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joeannemc's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting informative insights and glimpses into the thought process and note taking of Graham Greene as he jots ideas and creates a diary of his time in the Congo and again on a journey mid war to west Africa.
msand3's review against another edition
3.0
Continuing my annual spring excursion to Greeneland. This one is solely for Greene fans, and only if you have read [b:A Burnt-Out Case|347629|A Burnt-Out Case|Graham Greene|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1266530537l/347629._SY75_.jpg|1107771] and [b:The Heart of the Matter|3692|The Heart of the Matter|Graham Greene|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385263150l/3692._SY75_.jpg|3266950]. (Indeed, I am surprised these brief journal accounts aren't included as appendices in modern editions those two novels.) Greene offers his keen observations of a leper colony and a convoy during WWII while he gathered material for his two novels. Although these journals obviously weren’t meant to be published, Greene offers some helpful clarifying footnotes for context, often correcting minor details that he inaccurately recorded years ago or pointing to ways in which his initial thoughts would shift as he began the process of arranging ideas in his head before writing. It’s fascinating to see how he took snippets of conversations, observations, and overhead remarks to fashion into dialogue, characters, and passages; and his voice is lively, witty, and funny throughout, with wonderful asides on literary topics ranging from Dickens to Gertrude Stein. But the short length and very specific target audience make this really just for Greene completists.
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