Jason’s review of The Quiet American > Likes and Comments
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Let me know when you write your review. Thanks.
Ok. I'm about a third of the way through. I like it but I'm not looooooving it. Yet.
Interestingly he kind of writes like Hemingway. And I am a fan of Hemingway.
Greene flows better for me, but I don't mind Hemingway. They're both sparse and somewhat masculine in their prose. (Although Hemingway more so.)
Benji is gonna hate you. (But he probably already did anyway.)
He's been trying to get me to read Graham Greene forever. I'll use your review as an excuse not to.
Did you let Benji know that you wrote your review?
He'll fly into one of his rages if you don't.
Of course he'll fly into a rage when he sees this review too.
That isn't fair to Benji. You HATE my opinion! You are simply using it as an excuse to avoid Graham Greene.
And I did like it. I just didn't like it a LOT. (That's the distinction.)
You are simply using it as an excuse to avoid Graham Greene.
Yes.
Excellent review and astute comments, Jason. It's a long time since I read this, but I think the exact period Greene was writing about was between the middle of the French War and the escalation of the US involvement in that war in 1952-1954. The last century can possibly be seen as a journey involving the loss of American idealism and innocence. The US did inevitably get more involved, less idealistic and, necessarily, more guilty. I like the way Greene's restraint allows us space to insert our own ideas and speculate on whether he foresaw what would come later.
![s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1735525095p1/6431467.jpg)
Grand review, Jason! I always get this one confused with the Marlon Brando film The Ugly American, which seems to have similar themes. Perhaps I'll hit up different Greene's first. I did enjoy his Power and the Glory though.
@Ian: There is a lot of talk about this novel being "prescient" because of (obviously) the U.S.'s later involvement in Vietnam, but I don't think it's practical to give too much credit to Greene for making any predictions. I think he was merely commenting on the U.S. state of affairs at that time, though I understand how easy it is to allow ourselves to extrapolate a bit from that, especially given the circumstances.
@Steve: Thanks!
@Mary: Ha, but I'm not detecting any bitterness, right? :)
Jason wrote: "There is a lot of talk about this novel being "prescient" because of (obviously) the U.S.'s later involvement in Vietnam, but I don't think it's practical to give too much credit to Greene for making any predictions. I think he was merely commenting on the U.S. state of affairs at that time, though I understand how easy it is to allow ourselves to extrapolate a bit from that, especially given the circumstances."
I agree. Though what appealed to me was his interest in the psychology and motivation of those involved, both individually and collectively. In a way, it's like the film "Apocalypse Now". What they both do is transcend the circumstances of the particular war.
I guess I do like, also, how his "love" for Phuong relates back to his whole paternalistic American innocence. Because I still maintain that he doesn't really even love the girl. He's nothing more than infatuated with her. (How can you really love someone you can't even converse with?) And he treats her like a child he wants to take care of—he even says so—which isn't unlike the attitude of the U.S. toward the countries it meant to "protect" from communism at that time.
The movie with Michael Caine is great, as is the movie made of The End of the Affair.I think I'll get my Greene on the screen...
Jason wrote: "How can you really love someone you can't even converse with?"
Good question. I think we all have different definitions and expectations of love. I think the same question of "is this really love?" arose in relation to "Lolita" and "Swann in Love". Does our "love" free somebody or actually imprison them?
"The End of the Affair" is equally restrained, but powerful. I couldn't resist re-reading the book after seeing the film. I also bought, but haven't read, the bio about the other woman:
I just started The End of the Affair this afternoon. I like it so far!
Jason wrote: "I just started The End of the Affair this afternoon. I like it so far!"
Haha, people have been known to go to Greeneland and never return to the outside world. I hope you enjoy it and look forward to your review.
I've only read one Hemingway... but he was not enjoyable for me. Does that mean I won't enjoy this one from The List?
I would definitely argue that A does not imply B. They can certainly be compared to each other, especially by their minimalist, sort of bare-bones prose, but they are not one and the same.
