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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
It took me about 80 pages to realize I was right to continue to read this. If I wasn't already familiar with Greene, I probably would've put it down at some point before those 80 pages, thinking this book was not my thing. But it deserves patience, as Greene is setting you up (necessary for the story) and by the time you're set up, you're hooked.
This novel is a mastery of dialogue. I can't remember the last time a book told me so much, and did it so well, with dialogue, not just in advancing the plot, but, more importantly, in differentiating and developing each character by what was said.
I also enjoyed the literary references (of books the characters were reading, or not reading), even if I haven't read Trollope's [b:The Way We Live Now|149785|The Way We Live Now|Anthony Trollope|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453026230s/149785.jpg|2152551]. The only criticism I have is that Greene employed quite a few clunky similes, though in the long run they are forgivable.
*
P.S. The day after I finished this book, I found myself missing Maurice Castle (the main character).
This novel is a mastery of dialogue. I can't remember the last time a book told me so much, and did it so well, with dialogue, not just in advancing the plot, but, more importantly, in differentiating and developing each character by what was said.
I also enjoyed the literary references (of books the characters were reading, or not reading), even if I haven't read Trollope's [b:The Way We Live Now|149785|The Way We Live Now|Anthony Trollope|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1453026230s/149785.jpg|2152551]. The only criticism I have is that Greene employed quite a few clunky similes, though in the long run they are forgivable.
*
P.S. The day after I finished this book, I found myself missing Maurice Castle (the main character).
I read this a very long time ago, but I still remember I found that - together with [b:The Quiet American|3698|The Quiet American|Graham Greene|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388187216l/3698._SY75_.jpg|1469913] - this is one of the best novels Greene ever wrote. What struck me was the balanced and deeply human characterization of the protagonists, as a contrast to the inhumanity of the secret service (yes, again this is a spy novel). In addition, Greene offers a beautiful mixture of all kinds of his favorite themes: conscience, guilt, patriotism, loyalty, humanity and, of course, love. Perhaps because this was one of the last novels he wrote (in his seventies), these themes are processed with more subtility than in his earlier work! (3.5 stars)
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Senti que havia margem para melhorar... A premissa da história é boa, a escrita de Graham Greene também, mas há algo que me deixou aborrecida. Senti que tudo se arrastava e que nada tinha muita relevância, era tudo abordado levianamente. Tive alguma dificuldade em avançar com o livro, porque rapidamente me desinteressei da história. É uma pena, no entanto acredito que o próximo livro do autor irá compensar o desgosto deste.
I really didn't think initially that I would enjoy this book as much as I did. The book asks for you to have patience, I enjoyed the parallel between the mundane every day and the secret life of a double agent, that as the title entails it is all about the Human Factor to pull this off.
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like this captured the best aspects of Greene's writing, funny, political and with relatable characters.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
"'Harry,' she called over his shoulder, 'Dicky' and then 'Where's Dodo? Is he lost?' Nobody called Daintry by his first name because nobody knew it. With a sense of loneliness, he watched the graceful elongated figure of his hostess limp down the stone steps to greet 'Harry' with a kiss on both cheeks. Daintry went on alone into the dining room where the drinks stood waiting on the buffet."
"Silence fell like an old-fashioned smog, separating them from each other. Neither of them could see the pavement; they had to feel their way with a hand stretched out."
"Americans are just as ignorant of Africa as they were of Asia--except of course through novelists like Hemingway. He would go off on a month's safari arranged by a travel agency and write about white hunters and shooting lions--the poor half-starve brutes reserved for white tourists."
"She would have exchanged this Sussex town with its liberal inhabitants who treated her with such kindly courtesy even for Soweto. Courtesy could be a barrier more than a blow. It wasn't courtesy one wanted to live with--it was love."
"Silence fell like an old-fashioned smog, separating them from each other. Neither of them could see the pavement; they had to feel their way with a hand stretched out."
"Americans are just as ignorant of Africa as they were of Asia--except of course through novelists like Hemingway. He would go off on a month's safari arranged by a travel agency and write about white hunters and shooting lions--the poor half-starve brutes reserved for white tourists."
"She would have exchanged this Sussex town with its liberal inhabitants who treated her with such kindly courtesy even for Soweto. Courtesy could be a barrier more than a blow. It wasn't courtesy one wanted to live with--it was love."
It feels blasphemous to give this book only two stars, but you can't go treating a dog like that and deserve more. Well, it was a fine book, don't get me wrong. It just seemed odd that it was a contemporary setting with the same-old fashioned spy values.
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced