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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Agent fails in his mission but meets people of interest to him along the way.
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a difficult book to read. Unrelentingly grim, the wisp of comparative happiness at the end had the feel of something not to be trusted any more than beatings, shootings, and false charges.
I would not have presisted except that I had read the other five books in a series with matching bindings.
I would not have presisted except that I had read the other five books in a series with matching bindings.
Again a bit similar to Stamboul Train, I enjoyed it but I have read better. I did enjoy the ending, abrupt as though it was.
Not one I would read again though.
Not one I would read again though.
fast-paced
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An excellent author can turn a somewhat clumsy story into a genuinely great book. I read that Greene didn’t like this, wrote it for the money, etc… I see why, it for story is far from well crafted. But damn, it hardly matters when his every sentence is better written than most authors’ best.
This is Greene at his best, providing a gnashing noir, a tale of chase and deception. The Confidential Agent distills the fears of the late 1930s, people are being driven to an almost post-human ignobility. Attempting to stay above the feral pragmatism, an agent known as D. makes his way to England. The timeframe and circumstances suggest The Spanish Civil War, but the details blur into a generic European nightmare. D. is a classics professor and the reader feels for his obsolescence in these dark times. The landscape, the weather and even radio advertisements conspire and haunt. Greene provides no relief and actually mocks the possibility of a sentimental response or conclusion. Highly recommended.
Brief passages of lovely writing couldn't make up for the fact that I didn't connect with the story at all
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I almost gave up on this espionage tale early on. Some literary affectations — a protagonist identified only as “D.” who serves as a confidential agent for some unidentified European country embroiled in civil war — put me off. But the opening chapter thrust us right into a mysterious situation, and I found myself drawn into D.’s mission and his sense of war-weariness and paranoia.
The mission is a relatively simple one, but very dangerous for D. Not knowing who he can trust, and victim to some of the compartmentalized “need-to-know” information protocols designed to protect missions like his, D. navigates his way through numerous dangers, feeling loss and dread and weariness all the way through.
An outstanding read.