John le Carré: The Russia House

After seeing the film recently, I remembered I had once bought the book, but had never read it. Another excellent John le Carré book. What more is to say?

The book is, to no surprise, less optimistic than the film. As usual with John le Carré, the efforts of the secret service are depicted as eventually inhuman and to a large degree futile.

Sean Connery is in the film, although different from the Scott Blair in the book, very believable and a pleasure to see. He playing a book publisher who drinks too much and plays the saxophone is so good I could squeak for joy.

I am not quite as happy with Michelle Pfeiffer for Katja. In my eyes she is not a believable russian woman, because she is too well-known american. And while I like her looks and her charisma, she is far from being in that way beautiful that Katja is described. And in this film she speaks English with russian accent, which is the opposite of Katja's impeccable, although a little artificial-sounding English in the book.