jimmypat's review against another edition
2.0
I read this because I have really enjoyed Forester's Hornblower series and I figured that this would be as exciting. No such luck- I thought this was a bit dull and simplistic.
paul_cornelius's review against another edition
4.0
Journeying down a wild African river of cataracts and malarial, jungle-covered river banks, Charlie Allnutt and Rose Sayer initially come into conflict with one another before falling in love. That is the story, cliched as it may seem. But what makes The African Queen special are the circumstances that surround that story. Not just the trip through the rapids but the troubles to stay afloat and in motion--and then the passageway through some of the most horrific terrain imaginable in the river's delta. All against the background of World War I and the battle between Germany, on one hand, and Britain and Belgium, on the other, in Central Africa.
Forester is a superb writer of action and adventure stories, especially those set at sea. Here, he has managed to bring his nautical details into the midst of the vast African continent. But he still fights his ultimate battle on water--a vast lake.
There might be something else at work, here, too. For the story is one almost exclusively about Allnutt and Rose, a Cockney mechanic and the daughter of a tradesman turned missionary to help her brother's mission. Forester focuses on these two, stalwarts in their way, of the Empire, without the need of upper class direction or commentary. This, he seems to say, is what makes Britain strong. Of course, there is nothing new in itself with this sentiment. Kipling made it a feature of his writing. But this novel was written in 1935, and there is a tinge of resentment against the ruling class running throughout. I can't help but think of the wartime British propaganda poster that would appear a few years later, in 1939, which avowed: "Your Courage! Your Cheefulness! Your Resolution! WILL BRING US VICTORY!" More than a few people, at the time, saw "your" as referring to the lower and working classes, while "us" referred to the ruling class. Of course, none of this feeling exists in the 1951 film version with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, where Bogart portrays a gritty Canadaian/American Everyman who brings a knowledge of life and love to a British spinster.
A very nice novel.
Forester is a superb writer of action and adventure stories, especially those set at sea. Here, he has managed to bring his nautical details into the midst of the vast African continent. But he still fights his ultimate battle on water--a vast lake.
There might be something else at work, here, too. For the story is one almost exclusively about Allnutt and Rose, a Cockney mechanic and the daughter of a tradesman turned missionary to help her brother's mission. Forester focuses on these two, stalwarts in their way, of the Empire, without the need of upper class direction or commentary. This, he seems to say, is what makes Britain strong. Of course, there is nothing new in itself with this sentiment. Kipling made it a feature of his writing. But this novel was written in 1935, and there is a tinge of resentment against the ruling class running throughout. I can't help but think of the wartime British propaganda poster that would appear a few years later, in 1939, which avowed: "Your Courage! Your Cheefulness! Your Resolution! WILL BRING US VICTORY!" More than a few people, at the time, saw "your" as referring to the lower and working classes, while "us" referred to the ruling class. Of course, none of this feeling exists in the 1951 film version with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, where Bogart portrays a gritty Canadaian/American Everyman who brings a knowledge of life and love to a British spinster.
A very nice novel.
girgir81's review against another edition
3.0
I was really excited to read this – it looked like a short, promising classic by a renowned author. I was disappointed however. It doesn’t mean I didn’t necessarily like it, it just means I probably had higher expectations from it.
I started it blind, not knowing anything about it other than the blurb I read on the back. The novel starts off really nicely setting the scene for what’s about to come and introducing the characters. Right away, you feel for Rose, the FMC. There is something special about her and though she is so much different from the modern-age woman, we get her.
The African Queen follows the journey of Rose and Charlie who meet right after Rose’s brother Samuel, a missionary in WWI German-controlled African territory, passes away post a vicious attack. Charlie helps Rose bury her brother and takes her with him on his boat to escape additional attacks or capture by the Germans. Somewhere along the journey, Rose convinces Charlie to inflict revenge on a German guard ship blocking the Allies from reaching and saving the territory from German terror. They decide to use their boat as a self-made torpedo to destroy the Königin Luise (the German ship).
What I didn’t like about the novel: it was very slow paced towards the middle with basically nothing happening and the reader going through almost 100 pages of Rose and Charlie navigating the river and clearing vegetation from their path! The whole novel is 193 pages but it felt like it took me forever to finish. Then towards the last few chapters so much happened to the extent that the ending was rendered anti-climactic, in my opinion.
What I liked: Rose’s character! Rose starts off portrayed as this very docile and timid woman who has been following her brother’s, and father’s, commands her whole life. She lacked any life experience and never had an original thought of her own. Throughout the journey, we see a different side of her. She realizes, with no man controlling her thoughts, opinions and actions, she can not only think for herself but also take charge of her own fate. She is smart, calculating, liberated and determined. She leads Charlie on a journey and allows herself to lower her guard and fall in love with him in the process.
