Candi's Reviews > The Honourable Schoolboy
The Honourable Schoolboy
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"What a man thinks is his own business. What matters is what he does."
This quote seems fairly elementary in substance, and I can’t help thinking how much this seems to reflect the basic expectation of the intelligence agents in this novel. A man or woman is given a set of orders, and those orders should be followed through with no exception. Associations with other human beings and emotions should not come into the equation. They do not belong in the world of espionage. Stopping to question certain morals is a major blunder. A bit of a fairy tale, I think, because when you insert a human being into the lives of others, not everything is black and white. That gray area in between can be quite confounding and rather perilous at times.
The Honourable Schoolboy is the second book in John le Carré’s Karla trilogy. After rooting out a Russian mole in the British intelligence agency, George Smiley is trying to pull his team back together and pick up the pieces of a broken service. A picture of Karla, his archenemy in the Russian service, hangs in his office serving as a constant reminder of his greatest objective – to remove this plague from not just the world at large, but from his own tormented mind.
"Smiley perceived in himself the existence of a darker motive, infinitely more obscure, one which his rational mind continued to reject. He called it Karla, and it was true that somewhere in him, like a left-over legend, there burned the embers of hatred toward the man who had set out to destroy the temples of his private faith, whatever remained of them: the service that he loved, his friends, his country, his concept of a reasonable balance in human affairs."
While I thought Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was my favorite le Carré thus far, I’d have to say this one exceeded even that! Admittedly, starting out, I struggled just a tad, but more as a result of my own decreased attention span given some external distractions. These books demand your full concentration. You don’t want to miss a beat! Eventually it was a full sprint to the end and I couldn’t read fast enough. Here we are taken into Southeast Asia in the early 1970s. Jerry Westerby, newshound and sometime-British secret agent, is plopped down right in the midst of a hornet’s nest. Danger lurks in every corner. The energy and glamour of Hong Kong and the turmoil-ridden landscapes of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are remarkably depicted. The threat of Red China to the interests of the rest of the continent is a major force to be reckoned with. The settings alone were enough to hold me captive; then throw in the rapid pace and exceptional characterizations and I was completely ensnared. What I particularly appreciate in this series of ‘spy’ novels (they are so much more than just that) is that we get to spend time in the gray area I mentioned above. Exploring the psyches of these characters is a major part of the attraction for me. I loved it!
"A desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world."
This quote seems fairly elementary in substance, and I can’t help thinking how much this seems to reflect the basic expectation of the intelligence agents in this novel. A man or woman is given a set of orders, and those orders should be followed through with no exception. Associations with other human beings and emotions should not come into the equation. They do not belong in the world of espionage. Stopping to question certain morals is a major blunder. A bit of a fairy tale, I think, because when you insert a human being into the lives of others, not everything is black and white. That gray area in between can be quite confounding and rather perilous at times.
The Honourable Schoolboy is the second book in John le Carré’s Karla trilogy. After rooting out a Russian mole in the British intelligence agency, George Smiley is trying to pull his team back together and pick up the pieces of a broken service. A picture of Karla, his archenemy in the Russian service, hangs in his office serving as a constant reminder of his greatest objective – to remove this plague from not just the world at large, but from his own tormented mind.
"Smiley perceived in himself the existence of a darker motive, infinitely more obscure, one which his rational mind continued to reject. He called it Karla, and it was true that somewhere in him, like a left-over legend, there burned the embers of hatred toward the man who had set out to destroy the temples of his private faith, whatever remained of them: the service that he loved, his friends, his country, his concept of a reasonable balance in human affairs."
While I thought Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was my favorite le Carré thus far, I’d have to say this one exceeded even that! Admittedly, starting out, I struggled just a tad, but more as a result of my own decreased attention span given some external distractions. These books demand your full concentration. You don’t want to miss a beat! Eventually it was a full sprint to the end and I couldn’t read fast enough. Here we are taken into Southeast Asia in the early 1970s. Jerry Westerby, newshound and sometime-British secret agent, is plopped down right in the midst of a hornet’s nest. Danger lurks in every corner. The energy and glamour of Hong Kong and the turmoil-ridden landscapes of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are remarkably depicted. The threat of Red China to the interests of the rest of the continent is a major force to be reckoned with. The settings alone were enough to hold me captive; then throw in the rapid pace and exceptional characterizations and I was completely ensnared. What I particularly appreciate in this series of ‘spy’ novels (they are so much more than just that) is that we get to spend time in the gray area I mentioned above. Exploring the psyches of these characters is a major part of the attraction for me. I loved it!
"A desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world."
