I've been a big fan of John Le Carré for some time. But not all of his post-Cold War stand alone novels do it for me. He comes across as an angry old progressive in some, preachy and downright cranky in others. But The Mission Song is among the best of these later works. Salvo Bruno is a half-Congolese, half-Irish master of languages working as a freelance linguist and translator in 2006 London. His mixed heritage and unlikely...
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"The Mission Song" is a great book, somewhat along the same lines as "The Tailor of Panama". John le Carré depicts the harsh reality of some of the human species' least admirable traits, presenting them as seen through the eyes of loveable but misguided and idealistic individuals. And despite the tragedy of the situation he maintains a positive and often humorous tone. I was planning on writing a full review of "The Mission...
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Among his numerous authorial attributes John Le Carre also has the ability to create affecting, unforgettable protagonists - add Bruno Salvador, known as Salvo, to that list. Born "the accidental son" of an Irish Catholic missionary and a teenage Congolese woman, he was consigned as a baby to the care of Carmelite nuns. Shortly after, his mother decided that three months of the nuns' tough love were more than enough...
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I almost gave up on Le Carre after "Absolute Friends." To me, that book was little more than a political screed; one that might better have been trimmed down to two or three pages and submitted to the author's opinion journal of choice. Instead, he bogged down what might have been a compelling op-ed piece with all manner of extraneous characters, plot details, and the like. Those merely detracted from the unrelated, main...
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The Mission Song may be destined to be one of le Carre's best. Tightly written with terrific characters, logical story development, and a plot that keeps you guessing, The Mission Song will make you glad you spent the time to read it. Bruno Salvadore (Salvo to his friends) is a believable character who is sympathetic on one page and exasperating on the other. Born in Africa of a Congolese mother and Irish priest father...
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