Reviews

Wow, this book seemed to embody everything that I love about literature. It made you think, it made you emotional, it twisted and turned, it came alive. I loved the setting of the Vietnam war because that is so often taken out of the literature we read over here. This was my second Graham Greene novel I’ve read, and both have been 5 stars from me!

reuben_books's review against another edition

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This book is incredibly racist and misogynistic, especially in the way it portrays and treats Phuong. She is only there to make a point of tension between the two male main characters. She's infantilised so much, and xenophobically othered. They talk about her as if she's not there, even when she's sat at the table with them. She's purely an object to be won and serve the men. The book isn't making commentary on how badly she's treated, the author is just writing as if he believes this is the right way to treat women.

The quote that was the final straw and made me DNF:
- Pyle - "But she loves you, doesn’t she?"
- Fowler - "Not like that. It isn't in their nature... It's a cliche to call them children... They love you in return for kindness, security, the presents you give them - they hate you for a blow or an injustice."

Also, all of the Vietnamese are portrayed as having zero intelligence, like they are animals rather than humans. The only people the foreigners deem to be fit to be talked to as peers are other white foreigners.

This book is technically well written, but Greene's disgraceful portrayal of the Vietnamese people, and women in particular, meant I couldn't continue reading. I wasn't enjoying it, and I don't really care about war stories anyway.

annasar's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

book_concierge's review against another edition

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3.0

Book on CD read by Joseph Porter

Adapted from the book jacket: Green’s experiences as a journalist covering the French war in Indochina provided the material for the story of Fowler, a world-weary British journalist, and Pyle, an idealistic and naïve “quiet American” who blindly applies his academic theories to a political situation he doesn’t quite grasp. The relentless struggle of the Vietminh guerrillas for independence and the futility of the French gestures of resistance become inseparably meshed with the personal and moral dilemmas of these two men and the Vietnamese woman they both love.

My reactions
This has been cited as the quintessential book about Vietnam, especially the conflict begun with the French war. I don’t know if I would agree, but it’s definitely a good book about what was happening in the country during the mid-1950s. The reader gets some inkling of the politics of the era, but is more consumed by the personal drama of these two men and the Vietnamese woman they both say they love.

I found it very atmospheric. I’ve been to Vietnam, and recognized several of the landmarks mentioned – I even stayed at the Majestic hotel – so that really brought the novel to life for me. That being said, I really wish that Greene had given me more of the politics and important issues of the era rather than focus so much on the love triangle. I disliked both Fowler and Pyle; and I didn’t perceive Pyle as naïve or idealistic, but as duplicitous and cunning. Their fighting over Phuong seemed like the stuff of junior high.

None of this was helped by Joseph Porter’s performance on the audio. If I could rate him separately he’d get a zero. His voice is nasal and irritating. His “American” accent is appallingly bad (he makes Bostonian Pyle sound like a Texan). And his pace is slow. I read sections because listening was just driving me crazy. If there are other audio versions with different narrators, try one of those. Stay away from Porter.

cat_book_lady's review against another edition

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4.0

I wish I could give it 5* and talk about the brilliance of the writer - which he is - and the political expose amidst the banality of war - which the book subtly uncovers. But I must apologize, I suppose, for getting rather bored at the two white journalists fighting over a Vietnamese woman... which was not the point of the story...but somehow became its major plot, and I just couldn't seem to see past it.

mallly's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

really liked it... insightful and interesting

kathleenguthriewoods's review against another edition

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5.0

As I was reading, I kept thinking how "tired" I am of reading "great" books, "classics", that are entirely from the male perspective. I'm also tired of reading about war. Thought about giving this book 4 stars for those reasons, except the writing is gorgeous. I can't overlook how incredibly well crafted this is, from the complexity of the story (that never lost me) to the dialogue that reads like a transcript and the characters that stay with me.

Five stars. A true classic.

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