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"'A great writer who spoke brilliantly to a whole generation. Prophet-like' Alec Guinness"
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'A great writer who spoke brilliantly to a whole generation. Prophet-like' Alec Guinness
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This was my first Graham Greene novel, and it won't be my last. It's one of those cleverly constructed 'circular' novels that, after the initial scene, takes you right back to the beginning of the story which slowly unfolds to end with the same initial scene, but seen in a totally different light.
I picked up this novel because I imagined it to be full of the atmosphere of war-torn Vietnam in the 1950s, a historical portrait of the end of colonial Indo-China. And that is indeed one feature of the book, but it is more involving still: realistic characters, consistent only in their complexity, a moving story of a triangular relationship between two men and a woman, a stand-off between the opposing ideologies of cynicism and idealism. I was left wondering: was this a happy ending or not?
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Along with Waugh's "Decline & Fall" I read this book every year & never fail to get something new from it. Not one word is out of place, not one scene mis-judged. Greene's characters inhabit a world unfamiliar to all 21st century Western wage-slaves; a world of physical danger, intellectual doubts & moral crises. But yet their paranoias & motives render every one of them as believable as ourselves & make their world as real as our own. The hero of this book in particular fills us with the uncomfortable realisation that even despicable acts born of unashamed selfishness can sometimes not only strike a chord within ourselves, but make us favour the perpetrators of such behaviour over other more innocent players. If you find nothing in this book for you stop reading.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
'The Quiet American' is a fairly short, but perfectly formed, novel. Set in the Vietnam war, the narrator is Fowler, a cynical British journalist who forms an unlikely friendship with an idealistic young American called Pyle. Fowler is a good central character, very believable and multi-faceted, and I grew to like him. The supporting characters - from the Vietnamese girl the two men fight over to the boozy American journalist Granger - are also well drawn and realistic.
The writing style is clean and economical, with good use of descriptive touches which paint a much more vivid picture than long winded or flowery prose. Greene is equally good at describing emotions: fear, anguish and tragedy. He manages to address serious political issues without being dull or detracting from the plot, and without offering easy answers.
As someone who knows very little about the Vietnam war and the politics surrounding it, I was at something of a disadvantage and I would recommend a quick reading of the historical background (an encyclopaedia entry would have done) for anyone else with little knowledge of this historical period. At times the early story was a little hard to follow, and that is probably due to my lack of previous knowledge. I think Greene presumes that the reader will have at least some idea of the main issues and factions in the war, so it is worth gaining this in order to better appreciate the story.
The plot is well paced, interesting and plausible. The political debates and emotional turmoils of the characters are perfectly balanced by action and dialogue. The story moves back and forward in time, and this is well handled so that it does not become confusing or annoying.
On the whole, a good read and a book that I think would be enjoyed by most readers.
The writing style is clean and economical, with good use of descriptive touches which paint a much more vivid picture than long winded or flowery prose. Greene is equally good at describing emotions: fear, anguish and tragedy. He manages to address serious political issues without being dull or detracting from the plot, and without offering easy answers.
As someone who knows very little about the Vietnam war and the politics surrounding it, I was at something of a disadvantage and I would recommend a quick reading of the historical background (an encyclopaedia entry would have done) for anyone else with little knowledge of this historical period. At times the early story was a little hard to follow, and that is probably due to my lack of previous knowledge. I think Greene presumes that the reader will have at least some idea of the main issues and factions in the war, so it is worth gaining this in order to better appreciate the story.
The plot is well paced, interesting and plausible. The political debates and emotional turmoils of the characters are perfectly balanced by action and dialogue. The story moves back and forward in time, and this is well handled so that it does not become confusing or annoying.
On the whole, a good read and a book that I think would be enjoyed by most readers.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Short but brilliant
I broke my rule when it came to The Quiet American, having seen the film from 2002, before reading the book. Read more
Published 19 days ago by D Brown
INTERESTING STORY
A book selected by our book club (2nd Graham Greene chosen) and it was interesting to compare it with the other book (Brighton Rock). Read more
Published 3 months ago by Dickie Diver
"A Masterpiece "
The Quiet American is a brilliant novel with its sly comments on the American way of doing things.
The story is mostly about freindship and fear of lost love in war torn... Read more
The story is mostly about freindship and fear of lost love in war torn... Read more
Published 11 months ago by movie maniac
"He was impregnably armoured by his good intentions and his...
The subject line is Greene's description of Alden Pyle. Readers may speculate on the larger, metaphorical dimensions of the book's three principal characters, and impose them on... Read more
Published 16 months ago by John P. Jones III
Quiet Please
A dull, lifeless and slow moving novel to me. I picked up Greene after reading Brighton Rock and thought that this would be a similar crime and thriller episode. Read more
Published 16 months ago by D!vad
The Quiet American
I have to confess that I know very little about Vietnam in the 1950s. `The Quiet American' pre-supposes an understanding of such terms as Caodaism, Viet Minh and Hoa-Hoas that I... Read more
Published 23 months ago by TomCat
Brilliant!
I loved this book and can't wait to see the film. I would recommend reading this very well written book, brilliant story line.
Published on 3 Mar 2010 by Lynda Baker
Good with reservations
A small word of warning; this book was in the `Vintage Classics' edition. I hadn't come across this edition before and was a little disappointed at the quality of the paper used. Read more
Published on 11 Oct 2009 by D. A. Stretch
Superb Literary Craftsmanship
An excellent book and well worth the 'Modern Classic' description. Greene writes in a spare, lucid, style and carefully constructs the story of the American sent to Vietnam to... Read more
Published on 3 Oct 2009 by Dr. R. Brandon
Relevant then and now
As The Quiet American was the first Greene novel that I read, I had to accustom myself to Greene's style - it's clean and can stab you suddenly with a particularly deft or accurate... Read more
Published on 27 Mar 2009 by Mr. SD Halliday
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