It's a truism that Pyle represents America (young, naive, with sinister motives) the girl represents Vietnam (beautiful, lustrous, ripe for the plucking) and the narrator is Perfidious Albion (wise, jaded, tired of conquest, desiring nothing more than a warm place to rest his weary bones in his declining years) ... it is one of Greene's best and worst books. He gave over to unapologetic nationalism in this book in a way that he managed to avoid in many of his other emperialist reënvisionings. The End of the Affair is my favorite--er, one of them; it is amazing. More so because some of it is written faultlessly from a woman's point of view. Some of the greatest male authors suck at doing that.
Ben wrote: "Thanks, Jason! More later--"
He's loading his rifle, Morais.
Run!
I started reading this a little bit ago, got bored & put it down. But I plan to go back to it, so I'm afraid to read your review in case it gives anything away. Giving you a preemptive 'like'. 'The End of the Affair' is one of my all time favorite books, and Ben's review of it is one of my all time favorite reviews.
Well now you don't have to feel bad about your Steinbeck gushing as I am now here to jump in and do some Greene gushing. I don't love all his works but The End of the Affair is a physically memorable experience that I still have five years later. I think it speaks to specific audiences and people at certain times/moments in their lives the most but if it hits you at that time, it's just incredible. I really hope you review it if you read it!
In fact I'm reading The End of the Affair right now. I read the first half on the plane and now I'm in Houston waiting for my connecting flight.
I am really, really liking it. A lot better than The Quiet American. Even though it is a train wreck of a situation and these people are mega fucked up.
That is the source of so much of its power, though, I think! That's the raw material. That combined with the absolute beauty of the language he uses... It was just mesmerizing.
Well said, my friend. I liked your comment about how it's possible to show too much restraint. Subtlety serves its purpose best when point the sledge hammer would have made, though unspoken, is still at least somewhat apparent.
Dear Jason, I really enjoyed your review of the Quiet American. I'm just preparing a podcast all about the novel. Would it be possible to use any part of your review (with attribution)?
I was also underwhelmed by this one vs Greene’s other novels, all of which wowed me consistently. Favorites include Gun for Sale, Brighton Rock, End of the Affair, Heart of the Matter
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Jun 20, 2013 10:26AM
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Ok. I'm about a third of the way through. I like it but I'm not looooooving it. Yet.Interestingly he kind of writes like Hemingway. And I am a fan of Hemingway.
Greene flows better for me, but I don't mind Hemingway. They're both sparse and somewhat masculine in their prose. (Although Hemingway more so.)
Benji is gonna hate you. (But he probably already did anyway.)
He's been trying to get me to read Graham Greene forever. I'll use your review as an excuse not to.
Did you let Benji know that you wrote your review?He'll fly into one of his rages if you don't.
Of course he'll fly into a rage when he sees this review too.
That isn't fair to Benji. You HATE my opinion! You are simply using it as an excuse to avoid Graham Greene.And I did like it. I just didn't like it a LOT. (That's the distinction.)
You are simply using it as an excuse to avoid Graham Greene.Yes.
Excellent review and astute comments, Jason. It's a long time since I read this, but I think the exact period Greene was writing about was between the middle of the French War and the escalation of the US involvement in that war in 1952-1954. The last century can possibly be seen as a journey involving the loss of American idealism and innocence. The US did inevitably get more involved, less idealistic and, necessarily, more guilty. I like the way Greene's restraint allows us space to insert our own ideas and speculate on whether he foresaw what would come later.
Grand review, Jason! I always get this one confused with the Marlon Brando film The Ugly American, which seems to have similar themes. Perhaps I'll hit up different Greene's first. I did enjoy his Power and the Glory though.
@Ian: There is a lot of talk about this novel being "prescient" because of (obviously) the U.S.'s later involvement in Vietnam, but I don't think it's practical to give too much credit to Greene for making any predictions. I think he was merely commenting on the U.S. state of affairs at that time, though I understand how easy it is to allow ourselves to extrapolate a bit from that, especially given the circumstances.
