladt i hast. En telefonsvarer og efterladte dokumenter leder videre til Hardwear, som ejes af en tæppehandler, som også sælger våben. Tim snakker med indehaverens kone, Julia. Hun fortæller at manden Aitken Mustafa May er på rejse og at hun ikke har hørt fra ham i en uge. Tims alarmklokker ringer højt ved den besked og han tager ud til firmaets lager, hvor han efter lidt søgen finder tre mishandlede lig. En af dem er Aitken og de to andre er hans sekretær og hendes mand, dvs Larry og Emma er i alt fald ikke døde lige der. Et godt gæt er Aitken er blevet dræbt af Skoven, som er navnet på den ingusjenske mafia. Tim giver Julia besked og skynder sig så ud af landet. Han tager først til Paris, hvor han finder Emma hos en Dee, alias grevinde Ann-Marie von Diderich. Efter at have fået bekræftet sin viden om at Larry er blevet entusiastisk ingrusjeter-forkæmper og at Tjetjejev er med i plottet, begiver Tim sig til Moskva. Han tager kontakt til en af Zorins bekendte og får besked på at tage med en bil, der holder ved hans hotel. Det viser sig at være en Issa, som ikke tror helt på hans historie og holder ham fanget i et par uger, inden han tager ham med til Tjetjejev. Denne fortæller at deres leder Basjir Haji er død, dræbt i et russisk angreb. Tjetjejev og de andre tager Tim med ud i bjerglandsbyen, hvor det er sket. Larry er ret sikkert også død i angrebet, men der er ingen spor af ham. Måske trives han bedst som martyr. Tim har ikke noget at vende tilbage til og bliver hængende sammen med de andre.
Pudsig roman. Jeg har det lidt svært med at se en kynisk agnostiker som Tim vælte sig rundt på denne måde og ende med at blive hellig kriger for Ingrusjetien. Men englændere er jo nogle mærkelige hvid-røve.
Show Less
Genres
Publication
[Kbh.] : Forum, 1995.
Description
Tim Cranmer, retired secret servant, and Larry Pettifer, bored radical don, philanderer and for twenty years Tim's mercurial double agent against the now vanished Communist threat, have an unresolved rivalry that dates back decades. They follow each other into the lawless wilds of Moscow and then Southern Russia until a small, unheard-of nation becomes their proving ground in the finale to John le Carr's dazzling novel. OUR GAME is a novel of suspense in the great British tradition: now romantic, now tragic, now comic, gripping to the last page and always vastly entertaining.
Media reviews
Mr. le Carré's great strength is that he is a master plotter. His premise of intelligence agents running amok since the end of the cold war is totally plausible, and the way he links his major characters through their professional roles is ingenious. After taking forever to get there, the reader
Show More
comes across some 40 pages that are as taut and thrilling as any adventure story I have ever read. They just happen to consist of continuous narrative -- with no tricky flashbacks, very little psychologizing and no political lectures -- and they provide a momentum that lifts almost the entire last third of the novel. If only the first 200 pages were like that, former readers of Hotspur and Triumph (including this one) would be enthralled. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member groakes
As Le Carre has matured as an author, his books have had less and less to do with with satisfying genre requirements and more to do with exquisite character portraits and the authors own concerns. This is not to say that his story telling abilities have suffered, but Le Carre has always been
The protagonist, Tim Cranmer comes late to the important things in his life. All the "action" has already happened in this novel - many of the important events in this novel are past memories, either remembered in flashback (or revealed through interrogation). Other main events are discovered by Cranmer as already happened as he picks his cautious way through crime scenes or recent battlefields. Even love, or his recognition of it, has come to him late.
So Cranmer's quest is his attempt to discover his real past so as to provide him with a future, or at least a present. Le Carre's writing is at the peak of its form. Sometimes drol, often witty, always poetic and wonderfully intelligent, his writing captures the humanity of its character and the inhumanity of the uncaring world in deft strokes.
This is not a novel of gunplay, hi-tech espionage, car chases and narrow escapes. Neither is this a George Smiley novel. They were written almost 30 years ago and the author has moved on. This novel sits outside the genre of the spy novel, whose vague trappings the author hijacks for his own uses. The ending, which some people may not like as it is not "neat" and "final" is wonderfully unresolved, just like life.
I read this book when it was first released and have just reread it. In 10 years time, I will probably read it again. And probably enjoy it even more.
Show More
subtle, and in "Our Game" his subtlety reaches new levels.The protagonist, Tim Cranmer comes late to the important things in his life. All the "action" has already happened in this novel - many of the important events in this novel are past memories, either remembered in flashback (or revealed through interrogation). Other main events are discovered by Cranmer as already happened as he picks his cautious way through crime scenes or recent battlefields. Even love, or his recognition of it, has come to him late.
So Cranmer's quest is his attempt to discover his real past so as to provide him with a future, or at least a present. Le Carre's writing is at the peak of its form. Sometimes drol, often witty, always poetic and wonderfully intelligent, his writing captures the humanity of its character and the inhumanity of the uncaring world in deft strokes.
