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Agent Running in the Field

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Agent Running in the Field

By: John le Carré
Narrated by: John le Carré
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Narrated by John le Carre.


The
SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

Nat, a 47 year-old veteran of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, believes his years as an agent runner are over. He is back in London with his wife, the long-suffering Prue. But with the growing threat from Moscow Centre, the office has one more job for him. Nat is to take over The Haven, a defunct substation of London General with a rag-tag band of spies. The only bright light on the team is young Florence, who has her eye on Russia Department and a Ukrainian oligarch with a finger in the Russia pie.

Nat is not only a spy, he is a passionate badminton player. His regular Monday evening opponent is half his age: the introspective and solitary Ed. Ed hates Brexit, hates Trump and hates his job at some soulless media agency. And it is Ed, of all unlikely people, who will take Prue, Florence and Nat himself down the path of political anger that will ensnare them all. Agent Running in the Field is a chilling portrait of our time, now heartbreaking, now darkly humorous, told to us with unflagging tension by the greatest chronicler of our age.

Times Books of the Year

New Statesman Book of the Year

Guardian Books of the Year

Sunday Times Books of the Year

TLS Books of the Year

Daily Mail Books of the Year

Mail on Sunday's Best Books of the Year

Apple Best books of 2019

©2019 John le Carré (P)2019 Penguin Audio
Espionage Military Political Suspense Thriller & Suspense War & Military Fiction Witty Thriller War England
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Critic reviews

"No other writer has charted - pitilessly for politicians but thrillingly for readers - the public and secret histories of his times." (The Guardian)

"John le Carré is as recognisable a writer as Dickens or Austen." (Financial Times)

"No writer has ever been better at turning the act of two people talking politely to each other across a desk into a blood sport." (Telegraph)

What listeners say about Agent Running in the Field

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  • Overall
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book

Up to the usual high standards of Le Carré. Gripping story, beautifully narrated. The calm narration doesn’t underplay the tension of the story. Absolute legend to subtly highlight the disaster of Brexit within the plot twists. So sad that we have lost such a wonderful storyteller.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Give this man a glass of water and some oxygen.

Nothing wrong with the story or plot - but I am struggling with the reader - and yes I know it’s the author John le Carre. He sounds as though this reading aloud business is at the very limit of his physical ability. It’s making me breathless to listen to him gasp for air between each sentence. He also has that dry- mouthed effect where what little saliva he does have is making a horrible sound as he reads.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful Le Carré‘S voice

A what a pleasure to hear John Lecarre. The guy could now have a second career. Story is full of twists and exquisite detail. I had no idea what was going to happen, and at the end I am still trying to work it out. I’m looking forward to listening again to understand it better.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good gripping tale

Excellent narration although it took several chapters to really immerse me in the story but loved the ending

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Superb reading of a modern-day spy thriller

JlC at his modern-day best. As with much of his post-Smiley novels, this will probably date quickly once the mess of Brexit recedes into the past but the book captures the mood, helplessness and apathy of the time perfectly. As is quite often the case with JlC, the idealist's story doesn't always end well.
JlC's voice reading his own writing is wonderful and one I could listen to endlessly.

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Super Read

John le Carrie does it again and with the added pleasure of his own narration.

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Excellent

JLC at his most spell binding!
Topical, on the point and perhaps sadly all to accurate.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable but familiar.

I enjoyed the book but the story was familiar and the ending didn't really come to much, which is similar to John Le Carré's recent novels. I would say that he isn't a great narrator, as much as I respect him as an author. His main characters are supposed to be mid-40's, mid-20's and some are female and its too easy to detect age in his voice. Tom Hollander was a great choice.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not quite a classic but well worth listening

Beautifully narrated by the author in what must have been one of his last performances. The story is well constructed and layered even if I did detect one loose end. I recommend this audiobook to anyone who likes espionage tales.

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As great as you would expect from this author

Such a pleasure to hear the book read by the grand master of spy fiction.

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