flora_readssome's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 STARS
"Frightening, heartbreaking, and exquisitely calibrated, John le Carré's new novel opens with the gruesome murder of the young and beautiful Tessa Quayle near northern Kenya's Lake Turkana, the birthplace of mankind. Her putative African lover and traveling companion, a doctor with one of the aid agencies, has vanished from the scene of the crime. Tessa's much older husband, Justin, a career diplomat at the British High Commission in Nairobi, sets out on a personal odyssey in pursuit of the killers and their motive.
A master chronicler of the deceptions and betrayals of ordinary people caught in political conflict, le Carré portrays, in The Constant Gardener, the dark side of unbridled capitalism. His eighteenth novel is also the profoundly moving story of a man whom tragedy elevates. Justin Quayle, amateur gardener and ineffectual bureaucrat, seemingly oblivious to his wife's cause, discovers his own resources and the extraordinary courage of the woman he barely had time to love." (From Amazon)
A very lush and beautifully written novel. I read this before I watched the movie so felt like the movie left out a lot of crucial moments.
"Frightening, heartbreaking, and exquisitely calibrated, John le Carré's new novel opens with the gruesome murder of the young and beautiful Tessa Quayle near northern Kenya's Lake Turkana, the birthplace of mankind. Her putative African lover and traveling companion, a doctor with one of the aid agencies, has vanished from the scene of the crime. Tessa's much older husband, Justin, a career diplomat at the British High Commission in Nairobi, sets out on a personal odyssey in pursuit of the killers and their motive.
A master chronicler of the deceptions and betrayals of ordinary people caught in political conflict, le Carré portrays, in The Constant Gardener, the dark side of unbridled capitalism. His eighteenth novel is also the profoundly moving story of a man whom tragedy elevates. Justin Quayle, amateur gardener and ineffectual bureaucrat, seemingly oblivious to his wife's cause, discovers his own resources and the extraordinary courage of the woman he barely had time to love." (From Amazon)
A very lush and beautifully written novel. I read this before I watched the movie so felt like the movie left out a lot of crucial moments.
bkkreader's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
annrhub's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
abrswf's review against another edition
5.0
This book was admirably read, and perhaps the best LeCarre novel I've tried yet. It is a deeply cynical and very believable tale of corruption. The described technology is dated as this book is several decades old, but the story feels current.
missjaward's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
alleelei's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
leavingsealevel's review against another edition
2.0
The intersection between "fiction read purely for entertainment purposes" and "fiction with non-obnoxious politics" is very small (Mira Grant and Stieg Larsen and Cora Harrison and Tana French, you're ok). This novel does not add to that body of work. Recommend me a spy novel that doesn't come with a massive white savior thing, and I'll mail you some limoncello.
marmoset737's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book - I got a little bored towards the end (things picked up and then sort of ground to a halt) but ultimately made me want to read more of LeCarre's work.