| Plot Summary of The Spy Who Came In From the Cold |
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"The Berlin office under Leamas has not been doing well. One of their best double agents, Karl Riemeck, was gunned down at the border, probably on the orders of the head of the East German spy section, Mundt. Leamas is called back to England for one last job: to "turn" over to the communists himself and get close enough to Mundt to kill him. To do this, he acts as if he's been disgraced -- drinks a lot, assaults a grocer, and lands in jail -- so as to appear ripe for recruiting by the other side. During this stage, he also gets to know a sweet girl named Liz Gold who happens to belong to the Communist Party in Britain. Sure enough, Leamas is approached in England, taken to Holland, and then to East Germany. But there's a hitch: Mundt's second in command, Fiedler, believes Mundt may be a double agent working for Leamas's superiors in England, so he stages a hearing where Leamas is a captive witness, and brings in Liz Gold to pressure him. Taut and trim, this classic 1963 spy novel was an international bestseller that took Le Carre's reputation to the top."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Spy Who Came In From the Cold |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- 1930's-1950's
Spying/Terrorism Thriller
Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets:
- main char. spying/sabotage
- stopping a saboteur/spy
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Who's the terrorist enemy here?
- spy ring
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- spy
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- spy
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a little/some
Motive of antagonist
- power
The antagonists are:
- communists
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
City?
Yes
City:
- London
Misc setting
- prison
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
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