Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy audiobook by John Le Carré. Read by Michael Jayston. Abridged
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – The Cold War is on and there is a Russian mole in the British Secret Intelligence Service. The British operatives and government plans are at great risk. It’s up to a forcibly retired agent, George Smiley, to dig out the mole. The book was and is highly acclaimed with 4.4/5 rating on Amazon. "Smiley is thus an anti-James Bond, an unheroic …secret agent who looks like a shy and miserable clerk in an old London bank. In fact, of course, Smiley is the finest secret agent in the world; his pathetic demeanor conceals a brilliant mind and stout heart.” NYT Review 1974.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was made into a highly acclaimed miniseries (8.5/10 IMDB) starring Alec Guinness. The miniseries also features the reader of this audiobook, Michael Jayston, who portrays Peter Guillam. Thirty-two years after the miniseries, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was released as a movie starring Gary Oldman as George Smiley. Oldman’s excellent performance was nominated for an Oscar. This time, Benedict Cumberbatch played the role of Peter Guillam. If any of you has seen both, it would be interesting to have a comparison review of the productions and the Guillam performances. Enjoy!
John Le Carré (1931-2020) is a pseudonym for British author David Cornwell who later took Irish citizenship in protest of Brexit. He also had some harsh yet reasonably accurate criticism of the US invasion of Iraq and of Putin (It’s all on Wikipedia). His vast knowledge of the spy world came from working in the British Security Service (Mi5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (Mi6). Mr. Le Carré is considered one of the worlds finest spy novelist. His numerous books have won for him numerous awards including The British Crime Writers Assn. Gold Dagger for The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. This book was also made into a film starring the legendary Richard Burton.
Quotes: “I think the greatest single enemy is the misuse of information…”
“If there is one eternal truth in politics, there is always a dozen good reasons to do nothing.”
“A desk is a dangerous place to view the world.”
(it also gives a very incomplete view)

Michael Jayston (1935 –2024 RIP) was a busy English actor of the stage, screen, and audiobook. He performed in numerous TV shows and miniseries including 1979’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. In Cromwell, he performed with a future James Bond, Timothy Dalton, and the future Bond villain Blofeld, played by Charles Gray. Mr. Jayston’s most notable performance is in the film Nicholas and Alexandra. He stars as Tsar Nicholas II, the incompetent Russian ruler overthrown by the Russian Revolution during WW I and subsequently executed along with his family.
Quote: “I once spanked a nun’s bottom”
From Mr. Jayston’s unofficial twitter site, @MichaelJayston. There’s a short video.

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