Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer, play write and literary critic.
His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the
modern world. Greene was noted for his ability to combine serious
literary acclaim with widespread popularity.
Although Greene objected strongly to being described as a Roman Catholic novelist rather than as a novelist who happened to be Catholic, Catholic religious themes are at the root of much of his writing, especially the four major Catholic novels: Brighton Rock, The Power and the Glory, The Heart of the Matter and The End of the Affair. Several works such as The Confidential Agent, The Third Man, The Quiet American, Our Man in Havana and The Human Factor also show an avid interest in the workings of international politics and espionage.
Greene suffered from bipolar disorder,
which had a profound effect on his writing and personal life.
KRIS: The Heart of the Matter
The story is set in Sierra Leone, where Greene had worked during the war.
The main character is Scobie, a policeman who is known for his honesty and being immune to bribery. His wife is desperately unhappy living there and eventually moves to South Africa to live. Several incidents including a suicide, murder, extra marital affairs, blackmail and family and wartime tragedy test his scruples and his resolve. The moral dilemma seemed to be - can you make everyone happy?
Kris liked the story but thought it a book of quiet despair.
CLARINE also started this book, but disliked it. She gave up reading it when Scobie fell in love with a 19 year old!
PAT: Monsignor Quixote
Pat had enjoyed the little bit of this book that she had read.
Monsignor Quixote is a relative of Don Quixote, and is also a village priest elevated to the rank of Monsignor.
She enjoyed the author's writing style, really knowing what he was thinking and how he was, even though there was no physical description. It was all done through conversation.
JULIA: The Human Factor
Julia really enjoyed this intriguing spy thriller and was surprised how good it was.
A man is murdered because of a leak in the Secret Service, and you couldn't pick the culprit right up until the end. It was made into a film in 1979.
She also read a collection of short stories The Last Word but didn't enjoy them as much.
PAMELA: A Gun For Sale
This is Graham Greene's 5th novel and is a precursor to Brighton Rock.
The main character, Raven is a cold hearted killer who assassinates the Czech War Minister. When he is paid with stolen money, he becomes the hunted as the police chase him to recover the money.
Pamela thought the writing was very good, with the beginning of the story really getting the reader in.
Jo also read the book and commented on the extreme sensitivity Raven showed concerning his harelip.
JOAN: The Honorary Consul
This is set in a poor northern Argentinian town close to the border with Paraguay.
Charlie Fortnum, is a divorced, self pitying alcoholic who misuses his position as the Honorary Consul and is one of only two British inhabitants of the town.
He is mistaken for an American ambassador and kidnapped by Paraguayan revolutionaries. From then on, his problems are compounded.
ROSEMARY: End of the Affair
Rosemary read The End of the Affair which was published in 1951. She thought it boring, and not spicy at all. It was set in London just after World War 11 and is loosely based on Greene's affair with Lady Catherine Walston which lasted for more than 22 years.
It was a book of misery.... the weather is miserable, the war is miserable, the characters are miserable and he is miserable when the affair ends.
MAREE had only just begun the book, and was interested in Rosemary's comment.
LESLIE also read the same book.
She was pleased she had now read a Graham Greene novel and enjoyed his style of writing, but not the content.
The book had themes about love and religion. He writes about excessive and destructive love, a physical love not a deep love. There are also several occasions when philosophical arguments about God occur in the story. He seems to be a very self centered man.
SHIELA: Captain and the Enemy
Shiela's comment was that it was the worst, most miserable, unbelievable and depressing book that she had read for a long time. She only forced herself to finish it because of her Book Club commitment. The opening pages were good, but from then on, no one was ever happy.
She was impressed with the way he wrote but not his content.
ANNE: The Tenth Man
During the German occupation of France, 30 men were imprisoned and kept as hostages. Each time a German resistance fighter is killed, 3 of these men are to be shot. Of the thirty captives, three will draw a marked slip of paper and will be killed.
When one of the chosen is a wealthy lawyer, he offers all his property to anyone who would trade places with him. An ailing prisoner agrees to this and paperwork is done to ensure that his estate is transferred to his heirs.
Although only a short book, more twists and complications occur all of which Anne enjoyed.
TAM: Collected Short Stories
Tam liked the idea of reading short stories for a change, being able to pick up the book and spend short periods of time with the author.
She thought that Greene was a great observer of people and builds a series of stories around them. They often had a twist at the end but Tam felt that sometimes she didn't understand the meaning of the twist. This she found a little frustrating.
JUDY: The Quiet American
Thomas Fowler is a British journalist in his 50s who has been covering the French war in Vietnam for over 2 years. He has become very jaded and cynical, leaving his wife in England and comfortable with his life style here, especially his indulgence in opium.
Alden Pyle is the quiet American. He is thoughtful, intelligent, serious and idealistic. Fowler finds him arrogant and naive.
When Pyle falls for Fowler's Vietnamese 20 year old lover, she is forced to choose between them according to what they could offer her. After his death more information comes to light about the real reason for Pyle's stay in Vietnam.
The book was published in 1955 and it raises the still relevant question about the rights of Western powers to intervene in other countries' affairs.
JANE: Brighton Rock
Jane had only read about a quarter of the book but her impression so far was that the story was really confusing and depressing. A lot seems to happen that is not really explained.
The story is about gang rivalries who are waring over money from the race tracks.
