Reviews

The Quiet American by Graham Greene

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maria_sevlievska's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Reread this on a whim and liked it even better this time.

IMO, the novel is best read as an allegory and critique of the Indochina war. Two men, one British and one American, vie for the affection of a Vietnamese woman, largely disregarding her desires and emotions. "A melancholy story about the struggle between idealism and a cynically tinged realism."

Short, punchy and skilfully written.

roxyc's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

junji_ito_hoe's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kevin_shepherd's review against another edition

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5.0

Reportedly, the genesis of The Quiet American was a happenstance encounter between author Graham Greene and a prattling, obnoxious, now-anonymous American aid-worker on a road trip from Ben Tre Provence to Saigon, Vietnam in the autumn of 1951. Greene's story is certainly rife with distain for virtually all of its American characters, none of which are particularly quiet, except a dead one. I got the impression that Greene's book title was itself a sarcastic stab, the irony being that the only quiet American is a dead American.

I came to Graham Greene the same way I came to Martin Amis, and Ian McEwan, and P.G. Wodehouse; all via the writings and inferences of the late, great Christopher Hitchens. Hitch has never let me down and Greene is quite possibly the best of them all (so far). This one hits on all cylinders: intrigue, love, espionage, revenge, and an ending that I found enormously satisfying.

mick_travel's review against another edition

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reflective tense slow-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

4.75

kjmoulton's review against another edition

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5.0

Read while traveling in southeast Asia. The characters are types, stand-ins for geographic world powers, but Greene plumbs the depths of human beings' failure to understand one another with absolute mastery. A gorgeous, haunting book.