This is not a novel of gunplay, hi-tech espionage, car chases and narrow escapes. Neither is this a George Smiley novel. They were written almost 30 years ago and the author has moved on. This novel sits outside the genre of the spy novel, whose vague trappings the author hijacks for his own uses. The ending, which some people may not like as it is not "neat" and "final" is wonderfully unresolved, just like life.
I read this book when it was first released and have just reread it. In 10 years time, I will probably read it again. And probably enjoy it even more.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Carl_Alves
With the Cold War over, British spy Larry Pettifer and his mistress Emma have fled with 30 Million pounds of the Russian’s money. Both the Brits and the Russians suspect that Larry’s handler, Tim Cranmer knows where he’s at. The only problem is that Tim has no idea where they are at, despite
This novel is entirely forgettable. Although it is ostensibly a thriller, there is not a high thrill level here. The plot is ponderous and not particularly believable. This novel failed to meet expectations. Unless you are a diehard John LeCarre fan, I would recommend skipping this novel.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
Show More
the forces leaning heavily on him to produce the missing pair. Now Tim must elude his pursuers and try to find his friends using the skills he has developed as a spy.This novel is entirely forgettable. Although it is ostensibly a thriller, there is not a high thrill level here. The plot is ponderous and not particularly believable. This novel failed to meet expectations. Unless you are a diehard John LeCarre fan, I would recommend skipping this novel.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
Show Less
LibraryThing member Meredy
Six-word review: Runaway lovers launch ex-spy's investigative odyssey.
Extended review:
Love, loss, and post-Cold-War intrigue featuring ethnic conflict in the North Caucasus region of the Russian federation.
I didn't know quite what to expect from le Carré. I'd always assumed he was hardcore when it
The novel is a suspenseful story of a former Cold War agent's search for his longtime friend and colleague, who has apparently run off with the agent's girlfriend. Tim Cranmer's own doubts and questions and his lack of commitment to any ideal create layers of subterfuge and deception that lure us on to try to penetrate the puzzle, both of the escapees' movements and of the character himself. His application of spy tradecraft in the service of a personal mission interested me more than a motivation based in politics or commerce, where the side you're on seems fairly arbitrary and everyone's up to the same thing.
The author draws us in artfully, just as Cranmer is drawn in. As he begins to care about obscure ethnic combatants in the mountainous reaches of the Caucasus, so do I. Off I went to learn more about the setting and the background action. I had to look up the Republic of Ingushetia, which I'd never heard of, and do some reading about its history and geography. And I studied a map of the eastern half of Russia for a while. Abstractions such as statistics and names on a map became real-seeming people and places as Cranmer pursued the fugitive couple. The subtle shifting of his goal as time progresses adds an intriguing dimension to the focal character.
The ending was unexpected and surprisingly satisfying.
Extended review:
Love, loss, and post-Cold-War intrigue featuring ethnic conflict in the North Caucasus region of the Russian federation.
I didn't know quite what to expect from le Carré. I'd always assumed he was hardcore when it
Show More
came to spy novels, which are just not my genre. And I think he pretty much is. But here there was also a large helping of inner human drama, moral conflict, soul-searching, and ultimately something like redemption to elevate this novel above the level of routine cloak-and-dagger action. The novel is a suspenseful story of a former Cold War agent's search for his longtime friend and colleague, who has apparently run off with the agent's girlfriend. Tim Cranmer's own doubts and questions and his lack of commitment to any ideal create layers of subterfuge and deception that lure us on to try to penetrate the puzzle, both of the escapees' movements and of the character himself. His application of spy tradecraft in the service of a personal mission interested me more than a motivation based in politics or commerce, where the side you're on seems fairly arbitrary and everyone's up to the same thing.
The author draws us in artfully, just as Cranmer is drawn in. As he begins to care about obscure ethnic combatants in the mountainous reaches of the Caucasus, so do I. Off I went to learn more about the setting and the background action. I had to look up the Republic of Ingushetia, which I'd never heard of, and do some reading about its history and geography. And I studied a map of the eastern half of Russia for a while. Abstractions such as statistics and names on a map became real-seeming people and places as Cranmer pursued the fugitive couple. The subtle shifting of his goal as time progresses adds an intriguing dimension to the focal character.
The ending was unexpected and surprisingly satisfying.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BookWallah
Almost quit reading this one before I reached the end, but glad in continued. First thirteen chapters (2 stars out of 5) are the backstory of two “retired” cold war warriors. The plot weaves the present (c. 1995) with the prior 20 years of spying between the UK and the USSR. This section moved
Whereas the last two chapters (4 stars out of 5) were set in the Caucasian Mountains of Russia and dealt with the ethnic conflicts there and is set just to the West of Chechenia. The plot state that the Georgians participated with the Russians in ethic cleansing of the Ossetians, which prepared the Ossetians for participating in the ethic cleansing of the Ingushetians . This section focuses on the leadership and customs of the latter group and was actually quite interesting.
