The Pigeon Tunnel - Stories From My Life by John le Carré

A must read for any fan of le Carré or spy books in general, but also one that may not fully satisfy.

If you read this to learn about the author's interesting life and inspiration then you will enjoy, but if you expect it to be a spy exposé then why would you, and you will be letdown accordingly.

When not going under his pen name David Cornwell has written such classics as "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "The Honourable Schoolboy".

Yes, he did work for MI5 AND MI6, but only briefly and this is just a part of the man, as well as one which his memoirs do not dwell on unnecessarily.

The book is beatifully written, twining stories of his life amongst his writings, films and a broad cast of familiar names with amazing stories of their own.

Apart from his general reminiscences of a full life, including reference to inspiration for his characters, the most touching are his memories of his own family.

His father was a character to say the least, and was partially immortalised in "A Perfect Spy" as the scheming con-man Rick Pym.

He also created "George Smiley" and "The Circus" who was most famously played on the screen by Alec Guiness (1979, 1982) and Gary Oldman (2011).

In 2016 "The Night Manager" had a hugely successful remake on the BBC, with a stellar cast including Tom Hiddleston in the lead role, and John le Carré making a cameo.

A broad book of a full life well spent and documented - well worth a read, and with each tale separated into shortish chapters it is something that you can pick up and put down, enjoying it over time and revisiting as you choose.

Click the cover below to download a Kindle version.