John le Carre

[givemushypeasachance]

I've started on a bit of a le Carre project - after enjoying the film of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy I read the book and then watched the Alec Guinness tv series, and now have also worked my way through both The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and The Honourable Schoolboy. I think that Smiley's People is next on my list (then there's more excellent Alec Guinness I can watch!), but after that what do le Carre fans advise? I understand that TTSS, THS and SP are the "Karla Triology" but are there any others with Smiley, Guilliam et al in that follow or proceed those books? And are there any others that are connected in themselves and should be read in a particular order?

All advice most gratefully received. Thanks!

Not sure if you can still get them but BBCR4 has a Smiley season last year with dramatisation of the smiley books.

There is a book called The Secret Pilgrim, which is actually more short stories, but involve a character called Ned reminiscing about Smiley et al.

Radio 4 also dramatised all the Smiley stories with Simon Russell Beale, they are available as CDs. They were brilliantly done.

As I'm very old I can remember when they first broadcast TTSS with Alec Guinness, it was amazing, the whole country was talking about who the mole could be.

I can't think of any other connected ones, and I've read most of le Carre's books.

Apart from the Smiley/Karla triology my favourite was a Perfect Spy.

Thanks all for your posts - I've collected quite a few from second hand shops and charity shops, so I have around a half-dozen to get working on, maybe I'll just try chronologically to start with. I'll be a bit disappointed to say goodbye to George as a main character; it makes me want to dawdle with Smiley's People to hang on to him for a bit longer!

Call for the Dead and then The Spy Who Came In From the Cold are two earlier novels featuring Smiley and Guillam. Both excellent.

The non Smiley books are amazing too - Absolute Friends is my favourite of his more recent books, and The Constant Gardener is great.

Have read this with interest after starting to read him again after Tinker Tailor film. I had read The Spy Who Came In From The Cold years ago and having reread it recently I can't believe it didn't spur me onto reading more Le Carre.

Nearing the end of SP now, all too soon.

I've reently read A Perfect Spy which was excellent. It's a stand alone (I think) but really gripping. First 50 pages are a bit hmmm but aftervthat I really got into the style