#38 in Spy & espionage
The Honourable Schoolboy
- 576
- Pages
- about 11 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“The Honourable Schoolboy” is a Cold War spy novel of real scope, taking George Smiley’s world far beyond London. In the wake of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”, Smiley rebuilds his service and goes on the offensive in Southeast Asia, from Hong Kong to Thailand. Some readers find the opening chapters slow and short on direction; others praise the depth of the whole. At almost six hundred pages, it suits readers who like their espionage dense.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
The Honourable Schoolboy is a 1977 spy novel by the English author John le Carré. It follows the spymaster George Smiley and his agents as they attempt to carry out a successful offensive espionage operation in Southeast Asia while rebuilding the Circus following the events of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Reading order · George Smiley series
Full order & progress →
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.7 across 102 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 41% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Spy & espionage average of 7.6. That is how 7.6 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 6.8 | 5 | 5% |
| Hardcover | 7.7 | 97 | 95% |
Frequently asked
How long is The Honourable Schoolboy?
It has 576 pages — longer than 90% of the ranked books in Spy & espionage.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Spy & espionage — with scores between 7.5 and 7.8, closest to this book.
