lenareadsstuff 's review for:

The Third Man by Graham Greene

4.25

dark mysterious fast-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

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As a fan of the movie, it was great to discover that Graham Green is not only a fantastic screenplay writer but also writes elegant prose. This was quite a fascinating read; I've never read a book with the disclaimer that it's merely the stepping stone for the screenplay/movie adaptation. And although that intention comes across through its vivid and poignant descriptions of mood, character, and scenery, it also led to this novel being both smooth and sharp. 

Against Greene's intentions to create nothing more than an entertaining story, I found the plot almost less interesting than how the morals of some characters influenced their decisions –

Anna Schmidt insisted that knowing the harmful actions of Harry didn't change her perception of him, whereas Rollo Martins struggled to unite the idolized memory of his longterm friend with the deadly consequences of his drug dealing.

That made for a rather nuanced and intruiging depiction of morally gray characters which I enjoyed a lot.