The Tailor of Panama: A Novel
Published by Penguin Random House Audio
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
"Le Carre remains far in front in his field, a startlingly up-to-date storyteller who writes as well about the shadows around the power elite as anyone alive."
-Publishers Weekly
Le Carre's Panama is a Casablanca without heroes, a hotbed of drugs, laundered money and corruption. It is also the country which on December 31, 1999, will gain full control of the Panama Canal.
Seldom has the weight of politics descended so heavily on such a tiny and unprepared nation. And seldom has the hidden eye of the British Intelligence selected such an unlikely champion as Harry Pendel - a charmer, a dreamer, an evader, a fabulist and presiding genius to the house of Pendel & Braithwaite Co. Limitada, Tailors to Royalty, formerly of London and presently of Panama City.
Yet there is a logic to the spies' choice, for everybody who is anybody in Cental America passes through Pendel's doors. He dresses politicos and crooks and conmen. His fitting room hears more confidences than the priest's confessional. And when Harry Pendel doesn't hear things as such - well, he hears them anyway, by other means.
In a thrilling, hilarious audioBook, le Carre once again effortlessly expands the borders of the spy story to bring us a magnificent entertainment straight out of the pages of tomorrow's history.
Editor's Note
Dark & thrilling…
The spymaster himself narrates this dark and thrilling tale of betrayal, conspiracy, extortion, and global politics.
Related to The Tailor of Panama
Related audiobooks
A Counterfeit Heart: Secrets & Spies, Book 3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsScaramouche Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThrough the Gates of the Silver Key Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Scarlet Pimpernel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Tale of Two Cities Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Trent's Last Case (The Woman in Black) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The RUM DIARY: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5New Hampshire (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalking the Americas: 1,800 Miles, Eight Countries, and One Incredible Journey from Mexico to Colombia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Layover in Dubai: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Gallows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conan the Barbarian: The Complete collection (Unabridged) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Branch and the Scaffold Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Short Story Collection Vol. 039 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPurity of Blood Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Three Musketeers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Jew of Malta Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Bonaparte Secret Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Price of Paradise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Son Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Charterhouse of Parma Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tale of the Thunderbolt (2 of 2) [Dramatized Adaptation] Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Second Saladin Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Night of the Comanche Moon Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5El Dorado: Further Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Scarlet Pimpernel (Version 2) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWitchy Eye Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSoul by Soul: Life Inside the Antebellum Slave Market Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Peculiar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Thrillers For You
Fairy Tale Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Never Lie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silent Patient Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Holly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Institute: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Teacher Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Housemaid Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Perfect Marriage: a completely gripping psychological suspense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Perfect: A Thriller That Will Grab You By Your DNA Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Local Woman Missing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wrong Place Wrong Time: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Guest List: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Inmate Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Billy Summers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Hunting Party: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hidden Pictures: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Future Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mr. Mercedes: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Did I Kill You?: A Thriller Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rose Code: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Family Upstairs: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The It Girl Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Listen for the Lie: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silence of the Lambs: 25th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fool Me Once Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Flicker in the Dark: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Tailor of Panama
380 ratings12 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The plot though rather good, could not keep my attention. Some of the characters are well written, but others, seem to drag the book down. The book does not flow and you will find yourself putting it down to do something. The story is a satire on the time when America has just handed over the Panama canal. Though I cannot believe that any agency would fall for the information that was passed on by Harry, the tailor and would be spy. Of course I read the whole book, because my rule is once you start ....finish it. Other wise , I would have put it down.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very amusing story of an ex-pat Brit in Panama, who is pressured to become a spy, and who invents a whole world of intrigue out of whole cloth.Makes me think that this is what happened to the USA in its intelligence gathering prior to the Iraq war.The book was a bit slow going. The interspersed humor kept me going though.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Perfectly fine, but in the end I never managed to get into this one very well at all. A lot of nothing happened through most of it. Some very decent satire, though.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this novel for its mix of espionage, humour and thrill. One can't help but feel sorry for Harry Pendel, caught in his web of lies but fundamentally good, trapped in a world that does him no favours and for which he is ill equipped to survived. I also liked the cast of supporting characters, from Andy, greedy and mischievous, Maltby, surprising and opportunistic, Marta, mysterious and faithful. All are well developed, enticing and engaging.The plot did have lengthy bits but never once was I bored. The politics were relatively easy to follow and I enjoyed learning more about a country I knew nothing about.Not one of LeCarré's best, but certainly a good example of this work, and an entertaining read.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Some years ago my wife and I went to see the movie, "The Tailor of Panama," based on a book by John Le Carre. When we came out of the movie theater we looked at each other and asked, "What was that all about?" We didn't come ;up with an answer.Recently I checked to see if I could find a copy of the book in either, eBook or Audiobook at the two libraries where I have access to books in these formats. There was one copy of this twenty-four chapter book in eBook format at the Anne Arundel Maryland County Library. I read the book on the external monitor that is attached to my laptop. This was my first time reading an eBook.The author makes extensive use of flashbacks, especially at the begining of the book. In my opinion this contributes to confusing the reader or anyone viewing the film. At the conclusion of the book I had a better idea what the story was about but I was still asking, "What was that all about?"
