Why hello there! I don't think iv'e said how much I absolutely love the book. There are little things as you read that make you say "wow". I found another "wow" moment early in chapter 13. Barley is meeting with Katya again for the Moscow book fair. He brought toys for her twins and a pipe for her brother; just for some background for the quote.
"'Not green, you chump,' he told her.'Who ever saw a green cow? Katya, for heaven's sake, your daughter thinks cows are green.'
'Oh Anna is completely impractical!' Katya cried laughing, and spoke quickly to Anna over her shoulder, who giggled up at Barley.
And all this had to be heard over Matvey's continued monologue and Anna's immense hilarity and Sergey's troubled interjections, not to mention the anguished thunder of the little engine, until nobody could hear anything except themselves." (270)
There is a feeling of joy and excitement without ever having to say it. I pictured myself sitting in the car listening and watching all of these events all happening at once. That to me is good writing and amazing imagery without making it all too technical. I want to try to aim for that in my next writing piece for class or even just in my own notebook. Imagery is hard to do (at least for me), but le Carré makes it seem so easy. "...the anguished thunder of the little engine..." I would never imagine in a million years to put those words together but they flow so well and I can hear the engine making a sound like that.
