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A review by book_concierge
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
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.
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.