The quiet American

ogd5XOt reviewed The quiet American by Graham Greene

Authentic and Beautifully Written

5 stars

Graham Greene served with MI6 during World War II and traveled the world extensively both before and after. His experiences really come across in this novel, where the narrator can zero in about the small details of a locale that make it special, as well as provide some insights into life in war zones that only someone with legitimate been-there-done-that experience would have.

While the plot itself centers around a love triangle between a journalist, a Vietnamese woman, and an American operative, that almost seemed like background noise to me. What made the book special was the first person narration - a voice that was reflecting on life in general, life in Vietnam, war, intrigue and numerous other details with an authenticity that can't be fabricated.

Beautifully written and filled with realities of conflict (internal, interpersonal, and between opposing forces) that continue to resonate.

Fionnáin reviewed The quiet American. by Graham Greene (The Library Edition of the works of Graham Greene)

Review of 'The quiet American.' on 'Import'

4 stars

Greene tells a drmatic story in one of his most famous novels, but what is particularly amazing about this book is how prescient it was. Written in the early 1950s, The Quiet American seems to predict with surprising accuracy the future of US intervention in Vietnam long before they were actively involved in the conflict there. It also carefully deals with colonialism, racial stereotyping and post-war politics while telling a tense story (in part-metaphor) of war, love and loss (albeit still occasionally a victim to the prejudices of the time when it was written).

The narrator, a journalist, is trying not to be engagé, to be a neutral observer as the war goes on around him. He constantly reminds those around him (particularly the brash American Pyle) that the people of the country that they are in are suffering, and that they have their own motivations and desires, despite …

Greene tells a drmatic story in one of his most famous novels, but what is particularly amazing about this book is how prescient it was. Written in the early 1950s, The Quiet American seems to predict with surprising accuracy the future of US intervention in Vietnam long before they were actively involved in the conflict there. It also carefully deals with colonialism, racial stereotyping and post-war politics while telling a tense story (in part-metaphor) of war, love and loss (albeit still occasionally a victim to the prejudices of the time when it was written).

The narrator, a journalist, is trying not to be engagé, to be a neutral observer as the war goes on around him. He constantly reminds those around him (particularly the brash American Pyle) that the people of the country that they are in are suffering, and that they have their own motivations and desires, despite what the western powers believe. The moral and social tale that he is part of (and that is told around him) is told with the fluid dialogue of an author who understood his craft well.

Zelanator reviewed The quiet American. by Graham Greene (The Library Edition of the works of Graham Greene)

Review of 'The quiet American.' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Rich storytelling

On the surface, Greene’s The Quiet American tells the story of Mr. Fowler’s and Mr. Pyle’s struggle to win the affection and love of Phuong—a young, beautiful Vietnamese woman. However, Greene also explores the complexities of Vietnamese politics during the First Indochina War and foreshadows much of what went wrong with the much later American intervention in the country.

Fowler is a British journalist dispatched to Vietnam to cover the First Indochina War. A natural cynic, Fowler believes that the French (and American) efforts to prop up a democratic government or anti-communist “Third Force” in Indochina is mistaken and cannot stand the test of time. Pyle is an American civilian attached to the “Economic Mission” (although he is suspected to be a CIA Asset working to establish a third force with General The) who believes in the rhetoric of nation-building, the domino theory, and perceives the Vietnamese as …

Rich storytelling

On the surface, Greene’s The Quiet American tells the story of Mr. Fowler’s and Mr. Pyle’s struggle to win the affection and love of Phuong—a young, beautiful Vietnamese woman. However, Greene also explores the complexities of Vietnamese politics during the First Indochina War and foreshadows much of what went wrong with the much later American intervention in the country.

Fowler is a British journalist dispatched to Vietnam to cover the First Indochina War. A natural cynic, Fowler believes that the French (and American) efforts to prop up a democratic government or anti-communist “Third Force” in Indochina is mistaken and cannot stand the test of time. Pyle is an American civilian attached to the “Economic Mission” (although he is suspected to be a CIA Asset working to establish a third force with General The) who believes in the rhetoric of nation-building, the domino theory, and perceives the Vietnamese as “simple” and “childlike.” The ways in which each of these men conceptualize both the Vietnamese and the French/American fortunes in the conflict are played out in their relationship with Phuong who often seems like a one-dimensional object to be won or lost in a contest between the men and their competing world views.

A highly recommended read for anyone interested in the American War in Vietnam or in reading great works of fiction generally.