Recommended only for students of mountain peoples or diehards of the Le Carre canon. (Average: 2½ stars out of 5).
Show More
a bit too slow for my tastes.Whereas the last two chapters (4 stars out of 5) were set in the Caucasian Mountains of Russia and dealt with the ethnic conflicts there and is set just to the West of Chechenia. The plot state that the Georgians participated with the Russians in ethic cleansing of the Ossetians, which prepared the Ossetians for participating in the ethic cleansing of the Ingushetians . This section focuses on the leadership and customs of the latter group and was actually quite interesting.
Recommended only for students of mountain peoples or diehards of the Le Carre canon. (Average: 2½ stars out of 5).
Show Less
LibraryThing member viking2917
Tim is an early middle aged retired spy put out to pasture. The pasture happens to include his girlfriend, the young and very beautiful Emma, and an estate with an improbable English vineyard, and the frequent presence of Larry, the double agent against the Soviets that Tim ran for 20 years.
But I found Our Game to be different in nature to many Le Carre novels - I found it to be one of his most human and accessible novels, concerned not just with the betrayal of country but the onset of middle age and with it the fears and second-guessing that come with it. And possessed of a surprisingly lyrical tone
"I have invited him here for a clandestine meeting up here on the Mendip Hills, on this moonscape plateau nearer to the sky than to the earth, where the trees throw deadman's shadows on the whited lane and no cars pass."
Our game explores (as Le Carre always does) the geography and emotional landscape of betrayal and the familiarity that sometimes breeds contempt in those we've known for a long time. Our Game also manages to explore infidelity, middle aged self deception and ennui and what we owe our friends, even if they betray us. Recommended.
Show More
Larry's gone missing, and Emma as well. Has Larry gone to the Soviets one last time? Or are he and Emma lovers, run away? Or both?But I found Our Game to be different in nature to many Le Carre novels - I found it to be one of his most human and accessible novels, concerned not just with the betrayal of country but the onset of middle age and with it the fears and second-guessing that come with it. And possessed of a surprisingly lyrical tone
"I have invited him here for a clandestine meeting up here on the Mendip Hills, on this moonscape plateau nearer to the sky than to the earth, where the trees throw deadman's shadows on the whited lane and no cars pass."
Our game explores (as Le Carre always does) the geography and emotional landscape of betrayal and the familiarity that sometimes breeds contempt in those we've known for a long time. Our Game also manages to explore infidelity, middle aged self deception and ennui and what we owe our friends, even if they betray us. Recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
This is a novel about how being a spy shapes you forever. It’s about the aftermath and what sacrificing your true identity means for the rest of your life. I was reminded of Restless by William Boyd and wondered how much of an effect this book had on his. Surely le Carre was an influence. What
It’s been a long time since I read one of le Carre’s more “hardcore” spy novels. The Smiley novels. The ones where hard men make hard decisions and get left out in the cold. This novel, while still perilous, is set a bit after active duty. We have handler and handled, betrayer and betrayed, seducer and seduced. Sure, it’s a bit quieter and more introspective than many a spy novel, but I think it’s more powerful as a result. The relationship between the two main characters Tim Cranmer and Larry Pettifer is the real focus. In some ways, they’re two sides of a single coin, but it’s not that cut and dried. Larry has always been contemptuous of Tim’s more staid personality and safer choices. His hedonism and arrogance make him an effective spy, but a really lousy friend. If they ever were friends. How much of either man’s personality is real? At times Tim’s third-person references made me really understand how much of a role it was for him, but Larry’s tear-away behavior made me think he thought his role all too real.
Spoilers !
Cranmer (I couldn’t help wondering what the significance of that name really was) is a man in retirement. He’s beginning a new life with a very young woman, also new. He’s inherited a sprawling estate and has been freshly relieved from his job at the “treasury”. Yeah, he’s a spy. A handler; and his handlee has also been newly put out to pasture. Too bad he’s only 30 miles away at a university, being the best terrible don on campus. Makes it very convenient to pop by for Sunday lunch. During those idyllic lunches on the estate, Larry succeeds in seducing the impressionable and sheltered Emma, Tim’s paramour. I can’t really describe her as more. She’s not really a fully-formed adult to Tim. He buys her clothes for heaven’s sake. What mature, independent woman is going to allow this? Instead Emma represents all objects of affection for Cranmer; lover, wife, child and madonna. No, Larry’s gung-ho, take-charge attitude toward the put-upon peoples of the southern Russian republics have Emma swooning at his feet and soon they’re both gone.
Larry started his career as a spy under Cranmer’s tutelage. Ostensibly, Tim feels responsible for changing Larry’s life and to some extent it’s true, but Larry has chosen his own course, serving as a double agent to Russia. With any double agent, you can’t really be sure where his loyalties lie. As the years press on, Larry becomes more and more sympathetic to the Chechen oppression and extermination by the Russians. In the end, it’s clear he and his accomplices have stolen a great deal of money from Moscow. It isn’t to feather his own nest though, but to fund a revolution against the Ossetians and their Russian overlords.