@Steve: Thanks!@Mary: Ha, but I'm not detecting any bitterness, right? :)
Jason wrote: "There is a lot of talk about this novel being "prescient" because of (obviously) the U.S.'s later involvement in Vietnam, but I don't think it's practical to give too much credit to Greene for making any predictions. I think he was merely commenting on the U.S. state of affairs at that time, though I understand how easy it is to allow ourselves to extrapolate a bit from that, especially given the circumstances."I agree. Though what appealed to me was his interest in the psychology and motivation of those involved, both individually and collectively. In a way, it's like the film "Apocalypse Now". What they both do is transcend the circumstances of the particular war.
I guess I do like, also, how his "love" for Phuong relates back to his whole paternalistic American innocence. Because I still maintain that he doesn't really even love the girl. He's nothing more than infatuated with her. (How can you really love someone you can't even converse with?) And he treats her like a child he wants to take care of—he even says so—which isn't unlike the attitude of the U.S. toward the countries it meant to "protect" from communism at that time.
The movie with Michael Caine is great, as is the movie made of The End of the Affair.I think I'll get my Greene on the screen...
Jason wrote: "How can you really love someone you can't even converse with?"Good question. I think we all have different definitions and expectations of love. I think the same question of "is this really love?" arose in relation to "Lolita" and "Swann in Love". Does our "love" free somebody or actually imprison them?
"The End of the Affair" is equally restrained, but powerful. I couldn't resist re-reading the book after seeing the film. I also bought, but haven't read, the bio about the other woman:
I just started The End of the Affair this afternoon. I like it so far!
Jason wrote: "I just started The End of the Affair this afternoon. I like it so far!"Haha, people have been known to go to Greeneland and never return to the outside world. I hope you enjoy it and look forward to your review.
I've only read one Hemingway... but he was not enjoyable for me. Does that mean I won't enjoy this one from The List?
I would definitely argue that A does not imply B. They can certainly be compared to each other, especially by their minimalist, sort of bare-bones prose, but they are not one and the same.
It's a truism that Pyle represents America (young, naive, with sinister motives) the girl represents Vietnam (beautiful, lustrous, ripe for the plucking) and the narrator is Perfidious Albion (wise, jaded, tired of conquest, desiring nothing more than a warm place to rest his weary bones in his declining years) ... it is one of Greene's best and worst books. He gave over to unapologetic nationalism in this book in a way that he managed to avoid in many of his other emperialist reënvisionings. The End of the Affair is my favorite--er, one of them; it is amazing. More so because some of it is written faultlessly from a woman's point of view. Some of the greatest male authors suck at doing that.
Ben wrote: "Thanks, Jason! More later--"He's loading his rifle, Morais.
Run!
I started reading this a little bit ago, got bored & put it down. But I plan to go back to it, so I'm afraid to read your review in case it gives anything away. Giving you a preemptive 'like'. 'The End of the Affair' is one of my all time favorite books, and Ben's review of it is one of my all time favorite reviews.
Well now you don't have to feel bad about your Steinbeck gushing as I am now here to jump in and do some Greene gushing. I don't love all his works but The End of the Affair is a physically memorable experience that I still have five years later. I think it speaks to specific audiences and people at certain times/moments in their lives the most but if it hits you at that time, it's just incredible. I really hope you review it if you read it!
In fact I'm reading The End of the Affair right now. I read the first half on the plane and now I'm in Houston waiting for my connecting flight. I am really, really liking it. A lot better than The Quiet American. Even though it is a train wreck of a situation and these people are mega fucked up.
That is the source of so much of its power, though, I think! That's the raw material. That combined with the absolute beauty of the language he uses... It was just mesmerizing.
Well said, my friend. I liked your comment about how it's possible to show too much restraint. Subtlety serves its purpose best when point the sledge hammer would have made, though unspoken, is still at least somewhat apparent.
Dear Jason, I really enjoyed your review of the Quiet American. I'm just preparing a podcast all about the novel. Would it be possible to use any part of your review (with attribution)?
I was also underwhelmed by this one vs Greene’s other novels, all of which wowed me consistently. Favorites include Gun for Sale, Brighton Rock, End of the Affair, Heart of the Matter
