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reintje69's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
warrenl's review against another edition
5.0
To date I have read exactly half of Graham Greene's novels, encompassing Stamboul Train through Doctor Fischer of Geneva. There is an observable arc as his powers build from the early thrillers, peaking with such great classics as The Power And The Glory, The Heart of the Matter and The Quiet American, then declining through the series of low energy novellas with which John le Carré describes Greene completing his shelf.
In Brighton Rock I discern the stirrings of that great power which brings me back to Greene over and over. It's unquestionably the darkest Greene I have read so far. The dichotomous, tormented Pinkie is a frightening creation. It's a blessing this novel is only 250 or so pages long. Many more would result in too much time spent with Pinkie. Nobody escapes Pinkie's company intact.
Brighton Rock ends with quite possibly the most devastating final sentence of any novel, ever.
In Brighton Rock I discern the stirrings of that great power which brings me back to Greene over and over. It's unquestionably the darkest Greene I have read so far. The dichotomous, tormented Pinkie is a frightening creation. It's a blessing this novel is only 250 or so pages long. Many more would result in too much time spent with Pinkie. Nobody escapes Pinkie's company intact.
Brighton Rock ends with quite possibly the most devastating final sentence of any novel, ever.
madding78's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
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
3.75
literatureboysmelancholy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Misogyny, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Death of parent
rach_telf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lizawood's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
raulbime's review against another edition
4.0
I discovered this book by chance. I was in the library, casually browsing titles and I saw it. Greene is a writer I have wanted to read for sometime, and I even own a copy of [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], and impulse drove me to get it off the shelf and borrow it. Typically I plan out my reads weeks, and even months, in advance so this was new for me. From its description it sounded like a fascinating crime story, and a good fit while I was reading two other—lengthy and great—books (Morrison's essays and Eliot's Middlemarch).
The story revolves around a group of mobsters in Brighton. The young and teenaged Pinkie takes over as leader of this group and begins his leadership with a murderous streak. After the mob killed a man named Fred, also named Hale, Pinkie is pursued by a woman called Ida, who had formed a casual friendship with Fred, and whose mission is to find out what truly happened to Fred.
This is a crime story that focuses more on origins and motivation and persuasion than it does the sordid and loathsome details of the crimes themselves. Good and evil are explored, neither is treated as an innate force that compels otherwise unwilling individuals to act as they do, but are instead traced back to the earlier stages of development and the writer does a terrific job humanizing all the full-fleshed characters in this story.
This was a really good read and a great introduction to this writer. I was thoroughly impressed how in a mere sentence or two, the writer could sufficiently paint a scene as well as a series of actions important to the plot. It certainly won't be the last of his books I'll read.
The story revolves around a group of mobsters in Brighton. The young and teenaged Pinkie takes over as leader of this group and begins his leadership with a murderous streak. After the mob killed a man named Fred, also named Hale, Pinkie is pursued by a woman called Ida, who had formed a casual friendship with Fred, and whose mission is to find out what truly happened to Fred.
This is a crime story that focuses more on origins and motivation and persuasion than it does the sordid and loathsome details of the crimes themselves. Good and evil are explored, neither is treated as an innate force that compels otherwise unwilling individuals to act as they do, but are instead traced back to the earlier stages of development and the writer does a terrific job humanizing all the full-fleshed characters in this story.
This was a really good read and a great introduction to this writer. I was thoroughly impressed how in a mere sentence or two, the writer could sufficiently paint a scene as well as a series of actions important to the plot. It certainly won't be the last of his books I'll read.
margu's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
a_goofy_thing's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25