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paul_cornelius's review
3.0
Nothing in The Honorary Consul seems ever to reach beyond the tone in color of a smokey gray evening with a streak of red to mark the setting of the sun. Graham Greene uses this very description to provide a landscape for the remote Argentine city on a river, the Parana, that borders Paraguay. But this tone also invades the character of the people present in the novel. Eduardo Plarr, a doctor of medicine, is someone who has had all belief drained out of him, just as his childhood friend, Father Rivas, has been mostly emptied of the belief that should have driven his chosen path as a priest. The other major character, Charley Fortnum, a man in his sixties, is the only one still seeking something out of life beyond the mere existence his younger counterparts have fallen prey to. And Charley does so with a prostitute, Clara, a girl a fraction of his age who doesn't seem to possess the capability of loving or being loved.
And that is the matter at hand, here. The death of romance--both as a love affair and as the possibility of an aesthetic, or romantic, philosophy of art and literature. Thus it's no surprise to see dark shades of color dominate. Even during daylight hours, the novel retreats to darkened rooms and hideaways. It's reflective of a death of romantic attitudes.
Only at the end, in the very last few pages, is there the flowering of some degree of hope. Charley, in particular, finds a reason to connect with the erstwhile dispassionate and emotionless Clara. And Clara herself seems to open herself up to new possibilities of life. Without spoiling the plot, that is as much as can be said.
As for the novel, overall, it does disappoint. It seems too brittle, as if its surface might easily shatter and take the story with it. That bit of hope at the end, too, seems desperate, ill at ease with the rest of the novel. It only makes sense if you see that lonely streak of red in the lingering sunset as something equally desperate to give light and meaning to life towards the end.
And that is the matter at hand, here. The death of romance--both as a love affair and as the possibility of an aesthetic, or romantic, philosophy of art and literature. Thus it's no surprise to see dark shades of color dominate. Even during daylight hours, the novel retreats to darkened rooms and hideaways. It's reflective of a death of romantic attitudes.
Only at the end, in the very last few pages, is there the flowering of some degree of hope. Charley, in particular, finds a reason to connect with the erstwhile dispassionate and emotionless Clara. And Clara herself seems to open herself up to new possibilities of life. Without spoiling the plot, that is as much as can be said.
As for the novel, overall, it does disappoint. It seems too brittle, as if its surface might easily shatter and take the story with it. That bit of hope at the end, too, seems desperate, ill at ease with the rest of the novel. It only makes sense if you see that lonely streak of red in the lingering sunset as something equally desperate to give light and meaning to life towards the end.
andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
Greene is so good at characters , dialogue and embarrassment . I enjoyed the poignancy of fortnum the honorary consul who is mistakenly kidnapped by Patagonian freedom fighters but who is in love with his ex prostitute wife who is having an affair with his friend who is in league with the kidnappers . Add in an ex catholic priest as kidnapper and the stage is set for a wonderfully crafted novel.
dlmoldovan's review against another edition
3.0
This book has everything: machismo, justice, betrayal, love, religion. It also has a very well-developed cast of characters: a doctor who's incapable of emotion, an ex-priest who's still struggling with his faith, a drunken honorary consul whose only redeeming quality is his love for his former prostitute wife, and a novelist who's way too proud of himself and his works. Those characters are full of flaws, but that is what makes them human, and that is what sets everything in motion. They seem to embody the restlessness of the political situation presented in the book. The underlying theme seems to be love, because what purpose is there in living life if you are not capable of love? Did I love it? No. But I enjoyed reading it.
sir_ehssan's review against another edition
2.0
حیف این ایده ناب که این قدر بد بیان شده بود.
سبک گراهام گرین کاملا تکراری است.
خیانت، وجود کشیش نا متعارف، بحث های اعتقادی،یک ارتشی که کار خودش را با اعدام و قتل به سرانجام می رساند.
به نظر من ایده خیلی خوبی در داستان بود، اما با وزن دادن بیش از حد به مسأله میل جنسی واقعا خراب شده بود.
