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The Mission Song
by John le Carre
FILM:
The 20th novel by the British spy novelist, like his earlier "The Constant Gardner," deals with conflict in Africa.
Little, Brown and Company, 352 pages
09/19/2006
$26.99
ISBN: 0316016748
Fiction
General Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...
Publishers Weekly
Especially impressive is the character of Salvo, who's a far cry from the author's typical protagonist but is just as plausible.
Kirkus Reviews
Metaphors abound, both in deeds and words, and le Carré maintains a tight, three-act plot. Readers will delight in his jaundiced view of affairs of state.
The Observer Robert McRum
At 74, le Carre's eye is undimmed, his passion for his craft as strong as it ever was. He delivers a tale that few could equal and none will surpass.
Christian Science Monitor Erik Spanberg
Top-notch fare from a literary heavyweight.
San Francisco Chronicle Dan Zigmond
Le Carré continues this exploration of reluctant spies in his inspired new novel The Mission Song, once again distilling essential elements of our age -- race, love, journalistic ethics, immigrant loyalties, multiethnic states, western aid policies, the war on terror, and, yes, spying -- into a gripping and moving narrative of government conspiracy and personal redemption.
Sydney Morning Herald Peter Wolfe
Though shorter than most of le Carre's other books, Mission Song has a sharpness of observation and a moral passion that make it a memorable and enduring work and lift it to the upper register of an important writer's oeuvre.
The New York Times Book Review Neil Gordon
Yet if le Carré’s dramatization of Salvo’s linguistic reality - or indeed his private life - sometimes seems sketchy, his insight into the dense, dangerous nexus of corporate and government interests is chillingly assured.
The Guardian Christopher Hope
The Mission Song is a light-hearted tragedy, a strangely sunny tale of despair in which a Congolese Candide with nothing but his unassailable innocence somehow sees it through.
Washington Post Philip Caputo
His prose is as lovely and expressive as ever; his ear for dialogue remains wonderfully acute. Each of the characters in The Mission Song speaks with a distinctive voice, so that the usual interjections of "so-and-so said" seem almost superfluous.
The Independent Brandon Robshaw
Mission Song is clearly meticulously researched , and the tricks and tactics of being a top interpreter are convincingly rendered.
Daily Telegraph
But as ever with le Carré, if the characterisation can sometimes seem two-dimensional, the plotting never falls short of believable.
TLS: The Times Literary Supplement Michael Saler
Le Carré has constructed another one of his meticulous plots that satisfies in terms of theme, suspense and style. One is delighted by its satire, and moved by its insistence on the importance of doubt and the necessity of choosing responsibly at every moment.
The Independent David Dabydeen
While it may lack the sophistication and ambition of Conrad's work, it is a thriller with the potential to educate readers not otherwise interested in global politics.
The Globe And Mail [Toronto] Janice Kulyk Keefer
The Mission Song is a less accomplished novel than "The Constant Gardener," but it makes wrenching, necessary reading on a subject as urgent for us today as it was for Conrad's readers more than 100 years ago.
Entertainment Weekly Jennifer Reese
The start is slow and the middle mind-boggling, but pay attention and you'll pick up le Carrè's ingenious tune.
The New Yorker John Updike
But the novel’s resolutions, romantic and political, are achieved at an emotional distance, behind a thick protective layer of thriller-awareness and thriller expectations.
London Review Of Books Christopher Tayler
As with "The Constant Gardener," too, the seriousness is undermined by le Carré’s insistence on cutting to the heart of Africa and Africans
The Onion A.V. Club Scott Tobias
The whole scenario is so rigged that the players are merely stick figures in his grand design. He's created a suspense novel with no mysteries.
Los Angeles Times Richard Schickel
The problem with The Mission Song is in its second part, in which Le Carré is obliged to provide a lengthy rendering of the secret conclave. Its principals are appropriately unprincipled. But their deliberations — even when they are enlivened by the aforementioned torture sequence — are Byzantine, endlessly talkative and not easy or rewarding to follow.
Chicago Tribune Alan Cheuse
The novel itself has skirted awfully close to disaster, though the claustrophobic setting alone does not account for the book's lack of real juice and power. The setting appears to be symptomatic of a deeper malaise on le Carre's part.
Wall Street Journal Sam Schulman
The older Mr. le Carré, in his newfound idealism, now seems to believe in Father Christmas. It may be a comfort to the author personally, but what has it done to him as an artist? Well, one thinks of what T.S. Eliot said of Tennyson: "His faith was a poor thing. But his doubt was a very intense experience."
The Economist
A large proportion of The Mission Song is consumed with set-piece monologues by the three Congolese big men, laying out their political viewpoints. Meticulously researched perhaps, but these speeches are tiresome.
Houston Chronicle Steven E. Alford
The sure hand that has guided le Carré in the creation of so many memorable characters has deserted him here. Salvo is presented as "brilliant," yet even after six years in the translation business he behaves like an inquisitive undergraduate with his clandestine friends.
The New York Times Michiko Kakutani
Unfortunately for the reader, Mr. le Carré renders Salvo’s story with none of the nuance or chiaroscuro that distinguished his cold war Smiley novels.
Boston Globe Sam Allis
The man writes less with his head these days, and his passion can get tiresome. One casualty is the primacy of story. Another is language, always a joy in the past. It is sad to report that what The Mission Song does not do much of is sing.
 The average user rating for this book is 8.7 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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