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A review by lgrunwald
Our Man In Havana by Graham Greene
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4/5
This was a bit of a different read for me. A witty black comedy about a British vacuum salesman in Cuba turned spy for the M16 all to get money to pay for his daughter Milly's lavish spending? An interesting concept that turned out to be a rewarding experience. While a lot of the dialogue, racial slurs, and slang are sometimes off putting and a lot of the commentary is very out of date the story itself still had a lot of substance especially in its comedic takes. Although, this didn't really surprise me as this novel was released in the 50s. You can very much tell our author Graham Greene was really taking the piss out of the whole government bodies of the time, including the M16 and their supposedly reliable spy networks. It's extremely clever and a lot of moments that would make for great television.
Although, saying that, I think that was one of my major problems with this book. It was written in a way that almost seemed more like a script for a play and a film rather than a book. At times I had no idea who was speaking and sometimes the dialogue sounded like pure gibberish in the context of the scene we were in. The topic would be changed drastically out of nowhere mid sentence to something that seemed completely irrelevant to what was going on that left me a bit bewildered. Had I been watching our characters on screen though I think I would have gotten a better experience from it. It reminds me a lot of when I read Neil Gaimans fantasy novel "Stardust". I had these exact same feelings and I didn't feel as immersed or connected to the characters and their motives...until I actually watched the film afterwards that is. That is one of the few times I'll say I enjoyed the movie better than the book. I have a feeling I would have the exact same experience here. This would be way more fun to watch than to read.
This isn't a bad thing however. The story is still extremely entertaining and I had a good time. I would definitely have enjoyed this book on a few hours long flight or maybe a road trip. So I'd recommend this book during those scenarios. It's a book I quickly realised was not meant to be taken seriously and was just meant for pure entertainment and it really was for me. So it you just want to shut your brain off and watch a bumbling and bewildered salesman become a spy and the drama that comes from it this is for you. If you are a spy story lover or want a bit of a satirical take on the James Bond types with a bit of historical context I highly recommend this book! This was such a good pallet cleanser for the normal stuff I've been reading and gave me a respect for a new genre of story. I would definitely try some of Graham Greenes other works in the future.
This was a bit of a different read for me. A witty black comedy about a British vacuum salesman in Cuba turned spy for the M16 all to get money to pay for his daughter Milly's lavish spending? An interesting concept that turned out to be a rewarding experience. While a lot of the dialogue, racial slurs, and slang are sometimes off putting and a lot of the commentary is very out of date the story itself still had a lot of substance especially in its comedic takes. Although, this didn't really surprise me as this novel was released in the 50s. You can very much tell our author Graham Greene was really taking the piss out of the whole government bodies of the time, including the M16 and their supposedly reliable spy networks. It's extremely clever and a lot of moments that would make for great television.
Although, saying that, I think that was one of my major problems with this book. It was written in a way that almost seemed more like a script for a play and a film rather than a book. At times I had no idea who was speaking and sometimes the dialogue sounded like pure gibberish in the context of the scene we were in. The topic would be changed drastically out of nowhere mid sentence to something that seemed completely irrelevant to what was going on that left me a bit bewildered. Had I been watching our characters on screen though I think I would have gotten a better experience from it. It reminds me a lot of when I read Neil Gaimans fantasy novel "Stardust". I had these exact same feelings and I didn't feel as immersed or connected to the characters and their motives...until I actually watched the film afterwards that is. That is one of the few times I'll say I enjoyed the movie better than the book. I have a feeling I would have the exact same experience here. This would be way more fun to watch than to read.
This isn't a bad thing however. The story is still extremely entertaining and I had a good time. I would definitely have enjoyed this book on a few hours long flight or maybe a road trip. So I'd recommend this book during those scenarios. It's a book I quickly realised was not meant to be taken seriously and was just meant for pure entertainment and it really was for me. So it you just want to shut your brain off and watch a bumbling and bewildered salesman become a spy and the drama that comes from it this is for you. If you are a spy story lover or want a bit of a satirical take on the James Bond types with a bit of historical context I highly recommend this book! This was such a good pallet cleanser for the normal stuff I've been reading and gave me a respect for a new genre of story. I would definitely try some of Graham Greenes other works in the future.