رمان عالی شروع شد، کلی فراز و نشیب داشت. پایان منطقی داشت، اما هدف نویسنده خیلی کم رنگ بود.
برای من تلخی کتاب در تصویری بود که گرین از زن ها در ذهنم ایجاد می کرد. انگار همه زن ها خیانت کار، ترسو و بدون قدرت تفکر هستند. انگار خانواده سالم و جامعه سالم وجود ندارد. دنیا همیشه سیاه و تار است. واقعا غم انگیز بود.
سبک گراهام گرین کاملا تکراری است.
خیانت، وجود کشیش نا متعارف، بحث های اعتقادی،یک ارتشی که کار خودش را با اعدام و قتل به سرانجام می رساند.
به نظر من ایده خیلی خوبی در داستان بود، اما با وزن دادن بیش از حد به مسأله میل جنسی واقعا خراب شده بود.
رمان عالی شروع شد، کلی فراز و نشیب داشت. پایان منطقی داشت، اما هدف نویسنده خیلی کم رنگ بود.
برای من تلخی کتاب در تصویری بود که گرین از زن ها در ذهنم ایجاد می کرد. انگار همه زن ها خیانت کار، ترسو و بدون قدرت تفکر هستند. انگار خانواده سالم و جامعه سالم وجود ندارد. دنیا همیشه سیاه و تار است. واقعا غم انگیز بود.
bookpossum's review against another edition
4.0
As always with Greene, beautifully spare language and an agonising disaster made of several lives because of ideology, belief or lack of it, guilt, machismo, and over all, a lack of love passed on from one generation to the next. Brilliant and almost unbearable to read as the characters blunder ever deeper into the mire.
bobbo49's review against another edition
4.0
Another excellent book by Greene, this time focused on a political kidnapping in Argentina, a triangle among an alcoholic "honorary consul", his wife (a former prostitute), and his friend/her doctor and lover, who has made a deal with the kidnappers in order to help his own imprisoned father. As always, some deep religious overtones, and a great deal about relationships and ideals. Fast-paced, well narrated, thought-provoking.
rancuceanu's review against another edition
5.0
If the purpose of art is to trigger emotion, then this book was more successful for me than The human factor or The quiet American. I know not all people will agree with me. Not a perfect book, but rounded up to 5 stars from 4.5.
blueyorkie's review against another edition
3.0
One could believe this humorous novel, but in fact, not really. In a country in revolution, Doctor Plarr lives a small dead town, looks after its patients all day long and converses in the evening with his only English relations Doctor Humphries and the honorary consul Charley Fortnum. Charley Fortnum is a grotesque and alcoholic character who is useless for his country and makes a living from what the English state gives him. One fine day, he was accidentally kidnapped instead of the ambassador. But who would want to release prisoners of war in exchange for the release of this unknown and useless little honorary consul?
The concept of the work is cynical and funny, but the story is rather sad. We see a Dr Plarr who struggles between his English and South American origins, lives a rather dreary life and cares for more and more patients. Not believing in anything and unable to forge a real relationship with women. the honorary consul takes advantage of the system and stays alive thanks to his daily bottle. The revolutionaries are heading towards an impasse and continue their struggle, running out of steam. The embassy has nothing to do with these recriminations and attaches more importance to minor scandals (the honorary consul marries a 20-year-old prostitute.)
It's not pretty, and Graham Greene is on target when he manages to highlight all the South American miseries and revolutionary inconsistencies thanks to the kidnapping of an absurd character.
The concept of the work is cynical and funny, but the story is rather sad. We see a Dr Plarr who struggles between his English and South American origins, lives a rather dreary life and cares for more and more patients. Not believing in anything and unable to forge a real relationship with women. the honorary consul takes advantage of the system and stays alive thanks to his daily bottle. The revolutionaries are heading towards an impasse and continue their struggle, running out of steam. The embassy has nothing to do with these recriminations and attaches more importance to minor scandals (the honorary consul marries a 20-year-old prostitute.)
It's not pretty, and Graham Greene is on target when he manages to highlight all the South American miseries and revolutionary inconsistencies thanks to the kidnapping of an absurd character.
othersimmons's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75