Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
TW: violence, death, murder, strong language, racism
This reads well but I found myself not getting into this one. I found it very slow to start although I love how Greene leads with describing his characters through their objectification.
The main character is very likable as well and I enjoyed 2/3rds of the way through how one of the main characters is killed. After this and not feeling hooked for. While I start to get interested in this book.
I prefer it when there are chapters in the book like this one and the parts were a bonus as it broke everything up into piecd.
This for me is a 2 star read.
This reads well but I found myself not getting into this one. I found it very slow to start although I love how Greene leads with describing his characters through their objectification.
The main character is very likable as well and I enjoyed 2/3rds of the way through how one of the main characters is killed. After this and not feeling hooked for. While I start to get interested in this book.
I prefer it when there are chapters in the book like this one and the parts were a bonus as it broke everything up into piecd.
This for me is a 2 star read.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I like my espionage novels with either a bit more action, more definitive good versus evil, or distinctive closure. This book had none of those things.
Castle is approaching retirement from MI6 where he has been an officer in the Africa section for a number of years following active service in the continent. He is married to a black South African lady who he helped escape from the apartheid regime. He is enjoying his quiet and uneventful life, when him and his assistant, Davis, are interviewed following the discovery of a leak in the service that has been traced back to his department. The investigation concludes that Davis is the source of the leak and action is taken, but the cloud of suspicion still hangs over Castle and he realises that he may have to make a greater sacrifice to save all that he cherishes.
To write this tense thriller Green drew on all his experience and knowledge from his time at MI6 during the Second World War. It is a bleak story, that is very cleverly written too, as he has managed to get across the mundaneness of the bureaucrat’s job in the service, whilst examining the larger question of loyalty to family or to country. I really liked the subtlety of the writing too. It doesn’t have the glamour and excitement of some spy fiction, but it does have the drama.
To write this tense thriller Green drew on all his experience and knowledge from his time at MI6 during the Second World War. It is a bleak story, that is very cleverly written too, as he has managed to get across the mundaneness of the bureaucrat’s job in the service, whilst examining the larger question of loyalty to family or to country. I really liked the subtlety of the writing too. It doesn’t have the glamour and excitement of some spy fiction, but it does have the drama.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Enjoyable low-key spy novel that focuses on the humdrum and alcoholic existence of MI6 drones. Drowning in whiskey, the characters move along through life as if working in any other office, until the twists are introduced deftly.
The whole Maltesers section made me laugh.
The whole Maltesers section made me laugh.
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I've read two other Greene novels besides this one, The End of the Affair and The Captain and the Enemy, and I'm still not entirely sure what I'm going to get when I pick up one of his books, but I know I love his writing. This is one of his later novels in an incredible career that began in the 20s and lasted until the late 80s. I always think of him as a classic author, but it seems odd to include anything written in my lifetime, so I tend to fall back on the arbitrary 'fifty year' rule with him.
Anyway, this is a spy novel of a much more realistic fashion than what we typically see. The protagonist, Maurice Castle, is no James Bond. He's a middle-aged man who works at a desk and looks forward to retirement. He did have, what seems like, a more exciting position in South Africa during apartheid, where he had to flee the country with a black woman who later became his wife. They now live a quiet life with their child in London.
A piece of confidential information, under his small department's jurisdiction, made its way into Communist hands. There are three main suspects, of which Castle is one, and his calm life starts to become much more tense. It's a slow build throughout the novel, and while it certainly isn't action-packed, it was an exciting read. In his autobiography, Greene wrote that he wanted "to write a novel of espionage free from the conventional violence, which has not, in spite of James Bond, been a feature of the British Secret Service", and I would say he pulled it off exceptionally well.
The relationships in this felt very real to me, and I just loved the dialogue. He got across a lot in a few words, and he was surprisingly funny at times, which I appreciate. There are small moments of humour in even the most tragic of times, and I think a lot of authors can forget that.
I can definitely say I'm a fan, at this point. The only other unread Greene novel on my shelf is The Tenth Man, which I'll likely get to later this year.
Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram
Anyway, this is a spy novel of a much more realistic fashion than what we typically see. The protagonist, Maurice Castle, is no James Bond. He's a middle-aged man who works at a desk and looks forward to retirement. He did have, what seems like, a more exciting position in South Africa during apartheid, where he had to flee the country with a black woman who later became his wife. They now live a quiet life with their child in London.
A piece of confidential information, under his small department's jurisdiction, made its way into Communist hands. There are three main suspects, of which Castle is one, and his calm life starts to become much more tense. It's a slow build throughout the novel, and while it certainly isn't action-packed, it was an exciting read. In his autobiography, Greene wrote that he wanted "to write a novel of espionage free from the conventional violence, which has not, in spite of James Bond, been a feature of the British Secret Service", and I would say he pulled it off exceptionally well.
Hate is an automatic response to fear, for fear humiliates.
The relationships in this felt very real to me, and I just loved the dialogue. He got across a lot in a few words, and he was surprisingly funny at times, which I appreciate. There are small moments of humour in even the most tragic of times, and I think a lot of authors can forget that.
I can definitely say I'm a fan, at this point. The only other unread Greene novel on my shelf is The Tenth Man, which I'll likely get to later this year.
Book Blog | Twitter | Instagram