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outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Justin Quayle works the British government as a diplomat, guarding their interests in Kenya. Shortly before his posting in Kenya, he agrees to stand in for a colleague & give a talk, & he meets Tessa, a young lawyer. Although she is quite a bit younger than he is, sparks fly, & they end up getting married. Once in Kenya though, Tessa becomes close to a Belgian doctor, Arnold Bluhme, & there is talk that they are having an affair & that Arnold was the father of Tessa's child, tragically stillborn. When Tessa is killed on a trip & Arnold goes missing, Justin learns that although they were keeping a lot from him, it was not what people were thinking. He decides to take up the investigation that they had started & find out what happened to his wife.
If you've ever since the film with Ralph Fiennes & Rachel Weisz, then you'll pretty much have the gist of what happens. If you haven't - then please watch it, it's a great film. There are one or two glaring differences between the book & the film but the main characters of Justin & Tessa were played pretty much spot on by Fiennes & Weisz, & the ending was kept true to the book. Oh, & the title refers to Justin's love of horticulture.
The book itself could have been about 100 pages shorter & probably would have been the better for it. There were a lot of internal monologues especially from Justin's skeevy colleague, Sandy Woodrow, who was in love with Tessa & kept rhapsodising about her breasts. (Seriously creepy!). Breast obsessions aside, it was an intriguing thriller about the reach of multinational conglomerates. It was written about 15 or more years ago, so technology has moved on by now, but it still packs a punch. Overall, good but the characters tended to be a bit too loquacious in their internal thoughts.
If you've ever since the film with Ralph Fiennes & Rachel Weisz, then you'll pretty much have the gist of what happens. If you haven't - then please watch it, it's a great film. There are one or two glaring differences between the book & the film but the main characters of Justin & Tessa were played pretty much spot on by Fiennes & Weisz, & the ending was kept true to the book. Oh, & the title refers to Justin's love of horticulture.
The book itself could have been about 100 pages shorter & probably would have been the better for it. There were a lot of internal monologues especially from Justin's skeevy colleague, Sandy Woodrow, who was in love with Tessa & kept rhapsodising about her breasts. (Seriously creepy!). Breast obsessions aside, it was an intriguing thriller about the reach of multinational conglomerates. It was written about 15 or more years ago, so technology has moved on by now, but it still packs a punch. Overall, good but the characters tended to be a bit too loquacious in their internal thoughts.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
misguidedgoose's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Torture, Medical content, and War