Naturally, Tim comes under suspicion as an accomplice from both his former employer and the local cops. I loved the tradecraft he devised to evade them in the immediate sense and also on the larger scale. Keeping the cops in the dark about the Office. The false identity ready to hand. The secret room in the church tower. Getting into Larry and Emma’s erstwhile safe house. Oh it was great. There is a lot of idealism and hope, danger and deceit. And of course le Carre’s writing has that lolloping grace it’s always had. He creates some great characters, sprinkles just enough back story into the main narrative and teases you with hints before giving you solid information. Altogether a really enjoyable novel that I’m ashamed took me 20 years to finally read.
Show More
contemporary espionage writer is exempt?It’s been a long time since I read one of le Carre’s more “hardcore” spy novels. The Smiley novels. The ones where hard men make hard decisions and get left out in the cold. This novel, while still perilous, is set a bit after active duty. We have handler and handled, betrayer and betrayed, seducer and seduced. Sure, it’s a bit quieter and more introspective than many a spy novel, but I think it’s more powerful as a result. The relationship between the two main characters Tim Cranmer and Larry Pettifer is the real focus. In some ways, they’re two sides of a single coin, but it’s not that cut and dried. Larry has always been contemptuous of Tim’s more staid personality and safer choices. His hedonism and arrogance make him an effective spy, but a really lousy friend. If they ever were friends. How much of either man’s personality is real? At times Tim’s third-person references made me really understand how much of a role it was for him, but Larry’s tear-away behavior made me think he thought his role all too real.
Spoilers !
Cranmer (I couldn’t help wondering what the significance of that name really was) is a man in retirement. He’s beginning a new life with a very young woman, also new. He’s inherited a sprawling estate and has been freshly relieved from his job at the “treasury”. Yeah, he’s a spy. A handler; and his handlee has also been newly put out to pasture. Too bad he’s only 30 miles away at a university, being the best terrible don on campus. Makes it very convenient to pop by for Sunday lunch. During those idyllic lunches on the estate, Larry succeeds in seducing the impressionable and sheltered Emma, Tim’s paramour. I can’t really describe her as more. She’s not really a fully-formed adult to Tim. He buys her clothes for heaven’s sake. What mature, independent woman is going to allow this? Instead Emma represents all objects of affection for Cranmer; lover, wife, child and madonna. No, Larry’s gung-ho, take-charge attitude toward the put-upon peoples of the southern Russian republics have Emma swooning at his feet and soon they’re both gone.
Larry started his career as a spy under Cranmer’s tutelage. Ostensibly, Tim feels responsible for changing Larry’s life and to some extent it’s true, but Larry has chosen his own course, serving as a double agent to Russia. With any double agent, you can’t really be sure where his loyalties lie. As the years press on, Larry becomes more and more sympathetic to the Chechen oppression and extermination by the Russians. In the end, it’s clear he and his accomplices have stolen a great deal of money from Moscow. It isn’t to feather his own nest though, but to fund a revolution against the Ossetians and their Russian overlords.
Naturally, Tim comes under suspicion as an accomplice from both his former employer and the local cops. I loved the tradecraft he devised to evade them in the immediate sense and also on the larger scale. Keeping the cops in the dark about the Office. The false identity ready to hand. The secret room in the church tower. Getting into Larry and Emma’s erstwhile safe house. Oh it was great. There is a lot of idealism and hope, danger and deceit. And of course le Carre’s writing has that lolloping grace it’s always had. He creates some great characters, sprinkles just enough back story into the main narrative and teases you with hints before giving you solid information. Altogether a really enjoyable novel that I’m ashamed took me 20 years to finally read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Tanya-dogearedcopy
Agents that were working during the Cold War sublimated their interests and often their sense of self to those of the Crown. But in a post-Soviet Russia, there is a sense of betrayal as the agents are put out to pasture and, the Republics of Russia are sacrificed to the new Federation under
Show More
Yeltsin. One agent, Larry Pffeifer decides to make an "All In" stand for what he personally believes in, breaking faith with Great Britain, his handlers and his girlfriend. This is a psychological thriller as much as a spy thriller as Tim Cranmer, Larry's one-time handler examines the past and his own psyche to track down his former "Joe" and decide if, in the end, we can only be true to ourselves after all-- despite our best efforts. Show Less
LibraryThing member petermcgurk
Another very good read and a more satisfying ending than in some of the author's other work.
LibraryThing member dekan
Am i becoming insensed? Lately the books i've read just done do it for me. this was lecarre, i should be disappointed it's over, not disappointed that i read it. I mean the book was ok, the last bit was good but not great. (when he was in russia). but overall it was drole. i hate to even say that
Show More
but it's true. if you're a lecarre fan you'll be ok with it but it still won't be anything special. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Meh. Hasn't aged well. I remember being fairly captivated when I first read this, especially as it was timely with the global political situation. But life moves on, and now this is just another of LeCarre's post Smiley books. A disgruntled old agent finds something else to do.
