After the removal of the highly-placed mole (double agent) in London, George Smiley is in charge of rebuilding his intelligence organization. But he's become obsessed (some say) with tracking down his shadowy Soviet counterpart, Karla. The discovery of a "gold seam," a supply of money fed from the far east opium trade to Karla's Moscow Center provides him with the means to do so. He dispatches agent Jerry Westerby, operating under cover as a philandering journalist, to follow the trail. But events on the world stage threaten to overshadow the operation. It's the eve of the American withdrawal from Viet Nam, and the trail leads Westerby through the chaos and collapse while American and British intelligence authorities wrestle each other for control of his operation.

The Honorable Schoolboy is perhaps le Carré's most complex novel, and the longest (if I'm not mistaken), but it should be hard to put down. I say "should be" because although I really wanted to read it daily until finished, life got in the way, and I ended up reading it in bits and pieces over a long period of time. Unfortunately, that made it a bit hard to follow, because I forgot so many things. But curiously, every time I picked it up, I was drawn in by the characters and le Carré's vivid portrayal of the settings in which the actions take place. The author notes in his introduction to this edition that this novel was the first one for which he traveled to research his settings, and clearly that paid off.

So yes, it's a long, complicated book, but it's well worth the reading. ( )

This is the fourth Smiley novel I’ve read, and it was certainly the most tedious. Didn’t find Jerry Westerby a very interesting or likeable character, which made the book kind of a slog. If you’re a completist, obviously you’re going to read it. If you’re not, this is definitely one you can skip. ( )

My sense is that Le Carre did a lot of traveling, presumably in Hong Kong and maybe also in Southeast Asia, and he wanted to cram in as much detail as a possible in this sprawling, convoluted novel. Thinking about his famous Karla creation dealing with the Sino-Soviet split is kind of intriguing, but unfortunately characterization suffers with all of the locales and plot turns. Namely, I could not buy Westerby's infatuation with Lizzie Worthington (who is not well developed either) which is a motive for his inexplicable actions. ( )

Terrific sequel to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The characters are just amazingly drawn--the interview with Lizzie's parents is absolutely hilarious. And so heartbreaking to watch Jerry unravel. Exciting book! Can't wait to read Smiley's People. ( )

A slightly strange Le Carré, this. Actually felt like the most James Bondish of the ones that I've read to date - there are the exotic locations, a damsel in sort-of-voluntary distress involved with the villains, the main character even chooses to carry a small Walther handgun (that must have been a deliberate reference!) Basically it just felt more glamorous, exotic and adventure-filled than earlier books.

There was also a lot of politics, and one or two rogue operators - reminded me a bit more of James Ellroy novels (pleasantly - not always a given with Ellroy).

There's still plenty of the digging away in the vaults by the eccentric characters at the Circus, and lots of political jockeying in London. Smiley is still as engaging as ever, but I didn't have the same through and through enjoyment of earlier LeCarrés. Looking forward to Smiley's People though. ( )