Reviews

"The Comedians" deals with Haiti under "Papa Doc" Duvalier, one of the most horrible and autocratic leaders in the history of the Western Hemisphere. As always, Greene spares no one. America looks bad, Britain looks bad, the Left, the Right, the fighters, the pacifists, and especially Haiti looks bad in this brutally honest novel.

littletaiko's review against another edition

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3.0

My first introduction to Greene's novel turned out to be a nice solid story though maybe just a tad slow. Set in Haiti during the early 1960's, life is a bit grim for the people living there. Papa Doc is in charge with his squad the Tonton Macoute harassing and killing people for political reasons. Into this turmoil come three men, Brown (our narrator), Smith (the Presidential candidate), and Jones (the unknown factor). They met on the ship into Haiti and find their paths crossing throughout the course of the book. Brown is a cynic who has some trust issues with his mistress. Smith and his wife are relentless optimists who aren't afraid of a little realism though. Jones starts to reveal his true self throughout the course of the book. The Smiths were my favorite characters in the book with their determination to do what they think is right. There were a lot of wry observations and lines that showed what a skilled writer Greene was. I look forward to trying more of his books in the future.

adamrshields's review against another edition

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3.0

Short Review: I know that Greene is one of the most well regarded novelists from the 20th century. And I loved the End of the Affair. But this was not a book that I loved. It ended well (the last 100 pages or so were the most engaging) which is often hard for novelists. And it is easy to see Greene's skill. He can write. And tweaking a repressive dictator that was still in office did take guts. (This was not historical fiction but written as a contemporary novel within a couple years of the setting and published 5 years before Papa Doc died.)

But it does make me want to read more Greene. My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/comedians-graham-greene/

anarcho_zymurgist's review against another edition

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challenging reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

jenmcmaynes's review against another edition

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4.0

The Heart of the Matter is still my favorite Greene, but The Comedians is definitely an excellent novel. It deals with many of Greene's recurrent themes - lapsed Catholic faith, corrupt government, infidelity - this time in Papa Doc's Haiti. It veers between black comedy and tragedy, and the ending is fairly bleak. The Haitian sending, though vividly depicted, is actually the one reason I am not giving this 5 stars; Greene's depictions of voodoo and Baron Samedi felt a little exploitative to me. But the descriptions of life under the Tontons Macoute were chilling in their commonplace despair, and Brown's and Jones' fumbling towards some type of meaning - any meaning - for their lives was masterfully written.

moseslh's review against another edition

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4.0

l really enjoyed this book. The characters are great, even though I'm not fond of the protagonist as a person (he still makes for an interesting character), and I liked the dark humor that's pervasive throughout the book. It got me curious about Haitian history, and now I want to read up about that some more.

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