Told in a series of
The ending is uncharacteristically depressing, even from Le Carre. But Tim is dull and Larry not sufficiently featured to make up for the struggles. I never really cared for Tim and felt he deserved much of what comes to him. Other books of LeCarre have focused more on the Larry character which delivers the actiona dn pace required to carry the story through, this however drags as Tim stumbles from one 'revelation' to another.
Topical, but not the best of LeCarre's work.
Told in a series of
Show More
flashbacks throughout the retirement of a handler Tim, and his double agent, Larry. Larry a former russian agent, now that the cold war is over, is disgruntled at being retired to a university in Bath. He starts being more interested in the eastern european countries - Chechnya, the Ukraine etc. When he suddenly disappears Tim is concerned but passes the problem back to the Office, and returns to his young girlfriend, and quiet winemaking. However the local police become involved as Larry's managed to abscond with several million, and Tim realises his girlfriend has gone too. The police are naturally suspicious of Tim and he tries to follow the convoluted logic of Larry's exploits both in memory and in real life. The ending is uncharacteristically depressing, even from Le Carre. But Tim is dull and Larry not sufficiently featured to make up for the struggles. I never really cared for Tim and felt he deserved much of what comes to him. Other books of LeCarre have focused more on the Larry character which delivers the actiona dn pace required to carry the story through, this however drags as Tim stumbles from one 'revelation' to another.
Topical, but not the best of LeCarre's work.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lisahistory
I care nothing about the part of the world that becomes central to the story, but as always Le Carre's main character is absorbing. As a former spook, he tries to protect his new (but supposedly perfect) girlfriend and his old (albeit annoying) former trainee as he's persecuted by his own service.
LibraryThing member LisaMLane
I care nothing about the part of the world that becomes central to the story, but as always Le Carre's main character is absorbing. As a former spook, he tries to protect his new (but supposedly perfect) girlfriend and his old (albeit annoying) former trainee as he's persecuted by his own service.
LibraryThing member ubiquitousuk
This could have made a good short story or, perhaps, novella. But as a novel it ended up being somewhat tedious.
LibraryThing member Castlelass
Tim Cranmer is a retired intelligence agent living in Bath with his young sweetheart, Emma. The story opens with two detectives arriving at his door, questioning him about the disappearance of his friend (and former double agent), Larry Pettifer. Cranmer goes to the Office to gain more information.
We are privy to Tim’s thoughts as he pieces together what has happened. I was riveted to this story. We find out about the conflicts in the Caucasus between Russia and Ingushetia. This is a piece of history that is not told often, and I feel I learned quite a bit.
It is a complex mix of espionage, love triangle, and politics. It mixes action sequences with analysis. It portrays two contrasting personalities. Larry is the idealist. Tim is the practical one. Emma has chosen one over the other, creating conflict among friends. I had not read anything by le Carre’ in quite a while, and this book reminds me of why I enjoy his writing so much.
4.5
Show More
He finds himself suspected of assisting Larry in stealing a large sum of money from the Russians. Both Larry and Emma have disappeared. It is set in the 1990s, after the Cold War and at the beginning of the Russian Federation.We are privy to Tim’s thoughts as he pieces together what has happened. I was riveted to this story. We find out about the conflicts in the Caucasus between Russia and Ingushetia. This is a piece of history that is not told often, and I feel I learned quite a bit.
It is a complex mix of espionage, love triangle, and politics. It mixes action sequences with analysis. It portrays two contrasting personalities. Larry is the idealist. Tim is the practical one. Emma has chosen one over the other, creating conflict among friends. I had not read anything by le Carre’ in quite a while, and this book reminds me of why I enjoy his writing so much.
4.5
Show Less
LibraryThing member baswood
The next unread book on my shelf was a John Le Carré novel and Our Game proved to be an excellent novel if you sign up to the idea that British Intelligence was run by a bunch of public schoolboys who never really grew up. Come to think of it that is also a description of the British government
Tim Cranmer like many public schoolboys gets rich due to his inheritance and so is not unduly worried when he is forced to retire from British Intelligence after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He is disturbed from his struggles in managing his English vineyard by a visit from the police who wish to interview him about the disappearance of Professor Larry Pettifer who they believe was a close friend of Tim. In fact Larry Pettifer was a double agent who Cranmer handled throughout his service as a spy: Pettifer had also seduced Cranmer's younger girlfriend (the beautiful Emma). Things get more difficult for Tim when he is summoned back to MI5 headquarters and discovers that they believe that he is implicated in a plot to embezzle millions of pounds from Russian oligarchs, that he would have known when he worked for the intelligence services. Tim realises he must use all his spy-craft to work for himself and track down Pettifer.
