Title: The Karla trilogy
Review: Smiley's People was a bit beter for me than the others in the Karla trilogy.But the trouble with it, like the others, is 1) its set in the cold war, in a dreary time for England (the malaise of the 1970s) and 2) its is devoid of setting.The books don't have a reference - a way of "framing" - the setting. Its Smiley, plodding through the past via convoluted conversations with ex-Circus people that take pages and pages to get through. The fact that it lacks "action" is not by itself bad, but combined with the lack of setting it makes for a tedious and in some parts miserable read. It really just does not stimulate the reader - I wonder how many people have been turned off to serving their country by reading these books:)??It needs more ancillary characters, more players; and less retirees.These books do, of course, have a place in literature - but they are not for the average reader. More of a s-l-o-w drama than spy fiction...
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