For all fans of Ripley, Smiley or decent character

Would you consider the audio edition of The Honourable Schoolboy to be better than the print version?

I've read/listened to both. I enjoyed both. But I think I preferred the audio edition.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jerry Westerby of course. He's not likeable as such, but he's well drawn by Le Carre and somehow you can imagine a man making his choices.

Which character – as performed by Michael Jayston – was your favourite?

Jerry again - brought to life by Michael Jayston (Peter Guillam in the BBC's Tinker Tailor adaptation). One assumes Michael Jayston's exposure in Tinker Tailor has assisted him, but regardless of that his characterisation works (even the difficult Chinese characters aren't too over the top or false) and Jerry feels alive and driven towards his fate.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending, it's a little anti-climatic for me, but I think that is it's strength. It doesn't give you the neatly tied up ending of a Tom Clancy novel, but it's all the better for that. It made me want to read Smiley's People almost immediately.

Any additional comments?

This is not as popular as Tinker Tailor or Smiley's People (perhaps due to the BBC not making an Alec Guinness version?) however it's good and well worth your time. If you've read or seen Tinker Taylor or Smiley's People you should listen to this. It's the stepping stone between them, and while I have always felt it wasn't as strong as the other 2 parts of the Karla Trilogy, it's a good book in it's own right and merely shows how brilliant the other two parts are.

If you like Bond, Bourne, Tom Clancy's creations, Ripley, et al then you should read this and the other two in the trilogy (preferably in order, but it's not essential).

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7 people found this helpful

Good but not great

Perhaps what I did wrong was listen to this right after I'd finished Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, which I really loved. It's not as good, though it is still very good. The narration is fantastic. I felt that this was too 'padded' out, with long sections that seemed to add little to the overall plot. The setting was atmospheric, though I missed George Smiley who featured a lot less than I'd expected. We had of course met the main character - the Honorable Schoolboy of the title - in the last book. His character in this story seemed at odds with the way he was portrayed in Tinker Tailor.

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2 people found this helpful

Smiley foreever

A worthy addition to the Smiley canon, though not as compelling as Tinker,Tailor. Michael Jayston is superb as a reader, he has these stories and characters under his skin.

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Excellent story and narration

What other book might you compare The Honourable Schoolboy to, and why?

I have now listened to all the George Smiley books with Michael Jayston as narrator. All are excellent.

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4 people found this helpful

Good, but rather too long.

'The Honorable Schoolboy' is the second of John LeCarre's 'Karla trilogy'. It is well written, but rather meandering and overlong. Michael Jayston's narration is excellent, as always.

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1 person found this helpful

Fab...!

I'm struggling for words...BRILLIANT just brilliant.

The story twisted and turned from London to Hong Kong, Langley, Vietnam etc and back again.

A master at work...there, done.

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Stop Notch

Another excellent tale narrated to the very highest standard. Trust me you’ll enjoy every minute of it. 👍

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Smiley goes east

...we not quite, Smiley in this book is not the main character, but that does distract from the story, which is multi layer based in the east and London. Good narration, and I felt a more straight forward plot than Tinker Tailor

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Le Carre never disappoints

One of Le Carres novels that involve much more action 'in the field" Shows what a strange mind set the main protagonist had to maintain to survive the complex world he lives in, a place where no one can be trusted. Again, the Circus is shown to use and dispose of people as seen as necessary even with the scruples of Smiley.
Narrator superb, as always, voices and intonations clearly defied.
An intriguing tale, masterfully written and told.

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Good but not the best (and yikes the stereotypes)

The first half is really good and the reading very gripping. You really get into the hunt for Karla and enjoy sifting through Haydon's tricks and plays. But the story collapses in the jungle. Alas the Asian characters are written and acted as racist stereptypes and Westerby's jaunt is just not interesting or convincing. I came to care for Westerby though, but he is not as convincing nor moody as Leamas. There is a sadness behind the wit and "sports".

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2 people found this helpful