Le Carré introduces his readers to the wilds of the North Caucasus and the tribal Russian republics of Chechenia, Ossetia, and Ingushetia following the breakup of parts of the Soviet republic, (decent map supplied), this contrasts with the gentlemanly culture of the British intelligence service which takes up two thirds of the novel and is really Le Carré's forte. Cranmer's character is well presented: a man having to get back into harness with a world that he thought he had left behind; he is not a super-hero, but with a little luck and some skill manages to make some headway. There is perhaps no fool like an old fool and Tim comes close to realising this when he looks back on his relationship with Larry and his love for Emma.
Le Carré takes the violence out of thriller writing, but still manages to create enough tension and grittiness to make his stories feel real enough and he has a good story here. He also imbues a more balanced and nuanced view of international politics and the world of spying. The Russians are not all beastly savages and the Brits and the Americans are not as sure footed or as unprejudiced as their governments would have us believe. A criticism of Le Carré's approach is that perhaps he makes it all appear too much of a game, (hence the title of this book). In this novel there is a bit of a hole, character-wise, because we only get to meet Larry Pettifer through flashbacks from Tim Cranmer and information from other characters, and so as readers we only get second hand information on his aims, ambitions and his conscientiousness. Is he a selfish, grasping, crook or is he an idealistic, man-of-his-word trying to make the world a better place? The answer of course lies somewhere in between, but he remains an inconsistent character. When the adventure part of the story gets going it becomes a page turner, but there is much to enjoy in the internal and external politics of the police and intelligence agencies in the meantime and so 4 stars.
Show More
over the last fifteen years or so. In addition to this the hero of the story is Tim Cranmer; a retired spy and I enjoy reading about retired individuals who can bring a more balanced view to the world in which they live. Tim Cranmer like many public schoolboys gets rich due to his inheritance and so is not unduly worried when he is forced to retire from British Intelligence after the fall of the Berlin Wall. He is disturbed from his struggles in managing his English vineyard by a visit from the police who wish to interview him about the disappearance of Professor Larry Pettifer who they believe was a close friend of Tim. In fact Larry Pettifer was a double agent who Cranmer handled throughout his service as a spy: Pettifer had also seduced Cranmer's younger girlfriend (the beautiful Emma). Things get more difficult for Tim when he is summoned back to MI5 headquarters and discovers that they believe that he is implicated in a plot to embezzle millions of pounds from Russian oligarchs, that he would have known when he worked for the intelligence services. Tim realises he must use all his spy-craft to work for himself and track down Pettifer.
Le Carré introduces his readers to the wilds of the North Caucasus and the tribal Russian republics of Chechenia, Ossetia, and Ingushetia following the breakup of parts of the Soviet republic, (decent map supplied), this contrasts with the gentlemanly culture of the British intelligence service which takes up two thirds of the novel and is really Le Carré's forte. Cranmer's character is well presented: a man having to get back into harness with a world that he thought he had left behind; he is not a super-hero, but with a little luck and some skill manages to make some headway. There is perhaps no fool like an old fool and Tim comes close to realising this when he looks back on his relationship with Larry and his love for Emma.
Le Carré takes the violence out of thriller writing, but still manages to create enough tension and grittiness to make his stories feel real enough and he has a good story here. He also imbues a more balanced and nuanced view of international politics and the world of spying. The Russians are not all beastly savages and the Brits and the Americans are not as sure footed or as unprejudiced as their governments would have us believe. A criticism of Le Carré's approach is that perhaps he makes it all appear too much of a game, (hence the title of this book). In this novel there is a bit of a hole, character-wise, because we only get to meet Larry Pettifer through flashbacks from Tim Cranmer and information from other characters, and so as readers we only get second hand information on his aims, ambitions and his conscientiousness. Is he a selfish, grasping, crook or is he an idealistic, man-of-his-word trying to make the world a better place? The answer of course lies somewhere in between, but he remains an inconsistent character. When the adventure part of the story gets going it becomes a page turner, but there is much to enjoy in the internal and external politics of the police and intelligence agencies in the meantime and so 4 stars.
Show Less
LibraryThing member thisisstephenbetts
I rarely feel as content as when I'm starting a new Le Carré. His gentle but persistent ratcheting of tension, laying out of mystery, I find thrilling. The largest part of this novel is all taut, claustrophobic tension — reminiscent of Tinker, Tailor, and Smiley's People. The small problem with
Show More
Le Carré is that the later pay-off may not quite match the superlative build-up — either diverging too far from Le Carré's strengths (Honourable Schoolboy, Night Manager) or kinda petering out (I think... Russia House, maybe even Drummer Girl?). I feel that Our Game delivers on its promise — I enjoyed it immensely. It continues Le Carré's themes from the last few books — fall of communism, evils of — and the West's complicity in — the arms trade, and the West's moral culpability in not caring about the oppressed. Le Carré on top, angry, outraged form. Excellent. Show Less
Awards
Dublin Literary Award (Longlist — 1997)
This Mystery is Amazing! (#10 — 1997)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1995
Physical description
343 p.; 22.3 cm
ISBN
8755322468 / 9788755322462
Local notes
Omslag: Axel Surland
Omslagsillustration: Harry M. Sieplinga
Omslaget viser et puslespil med ensfarvede brikker og med en af brikkerne flyttet fra sin plads
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Side 53: Når det gælder kvinder, er der kun én mulighed for at finde ud af, hvad der er nok, og det er at gøre for meget.
