The Quiet American

By: Graham Greene

Narrated by: Joseph Porter

Alden Pyle, an idealistic young American, is sent to Vietnam to promote democracy amidst the intrigue and violence of the French war with the Vietminh, while his friend, Fowler, a cynical foreign correspondent, looks on.

Fowler's mistress, a beautiful native girl, creates a catalyst for jealousy and competition between the men and a cultural clash resulting in bloodshed and deep misgivings.

Written in 1955, prior to the Vietnam conflict, The Quiet American foreshadows the events leading up to the Vietnam War. Questions surrounding the moral ambiguity of the involvement of the United States in foreign countries are as relevant today as they were 50 years ago.

©1983 Graham Greene (P)1993 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"There has been no novel of any political scope about Vietnam since Graham Greene wrote The Quiet American." ( Harper's)
"Greene is a superb storyteller. He evokes the most actual streets, the most vivid skies, and individuals who can have a lacerating reality as they search the labyrinth of their lives." ( Newsweek)

chapters seem to be out of order

The chapters do not play in order. Please look into this. It is very interesting to put the story together in tour head, but that is not a challenge the author intended

American accent attempt

I found the reading in general good: the pace, clarity, emotional distancing. The attempt at an American accent, though, was a sad mistake that detracted from my enjoyment of the work.

Pessimism

What I listened to had such a dismal view of everything that I just didn’t think I needed to hear more. No my kind of book.

Great story - poor performance

This one is much better read than listened too. It is not just the weird accents the narrator uses but the whole audio production is poor. I love Graham Green but this production was not good.

Makes you think

The book makes very evident the conflicting points of view about the war in Vietnam . I felt the treatment of women was definitely misogynistic. Joseph Porter was good as the Englishman but not so good as the American.