While Rose and Charlie do end up seeing their wish of destroying the German ship fulfilled, they are not the ones who actually do it. They did trigger the consequences leading up to it though, which is sort of a win.
The ending was a bit weird and the author leaves it to us the readers to judge whether the couple will live happily ever after, but that is right after being let in on a deceiving secret of Charlie’s that ironically goes against everything Rose believes in. I wonder what kind of life starts off based on a lie…
I started it blind, not knowing anything about it other than the blurb I read on the back. The novel starts off really nicely setting the scene for what’s about to come and introducing the characters. Right away, you feel for Rose, the FMC. There is something special about her and though she is so much different from the modern-age woman, we get her.
The African Queen follows the journey of Rose and Charlie who meet right after Rose’s brother Samuel, a missionary in WWI German-controlled African territory, passes away post a vicious attack. Charlie helps Rose bury her brother and takes her with him on his boat to escape additional attacks or capture by the Germans. Somewhere along the journey, Rose convinces Charlie to inflict revenge on a German guard ship blocking the Allies from reaching and saving the territory from German terror. They decide to use their boat as a self-made torpedo to destroy the Königin Luise (the German ship).
What I didn’t like about the novel: it was very slow paced towards the middle with basically nothing happening and the reader going through almost 100 pages of Rose and Charlie navigating the river and clearing vegetation from their path! The whole novel is 193 pages but it felt like it took me forever to finish. Then towards the last few chapters so much happened to the extent that the ending was rendered anti-climactic, in my opinion.
What I liked: Rose’s character! Rose starts off portrayed as this very docile and timid woman who has been following her brother’s, and father’s, commands her whole life. She lacked any life experience and never had an original thought of her own. Throughout the journey, we see a different side of her. She realizes, with no man controlling her thoughts, opinions and actions, she can not only think for herself but also take charge of her own fate. She is smart, calculating, liberated and determined. She leads Charlie on a journey and allows herself to lower her guard and fall in love with him in the process.
While Rose and Charlie do end up seeing their wish of destroying the German ship fulfilled, they are not the ones who actually do it. They did trigger the consequences leading up to it though, which is sort of a win.
The ending was a bit weird and the author leaves it to us the readers to judge whether the couple will live happily ever after, but that is right after being let in on a deceiving secret of Charlie’s that ironically goes against everything Rose believes in. I wonder what kind of life starts off based on a lie…
imyerhero's review against another edition
3.0
Having never seen this movie – I didn’t have a clue what this book was about except that it included a boat and was set in Africa. And I can see how well this novel would work as a movie when cast with Bogart and Hepburn. I’ve never read anything by Forester before and have never been interested in the Horatio Hornblower books. But I was pleasantly surprised with his narrative style – he states everything so simply but does a great job of conveying the richness of the story. I had a great view of what was going on inside both Rose and Allnut’s minds and hearts because of Forester’s gifted writing style. I felt breathless during the rapid shoot, helpless during the delta maze, and frustrated during the attack on the gunship. Overall, it was very well told and a great story.
rubymaggard's review against another edition
4.0
The wittiness of the writing, the hilarious swapped gender roles of the characters, the enticing and beautiful description of the African river, and the sarcastic observation of the Great War, had me hooked. I loved hearing how Rose went from being a silent, spinster, missionaries sister, to a fierce, outspoken, lover. Of course, the best part of that whole transition is that she did not see the two to be in opposition. All along those characteristics of hers had been channeled differently, or suppressed, and then they were expressed in her ferocity in making their way over white rapids in a large river boat, or in her faithfulness in making a strike for England. She became a person her brother would not have recognized, and she was completely unaware of it.
As for Allnutt, he was quite the character. Cowardly, uncreative, and largely unmotivated, meeting Rose was the best thing that ever happened to him. He is literally described as having needed a mother, as much as a wife, and Rose was so willing and able to fill both of those roles, that they worked magnificently together.
I laughed out loud many-a-time in this book, and the descriptions of the river Ulanga, were so lively and well written that I can still taste the crisp air of the rapids, and feel the horrible swarm of bugs and overwhelming heat in the marshy waters.
When I first read this book, the ending was very frustrating and anticlimactic. Everything the couple had hoped for, fails. Clearly I was not the only one upset by this, as the movie adaptation with Humphrey Bogart and Catherine Hepburn, completely changed the ending to have a very satisfying wedding and then explosion.
Their level of success is directly correlated with their interaction with others. Alone, just the two, and the pestilent African Queen, all their schemes seem possible. Once they come back into the vicinity of other people, the possibility of success shrinks, considerably. It felt like being cheated, all along there is so much certainty that their quest will be fulfilled that you can't imagine how it will fail, then, reality sinks in, and you wonder how you ever believed it possible.
