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grete_rachel_howland's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
There are a couple decent stories in this collection, but overall I can't imagine it would be very interesting to anyone who's not a Green completist.
nwhyte's review
http://nhw.livejournal.com/720835.html[return][return]A collection of short stories ranging from 1923 to 1990, compiled by Greene in the latter year, shortly before his death. Actually it is fairly clear why these stories have not been numbered among his more memorable works; they are mostly very short and while good illustrations of his style have little to engage the reader in terms of content.
komet2020's review
2.0
This collection of short stories by Graham Greene -- spanning from 1923 to shortly before his death in 1991 -- is pretty much an average one. The best selling point about "THE LAST WORD AND OTHER STORIES" is that it is easily readable.
Of all the short stories in the collection, there were 2 of them that I especially liked. "The Lieutenant Died Last" was centered on a small group of German paratroopers who had been dropped by air onto a small English village as part of Operation Sealion in the summer of 1940, and managed to hold it temporarily. It was suspenseful and reminiscent of Jack Higgins' novel, 'The Eagle Has Landed". The second short story in the collection --- 'An Old Man's Memory' --- described a Europe in 1994 on alert following a major terrorist attack. It, too, was suspenseful with at times prose that gave me a feeling that Greene had managed to anticipate an atmosphere in which Europe would be intermittently plunged post-September 11, 2001.
Otherwise, the other short stories in the collection were average, with 'Murder for the Wrong Reason' being the most banal and ridiculously melodramatic. Thankfully, at 150 pages, "THE LAST WORD AND OTHER STORIES" can be quickly read and then put aside in pursuit of more compelling literary fare.
Of all the short stories in the collection, there were 2 of them that I especially liked. "The Lieutenant Died Last" was centered on a small group of German paratroopers who had been dropped by air onto a small English village as part of Operation Sealion in the summer of 1940, and managed to hold it temporarily. It was suspenseful and reminiscent of Jack Higgins' novel, 'The Eagle Has Landed". The second short story in the collection --- 'An Old Man's Memory' --- described a Europe in 1994 on alert following a major terrorist attack. It, too, was suspenseful with at times prose that gave me a feeling that Greene had managed to anticipate an atmosphere in which Europe would be intermittently plunged post-September 11, 2001.
Otherwise, the other short stories in the collection were average, with 'Murder for the Wrong Reason' being the most banal and ridiculously melodramatic. Thankfully, at 150 pages, "THE LAST WORD AND OTHER STORIES" can be quickly read and then put aside in pursuit of more compelling literary fare.
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