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Reading Progress
March 4, 2019
– Shelved
March 4, 2019
– Shelved as:
to-read
March 4, 2019
– Shelved as:
mystery-crime
March 4, 2019
– Shelved as:
thriller
March 4, 2019
– Shelved as:
chunksters
April 8, 2019
–
Started Reading
April 21, 2019
–
Finished Reading
April 25, 2019
– Shelved as:
espionage
May 1, 2019
– Shelved as:
favorites
Comments Showing 1-50 of 57 (57 new)
message 1:
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Sara
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rated it 5 stars
May 01, 2019 09:01AM
![Sara](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1543780395p1/5512657.jpg)
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![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
Thank you very much, Sara! I have to thank you for introducing me to le Carre and Smiley. I'm not sure I would have picked these up on my own. There's a lot of depth and some great writing here :)
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
Zoeytron, you are too kind!! Many thanks to you :)
![Jaline](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1530498058p1/7234171.jpg)
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
Thank you, Jaline! Yes, it's amazing the amount of detail in his novels. I almost had to set this aside, not for lack of interest, but because I had so many things going on and I couldn't give it the focus it needed. But, I was reading with some wonderful friends and after taking a break for a couple of days, I refocused and was back on board! I'm so pleased I carried on :)
![JanB](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1527313486p1/260116.jpg)
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
Thanks so much, Jan. So much of this book played out in my mind as it would on the big screen, but then I also had the added advantage of really understanding the characters. A real winner!
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
Thanks so much, Jennifer! This is the second in a trilogy of sorts, following Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, although this one could easily be read without reading that one first. Just thought I'd mention it!
![Robin](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1681583534p1/36555254.jpg)
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
Thank you, Robin! Yes, I have read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and it was excellent. That would be a great place to start to see if his writing appeals to you or not. I'd love to hear what you think!!
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
Thank you, Cheri! You may want to start with one of his shorter novels to see if you like learning about the realistic (not glamorous) lives of spies. This particular one is pretty hefty - although I was obviously enamored with it :)
![Kevin Ansbro](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1506848923p1/43579369.jpg)
Thank you!
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
Thank you!"
Thanks so much, Kevin! I'd like to call this escapism reading, except they require a bit of mental energy! Regardless, the Smiley books are highly entertaining. I'm pleased the review was like a blast from the past ;)
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
I hope you enjoy it, Amanda!
![Kimber Silver](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1627605302p1/92166434.jpg)
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
Kimber, thanks so much for your lovely comment! Discovering LeCarre was one of the pleasant surprises I've had over the past year or so. Literary and compelling :)
![Julie G](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1708562843p1/5211606.jpg)
I'm still disappointed that I was so underwhelmed with A Perfect Spy, but that story isn't related to this story, right?
![HBalikov](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1271764879p1/929238.jpg)
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
![Julie G](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1708562843p1/5211606.jpg)
I will try Tinker Tailor some day, and I'd like to read The Constant Gardener too, but I did need to bid A Perfect Spy goodbye. We weren't meant to be.
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
I will try Tinker Tailor some day, and I'd like to read The Constant Gardener too, but I did need to bid A Perfect Spy goodbye. We weren't meant to be."
Oh yes, I know, Julie ;0 You'll choose the right time to try LeCarre again. I have The Constant Gardener waiting on my shelf :)
![Terence M - [Quot libros, quam breve tempus!]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1712357414p1/6658001.jpg)
This is a most appropriate acknowledgement, Candi😊! You can't afford to miss a beat while reading anything by John le Carré. I read most of his works 'back in the day', but now I am re-
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
This is a most appropriate acknowledgement, Candi😊! You can't afford to miss a beat while reading anything by John le Carré. I read most o..."
Thank you, Terence :) My first le Carré was the most difficult, but once I got up to speed on much of the spy jargon it became easier with each one. Still, these are wonderfully complex stories :) I hope you enjoy revisiting them!
message 41:
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Terence M - [Quot libros, quam breve tempus!]
(last edited Nov 05, 2019 06:40PM)
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![Terence M - [Quot libros, quam breve tempus!]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1712357414p1/6658001.jpg)
Thank you, Candi! The dilemma we old blokes face is: "do I read this one again, or start a brand new one?"😁
We have a limited and diminishing amount of time before the dreaded twig snaps!😁
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
![Terence M - [Quot libros, quam breve tempus!]](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1712357414p1/6658001.jpg)
Thank you, Candi! That's a very nice thing to say🤩!
I am 79 next April, so at my average listening rate I will need to live until I'm about 120 to listen to the 4,000 unheard audiobooks in my Goodreads collection! AND I would have to stop buying new releases at my average of 25-30 a year!!😆
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
I agree this one is brilliant, H.C. I think perhaps The Little Drummer Girl topped even this for me, but I'd read them both over again in a heartbeat :)
![Leila](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1397822707p1/15194189.jpg)
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
![John Northern](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1549486591p1/31591095.jpg)
![Candi](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.gr-assets.com/users/1721649817p1/3639005.jpg)
I'm pleased to hear that, John! I hope you enjoy your le Carre journey :)