As for Allnutt, he was quite the character. Cowardly, uncreative, and largely unmotivated, meeting Rose was the best thing that ever happened to him. He is literally described as having needed a mother, as much as a wife, and Rose was so willing and able to fill both of those roles, that they worked magnificently together.
I laughed out loud many-a-time in this book, and the descriptions of the river Ulanga, were so lively and well written that I can still taste the crisp air of the rapids, and feel the horrible swarm of bugs and overwhelming heat in the marshy waters.
When I first read this book, the ending was very frustrating and anticlimactic. Everything the couple had hoped for, fails. Clearly I was not the only one upset by this, as the movie adaptation with Humphrey Bogart and Catherine Hepburn, completely changed the ending to have a very satisfying wedding and then explosion.
Their level of success is directly correlated with their interaction with others. Alone, just the two, and the pestilent African Queen, all their schemes seem possible. Once they come back into the vicinity of other people, the possibility of success shrinks, considerably. It felt like being cheated, all along there is so much certainty that their quest will be fulfilled that you can't imagine how it will fail, then, reality sinks in, and you wonder how you ever believed it possible.
plnodwyer's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
issy_horner's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
snowmaiden's review
4.0
I read this book after seeing the movie, and I've got to say, this is one time when I much preferred the book. A lot of the conflict of the movie is derived from the stormy relationship between the two main characters, but in the book, they fall in love almost immediately and stay there for the whole book, not even having one minor tiff, if I remember correctly. Sometimes I like a nice, conflict-free love story, so this was to my liking. And there is still plenty of action in the book, as the two lovers must work together to fight a whole range of threats from nature and war.
fictionfan's review
4.0
Love among the leeches...
It is 1914. When the Germans round up all the native inhabitants of the Reverend Samuel Sayer’s mission in Central Africa to take them off to fight in the war, the Reverend quickly succumbs to fever and dies, leaving his faithful sister all alone. Until along comes Charles Allnut, a Cockney mechanic who had been out on the river collecting supplies when the Germans came, and returned to find all the people at the mine where he worked gone too. He realises he can’t leave Rose here, so takes her with him aboard the little steam boat, the African Queen, planning to find somewhere safe to hole up till the war is over, at least in this part of the world. Rose, however, has a different idea. She wants revenge on the Germans for destroying her brother’s life work, and quickly convinces herself that they should take the African Queen down river to Lake Wittelsbach, there to destroy the German gunboat that patrols the lake. It takes her a little longer to convince Allnut...
This, of course, is the book on which the Hepburn/Bogart film was based, and since that’s always been a favourite I knew the story well, and was interested to see how closely the movie had stuck to the original. The answer is that it does to a very large degree with one or two minor changes in characterisation, and then a huge divergence in plot at the end that makes the film into an adventure classic and leaves the book floundering as a rather anti-climactic disappointment.
In the book, Allnut is a Cockney Londoner rather than an American. While I feel it would have been highly entertaining to see Bogie attempting to do a Cockney accent, I can understand why the star factor led to the movie character being portrayed as American. It doesn’t make much difference, except of course to change the patriotism emphasis from one of Brits fighting the Germans to the usual Hollywood hoopla of Americans saving the world. Rose is very much as Hepburn played her except that the woman in the book is a decade or so younger. So although she is still the “spinster sister” of the missionary, she is young enough to make her transformation into an active adventurer and passionate lover slightly more believable. She is, of course, actually English too, unlike Ms Hepburn!
The main strength of the book is in the descriptions of the African riverscape. Forester gives a real feeling for the abominable heat and how badly this affects the pale-skinned Brits, however used to it they may be. The sudden rains, the insects, the leeches lurking in the water, the reeds that choke some parts of the river and the rapids that make other parts a terrifying thrill ride – all of these are done brilliantly and feel completely authentic (at least, to this reader who has never been even close to Africa).
The characterisation is considerably weaker, unfortunately, although they are both likeable enough to keep the book entertaining. Allnut is a weak, rather cowardly man but with lots of practical skills and knowledge, while Rose has courage enough for two and the ability to learn quickly, so they complement each other well. Do people change as rapidly as these two do, even in extreme circumstances? Hmm, perhaps, but I wasn’t entirely convinced. Under the leadership of a strong woman, Allnut suddenly discovers a courage even he didn’t think he possessed, whereas Rose quickly throws off a lifetime of repression and strict religious beliefs to become the lover of this rather underwhelming man. I didn’t altogether believe it, but I still enjoyed the journey in their company.