Side 59: Munslow var et af de mennesker, som man nødigt ville dele en sandhed med, og det var grunden til, at jeg ikke ville have ham i min afdeling.
Side 64: Hvorfor vil du have lys, hvis du er blind?
Side 69: Når det gælder dobbeltagenter, må man gå ud fra, at der er en vis spildprocent i loyaliteten. Oppositionen virker altid mere tiltrækkende på dem end dem derhjemme.
Side 94: Hvis jeg kommer hjem et eller andet sted fra med tobaksrøg i mit tøj, skifter jeg fra inderst til yderst, går i bad og vasker hår.
Side 113: Jeg har været i efterretningstjenesten. Intet eksisterer uden en sammenhæng.
Side 138: Du smider ikke noget i papirkurven. Hvis noget skal smides ud, lægger du det i en plasticpose, og så bliver det brændt. Af dig.
Side 190: den blå Toyta (typo)
Side 218: De gamle og syge blev forskånet for rejsen. De blev gennet ind i en rar bygning, og der blev sat ild til den, for at de kunne holde varmen. Derefter blev bygningen oversprøjtet med maskingeværkugler.
Side 232: Peter Kanin - mr McGregors have -- Tim læser op fra Beatrix Potter: Peter Kanin
Side 232: Anden måtte have været frosset, for visse dele af den var stadig is. Mens vi hakkede os frem gennem de blødende lemmer, huskede jeg, at det var sådan, vi altid havde spist, når vi spiste vores forfærdelige måltider sammen: Kartofler der var kogt ud til en sjappet masse, kål der flød i en sø af grønt. Mon katoloikker fandt trøst i den form for afholdenhed? Følte de sig nærmere Gud og fjernere fra flokken?
Side 235: Basjir Haji er helten af i går. Modig som en løve. Flot på en hest, sufist med sort bælte, men når det gælder om at kæmpe imod russiske raketter og kamphelikoptere, kan han ikke føre et blæseorkester.
Side 237: Hvis Amerika har en politik over for det post-sovjetiske ned på de kanter, går den ud på, ikke at have nogen politik. Jeg kan tilføje, at det stemmer nøje med deres post-sovjetiske politik alle andre steder. Velovervejet apati er den venligste betegnelse, jeg kan komme i tanke om: opføre sig naturligt og se den anden vej, mens de etniske udrensere støvsuger og genopretter det, som politikere kalder normale forhold.
Side 249: Stol aldrig på en mand med mange adresser.
Side 264: et granithylster af messing (typo for granathylster, tror jeg)
Side 319: Tre mennesker omkommer i en grøft ved en bilulykke, det er en national tragedie. Men en hel nation deporteret og halvdelen af dem udryddet, det er statistik. Stalin var en herlig fyr.
Side 320: Basjir Haji er død. Mange af vores folk blev dræbt sammen med ham. Vi ved ikke hvem. Vi er i sorg.
Side 320: Det var i en landsby højt oppe. Først sagde de tyve døde, nu siger de to hundrede. Tragedien er ved at blive til statistik. Russerne bruger materiel, vi aldrig har set før. Det er som luftbøsser mod Stealth-bombere. Man får end ikke kuglen op i luften, før de har stegt én. Folk her omkring er så bange, at de end ikke kan tælle længere.
Side 322: Vi er en flok uregerlige bjergfolk, der elsker Gud, drikker, slås, praler, stjæler, laver lidt falske penge, smugler lidt guld, udkæmper blodfejder og ikke er til at organisere i grupper mere end én.
Side 329: Osseterne er nogle svin, men de er vores egne svin. Dem skal vi nok klare på vores egen måde.
Side 329: Sufierne er den eneste gruppe her omkring, der er i stand til at møde den russiske udfordring. Det er dem, der bevarer den lokale selvbevidsthed. Men når det gælder våben og træning, er de som skildpadder, der ligger på ryggen.
Side 330: Jeg var idiot. Jeg havde taget en frie fra den, jeg var. Den varede tyve år. Nu er jeg kommet hjem, og jeg ville ved gud ønske, at jeg aldrig havde været væk.
Side 331: Hvis vi bliver angrebet, er der ingen, der overgiver sig. Det er en tradition. Vi spiller ikke cricket her, så det vil du nok være så venlig at overholde.
Side 331: Tal sagte og lad helt være med at tale, hvis ikke det er nødvendigt. Skyd ikke, hvis ikke det er nødvendig; stands ikke op, hvis ikke det er nødvendigt; tænd ikke ild, lad være med at bande.
Side 331: Og hvis du skal pisse, så vent, til vi har dræbt nogle russere.
