I flipped through this in just over an hour and a half, primarily because although it's worth reading, it doesn't really conform to a typical genre work inasmuch as it's basically a murder mystery. There are hints of Smiley's personality, and I like the way schoolboys play parts in later novels (Tinker Tailor, for instance). But even with all the invective propellant aimed toward Smiley because of Ann, it still wasn't really a spy novel and so only holds interest for me through its historical value.