At least, I enjoyed it up until the last ten per cent or so, when suddenly all the tension is destroyed by an ending that leaves our two main characters on the sidelines while the regular armed forces of Britain and German take over. No wonder the plot was changed for the film! I can’t imagine what Forester was thinking, really. Perhaps he thought that the idea of two people tackling a German gunboat on their own was just too unbelievable and in real life that might be true. But this isn’t real life – it’s an adventure novel and needs a dramatic end led by our two unlikely heroes! Let them succeed thrillingly or fail tragically, but don’t just stick them to one side and let other people take over! Pah! I was left infuriated and let down by the way it all fizzled out.
So overall, good fun for most of the journey but with a sadly disappointing ending. I enjoyed it, but I’m not sure that I’d really recommend it except to diehard fans of colonial adventure novels (which, by the way, reminds me that I haven’t mentioned that some of the language about the “natives” is toe-curlingly dated). One of those cases where I feel the film is better...
3 ½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
It is 1914. When the Germans round up all the native inhabitants of the Reverend Samuel Sayer’s mission in Central Africa to take them off to fight in the war, the Reverend quickly succumbs to fever and dies, leaving his faithful sister all alone. Until along comes Charles Allnut, a Cockney mechanic who had been out on the river collecting supplies when the Germans came, and returned to find all the people at the mine where he worked gone too. He realises he can’t leave Rose here, so takes her with him aboard the little steam boat, the African Queen, planning to find somewhere safe to hole up till the war is over, at least in this part of the world. Rose, however, has a different idea. She wants revenge on the Germans for destroying her brother’s life work, and quickly convinces herself that they should take the African Queen down river to Lake Wittelsbach, there to destroy the German gunboat that patrols the lake. It takes her a little longer to convince Allnut...
This, of course, is the book on which the Hepburn/Bogart film was based, and since that’s always been a favourite I knew the story well, and was interested to see how closely the movie had stuck to the original. The answer is that it does to a very large degree with one or two minor changes in characterisation, and then a huge divergence in plot at the end that makes the film into an adventure classic and leaves the book floundering as a rather anti-climactic disappointment.
In the book, Allnut is a Cockney Londoner rather than an American. While I feel it would have been highly entertaining to see Bogie attempting to do a Cockney accent, I can understand why the star factor led to the movie character being portrayed as American. It doesn’t make much difference, except of course to change the patriotism emphasis from one of Brits fighting the Germans to the usual Hollywood hoopla of Americans saving the world. Rose is very much as Hepburn played her except that the woman in the book is a decade or so younger. So although she is still the “spinster sister” of the missionary, she is young enough to make her transformation into an active adventurer and passionate lover slightly more believable. She is, of course, actually English too, unlike Ms Hepburn!
The main strength of the book is in the descriptions of the African riverscape. Forester gives a real feeling for the abominable heat and how badly this affects the pale-skinned Brits, however used to it they may be. The sudden rains, the insects, the leeches lurking in the water, the reeds that choke some parts of the river and the rapids that make other parts a terrifying thrill ride – all of these are done brilliantly and feel completely authentic (at least, to this reader who has never been even close to Africa).
The characterisation is considerably weaker, unfortunately, although they are both likeable enough to keep the book entertaining. Allnut is a weak, rather cowardly man but with lots of practical skills and knowledge, while Rose has courage enough for two and the ability to learn quickly, so they complement each other well. Do people change as rapidly as these two do, even in extreme circumstances? Hmm, perhaps, but I wasn’t entirely convinced. Under the leadership of a strong woman, Allnut suddenly discovers a courage even he didn’t think he possessed, whereas Rose quickly throws off a lifetime of repression and strict religious beliefs to become the lover of this rather underwhelming man. I didn’t altogether believe it, but I still enjoyed the journey in their company.
At least, I enjoyed it up until the last ten per cent or so, when suddenly all the tension is destroyed by an ending that leaves our two main characters on the sidelines while the regular armed forces of Britain and German take over. No wonder the plot was changed for the film! I can’t imagine what Forester was thinking, really. Perhaps he thought that the idea of two people tackling a German gunboat on their own was just too unbelievable and in real life that might be true. But this isn’t real life – it’s an adventure novel and needs a dramatic end led by our two unlikely heroes! Let them succeed thrillingly or fail tragically, but don’t just stick them to one side and let other people take over! Pah! I was left infuriated and let down by the way it all fizzled out.
So overall, good fun for most of the journey but with a sadly disappointing ending. I enjoyed it, but I’m not sure that I’d really recommend it except to diehard fans of colonial adventure novels (which, by the way, reminds me that I haven’t mentioned that some of the language about the “natives” is toe-curlingly dated). One of those cases where I feel the film is better...
3 ½ stars for me, so rounded up.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
galuf84's review against another edition
3.0
Anti climatic. I feel like this should have been a Conrad novel instead.