Oversat fra engelsk "Our Game" af Ib Christiansen
Omslagsillustration: Harry M. Sieplinga
Omslaget viser et puslespil med ensfarvede brikker og med en af brikkerne flyttet fra sin plads
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Side 53: Når det gælder kvinder, er der kun én mulighed for at finde ud af, hvad der er nok, og det er at gøre for meget.
Side 59: Munslow var et af de mennesker, som man nødigt ville dele en sandhed med, og det var grunden til, at jeg ikke ville have ham i min afdeling.
Side 64: Hvorfor vil du have lys, hvis du er blind?
Side 69: Når det gælder dobbeltagenter, må man gå ud fra, at der er en vis spildprocent i loyaliteten. Oppositionen virker altid mere tiltrækkende på dem end dem derhjemme.
Side 94: Hvis jeg kommer hjem et eller andet sted fra med tobaksrøg i mit tøj, skifter jeg fra inderst til yderst, går i bad og vasker hår.
Side 113: Jeg har været i efterretningstjenesten. Intet eksisterer uden en sammenhæng.
Side 138: Du smider ikke noget i papirkurven. Hvis noget skal smides ud, lægger du det i en plasticpose, og så bliver det brændt. Af dig.
Side 190: den blå Toyta (typo)
Side 218: De gamle og syge blev forskånet for rejsen. De blev gennet ind i en rar bygning, og der blev sat ild til den, for at de kunne holde varmen. Derefter blev bygningen oversprøjtet med maskingeværkugler.
Side 232: Peter Kanin - mr McGregors have -- Tim læser op fra Beatrix Potter: Peter Kanin
Side 232: Anden måtte have været frosset, for visse dele af den var stadig is. Mens vi hakkede os frem gennem de blødende lemmer, huskede jeg, at det var sådan, vi altid havde spist, når vi spiste vores forfærdelige måltider sammen: Kartofler der var kogt ud til en sjappet masse, kål der flød i en sø af grønt. Mon katoloikker fandt trøst i den form for afholdenhed? Følte de sig nærmere Gud og fjernere fra flokken?
Side 235: Basjir Haji er helten af i går. Modig som en løve. Flot på en hest, sufist med sort bælte, men når det gælder om at kæmpe imod russiske raketter og kamphelikoptere, kan han ikke føre et blæseorkester.
Side 237: Hvis Amerika har en politik over for det post-sovjetiske ned på de kanter, går den ud på, ikke at have nogen politik. Jeg kan tilføje, at det stemmer nøje med deres post-sovjetiske politik alle andre steder. Velovervejet apati er den venligste betegnelse, jeg kan komme i tanke om: opføre sig naturligt og se den anden vej, mens de etniske udrensere støvsuger og genopretter det, som politikere kalder normale forhold.
Side 249: Stol aldrig på en mand med mange adresser.
Side 264: et granithylster af messing (typo for granathylster, tror jeg)
Side 319: Tre mennesker omkommer i en grøft ved en bilulykke, det er en national tragedie. Men en hel nation deporteret og halvdelen af dem udryddet, det er statistik. Stalin var en herlig fyr.
Side 320: Basjir Haji er død. Mange af vores folk blev dræbt sammen med ham. Vi ved ikke hvem. Vi er i sorg.
Side 320: Det var i en landsby højt oppe. Først sagde de tyve døde, nu siger de to hundrede. Tragedien er ved at blive til statistik. Russerne bruger materiel, vi aldrig har set før. Det er som luftbøsser mod Stealth-bombere. Man får end ikke kuglen op i luften, før de har stegt én. Folk her omkring er så bange, at de end ikke kan tælle længere.
Side 322: Vi er en flok uregerlige bjergfolk, der elsker Gud, drikker, slås, praler, stjæler, laver lidt falske penge, smugler lidt guld, udkæmper blodfejder og ikke er til at organisere i grupper mere end én.
Side 329: Osseterne er nogle svin, men de er vores egne svin. Dem skal vi nok klare på vores egen måde.
Side 329: Sufierne er den eneste gruppe her omkring, der er i stand til at møde den russiske udfordring. Det er dem, der bevarer den lokale selvbevidsthed. Men når det gælder våben og træning, er de som skildpadder, der ligger på ryggen.
Side 330: Jeg var idiot. Jeg havde taget en frie fra den, jeg var. Den varede tyve år. Nu er jeg kommet hjem, og jeg ville ved gud ønske, at jeg aldrig havde været væk.
Side 331: Hvis vi bliver angrebet, er der ingen, der overgiver sig. Det er en tradition. Vi spiller ikke cricket her, så det vil du nok være så venlig at overholde.
Side 331: Tal sagte og lad helt være med at tale, hvis ikke det er nødvendigt. Skyd ikke, hvis ikke det er nødvendig; stands ikke op, hvis ikke det er nødvendigt; tænd ikke ild, lad være med at bande.
Side 331: Og hvis du skal pisse, så vent, til vi har dræbt nogle russere.
Oversat fra engelsk "Our Game" af Ib Christiansen
Similar in this library
XPD by Len Deighton
Pages
343
DDC/MDS
| 823.914 |