Reviews

The Unquiet Englishman: A Life of Graham Greene by Richard Greene

dotorsojak's review against another edition

3.0

I don't read many biographies so my opinion is probably idiosyncratic. The book (on its release in England originally titled: RUSSIAN ROULETTE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF GRAHAM GREENE) is written entertainingly though there are quite a few clunky sentences and some grammar mistakes. Living through most of the 20th century (1904-1991), Graham Greene led an unusually varied and well-travelled life. The author, Richard Greene (RG hereafter), divides his text into short chapters that deal, in Greene's youth with various aspects of his upbringing and mental health, and in his adulthood with his travels and books. I like this way of organizing the work--makes it very readable and easy to digest, though it has the disadvantage of not allowing much room for discussion of major themes. It also leads to some repetition. My main criticism of the book is that RG ends abruptly with Greene's death. The biography opens with a chapter, "The Dog in the Pram," that contains a discussion of Greene's parents and family and background to his birth and early childhood. So far so good. Then why, at the end of the book doesn't RG give us a couple of chapters of assessment? RG doesn't pretend to be a literary scholar, but he could certainly quote some scholars on Greene's present reputation. What effect, in the 30 years since his death, has Greene had on other writers? RG could also assess Greene's impact on international politics. My goodness, Greene hobnobbed with all kinds of famous leaders and journalists. Is there anything he said or did that had a lasting impact? And what about all the people who survived Greene--his children, his estranged wife, his friends? The biography is dedicated to Bernard Diederich, who was a close friend of Greene's (and apparently also of the author's). What did Diedrich do in the 30 years between Greene's death and his own? Basically what is wanted is some summing up. One last observation and criticism. I spent $40 on this book, and the binding cracked before I was two thirds of the way through--poor book construction for sure...

y3ti's review

emotional informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

pivic's review

adventurous dark emotional funny informative lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

3.0