Reviews

May We Borrow Your Husband?&Other Comedies of the Sexual Life by Graham Greene

jon288's review against another edition

4.0

Given the subtitle (& Other Comedies of the Sexual Life) I was expecting much more farce, but Greene writes with subtlety, pathos and humanity.

lubleu's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

magistra's review against another edition

5.0

Read in Antibes on a Lonely Planet recommendation of books set in the French Riviera. Didn't in fact realise that this was a collection of short stories as the Kindle edition didn't have '& other..' in the title, so I was a bit disappointed when the title story came to an end. I wanted to know what happened to Poopy and Peter when they returned home after their honeymoon after Peter's sexual awakening by the two interior designers, Stephen and Tony (or was it just Tony) However, once I was into the other stories (A Shocking Accident was my favourite - Jerome's father killed by a pig falling off a balcony in Naples!) I was appeased. Some of the stories had fantastic plots (the dead baby in the suitcase), and some had more gentle narrative based on everyday occurrences seen in a new light (a conversation held with a baby on a train).

lissbowden's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

rogerb's review against another edition

funny lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

H lent me this as part of a Greene phase.

He writes splendidly and is always an easy delight - some of the topics must have been quite brave when it was first published but it stands up very well today.  that said, they are short stopries and merge into one quite quickly with memory.

"The Overnight Bag"-not sure what's going on here.  

i think "Two gentle people" was my favourite.

destinihope's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

poojac's review

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

wendoxford's review against another edition

4.0

Love Greene's writing - so sparing yet so evocative. Stories end by make you stop and think - rather than just get neatly tied up. Episodic snatches of life...in its many forms - from "gay" Antibes to an 1890s drinking den. Such lightness of touch.
Wanted to edit the multiple uses of the same adjective in one of the stories - maybe it was repeated for emphasis but repeating "gimlet" didn't enhance the story for me!

hpuphd's review against another edition

3.0

Twelve stories, which are engaging but sometimes perhaps a bit slight. Fans of Greene and some general readers will like the collection, but few would rank it as a major work, which it probably wasn’t meant to be. “Cheap in August” (pp. 71-96) is the best, the one story in which the cleverness and cynicism tend toward something profound. Greene shows the most compassion toward the characters (only?) in the touching last story, “Two Gentle People.” (These comments of mine may be too harsh.) All of the stories offer good observations and moments of humanity.

aresoracle's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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

4.0