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A little different than so other le Carre, more satirical. The book takes some fast turns and you might not see the main character for a few chapters. Not my all time fav le Carre but of course excellent.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Humor? Yes. Pathos? Yes. Best le carre? Maybe.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5When I was younger, I almost never left unfinished a book that I once started reading. Even if it bored me completely and I didn't like it at all. I think it was because of school reading, which was often boring but I still had to read it. At the age of fifteen, I went with my mother for a two-week vacation abroad. No one had heard about kindle back then and we took only two books with us. One of them was by John le Carré. I read the second one in the first two days, what left me with twelve days and only le Carré to read. I could not make it. I haven't even gone through the first fifty pages of this book. I read from cover to cover all the magazines that fell into my hands (even those that didn't interest me at all), I read two newspapers in foreign languages that I didn't speak at all and probably some boring romance in English (and I didn't know English so well at that time, so it was quite a job). But in two weeks I couldn't read le Carré. Bored over the top and left with this one possibility, I still couldn't read this book.
Now, being a lot older, I decided to give le Carré one more chance and reached for one of his most famous novels, The Tailor of Panama. Oh, no no no no. Nothing has changed in the last several years. I still can't read his book. I forced myself as much as I could, reached a little over 40% and the thought that I have to read the next 60% is enough to make me feel miserable.
I can't even say what exactly I have a problem with. I think it's his writing style. Which stretches like chewed gum you try to unstick from under the chair, numb like a thirteen-hour flight after which you get a jet lag that leaves you totally confused and at times pseudo-poetic like poems of a thirteen-year-old with this bizarre pseudo-depth. Generally one of the most boring things I've read recently.
The situation is not saved by the plot or the characters. The plot may still be there, but the action is completely missing. Everything drags on. At a snail's pace. Scene after scene. Little by little. One meaningless conversation after another. Unhurriedly. From time to time a side thread that supposed to diversify the story and enrich the character, what story do I ask? And of course, a flashback, as if everything was not slow enough. Christ, how slow it is, counted in minutes! If you can handle this pace, that's fine, you might even like this book, but I couldn't stand it. After reading one page I was so bored that I couldn't bring myself to read the next one.
The thing is, Harry Pendel is even quite an interesting hero. But the writing style killed any desire to follow his actions in me. There was also something that irritated and upset me. I can't even say exactly what.
I was seriously wondering whether to force myself to finish this book, but reading it is such an unpleasant experience for me that I decided to abandon it. Le Carré is probably just not for me. I doubt I'll ever read his book again or finish this one. In fact, I'm so uninterested in this story that I don't even feel like watching a movie to find out how it all ended. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Disappointed in The Tailor of Panama because I like John le Carre's books. The plot is a bit jaded. Man with past is blackmailed into being a spy by those who know about the questionable bits of that past, etc. This is a mainframe on which a good novel can be built. Not here, though. Things take far too long to get going and although there are plenty of examples of le Carre's wit and skill, they are weighed down by the very slow pace of the novel. It takes the first one-third of the book to get any action going, and while I am NOT a fan of 'action-packed' narratives, the story should pick up more quickly. As with Graham Greene, le Carre's 'heros' are usually flawed and drift towards their fate. This is the case here with Harry Pendel and his character is well drawn. Pity about the sluggish pace of his story.'Arguably his best book since The Spy Who Came in from the Cold', says The times Educational Supplement on the cover. Well, no.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Interesting spy thriller set in Panama after the collapse of the Noriega regime. Excellent sense of time and place and of the desperation of the characters making the best of a confusing time where no-one is sure of their future. At the centre of this Pendel, the Tailor, and Osnard, a British agent, each weave lies over lies and attempt to create their own realities, that in the end must crumble despite their ever more frantic story-telling.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The plot though rather good, could not keep my attention. Some of the characters are well written, but others, seem to drag the book down. The book does not flow and you will find yourself putting it down to do something. The story is a satire on the time when America has just handed over the Panama canal. Though I cannot believe that any agency would fall for the information that was passed on by Harry, the tailor and would be spy. Of course I read the whole book, because my rule is once you start ....finish it. Other wise , I would have put it down.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Subpar LeCarre. The story felt like an earlier draft of Absolute Friends, but not as compelling. Better than your average thriller, but still not recommended.(And the disclaimer at the end about how the real British embassy staff are nothing like what's portraited in the novel kinda destroys the whole impact of the book. Why write a book implying a certain view of the how the world works then say, on the last page, "BTW I don't believe a word of this".)