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A Perfect Spy
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Plot Summary of A Perfect Spy
"    Magnus Pym, a British intelligence agent, has disappeared after his father's funeral. His agency, tries to cover up the fact that he is missing, while searching for him. He has hidden in a small English seaside town, where he begins writing a long narrative about his life for his son. He tells him about his relationship with his own con man father, how he became a spy and then a double agent. Le Carre alternates between the search for Pym and the narrative of his life. He also paints a picture of both the British and American intelligence agencies as distrustful of one another and very often bogged down in red tape."
Jack Goodstein, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of A Perfect Spy
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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 - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%




Tone of story - Dry-cynical
Time/era of story: - 1930's-1950's
Spying/Terrorism Thriller Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets: - main char. spying/sabotage
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - spy
Age: - 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use? - none
Ethnicity/Race - British
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 60's-90's
Profession/status: - spy
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
The antagonists are: - government bureaucracy
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK - Eastern Europe

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths? - 1
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to A Perfect Spy
Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming
Goldfinger by Ian Fleming
Doctor No by Ian Fleming
From Russia, with Love by Ian Fleming
Garden of Beasts by Jeffery Deaver


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John Le Carre Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Simon Barrett  

SCHOLARS:
r b siddhanti  Tena van't Foort  Jack Goodstein  Rob Fisher  Jennifer Hamm  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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