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Title: The Constant Gardener by John le Carre ISBN: 0-7434-2291-0 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 November, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.62 (122 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A very fine book and a great read.
Comment: I think this is the first John Le Carre book I've ever finished. I usually find the characters too patronizing, the plots too crammed with incredibly unexciting spy arcana, and the characterizations of women too weirdly 1950s for me to ever soldier on (a very Le Carre image there) to the last page. But hallelujah, the cold war's over. And after several awkward forays into a sort of half-genre Le Carre has found a new pace, and it is terrific.
"The Constant Gardener" is Justin Quayle, a midrange bureaucrat in the British foreign service whose young wife Tessa is heavily involved in relief work from their base in Nairobi. Tessa is horribly murdered and the respected African doctor she was traveling with disappears. Bits of information fall into Justin's lap about a so-called wonder drug for TB, and Tessa's research into its ultimate side effect - death. The practices of pharmaceutical companies in the Third World, the business of humanitarian aid, and roles governments play in regards to both are probed by interesting characters in a smart and smartly-paced series of events that lead to an ending that will make your skin crawl.
I never found much suspense in Le Carre's other books because it was so difficult to care about his characters. This book will keep you riveted from start to finish. "The Constant Gardener" is what I always thought a John Le Carre book was supposed to be.
Rating: 2
Summary: Digging up the dirt
Comment: A fertile new plot of ground for Le Carre to work on - international big business and corporate ethics (or the lack thereof). The corporate world we venture into here is the international Pharmaceutical industry and it's related spin-off activities of aid to Third World nations and medical research.
Tessa Quayle a lawyer and much younger wife to a mid level British diplomat in Nairobi, Kenya is brutally murdered and the African doctor that was with her has disappeared. The investigation into her death by both local and British authorities is quick and nasty. Why was she travelling in her maiden name? what was the relationship between her and the doctor? Justin, her husband, suitably angered by the insinuations and the ineffective investigation and more importantly, armed with the knowledge that Tessa, ever the activist, was onto something - "a great crime" - takes up the cause and the case.
So far, So Le Carre. Pretty typical plot setting, with the flashbacks and multiple story lines, two of which seem to be going somewhere. The first, the supposed relationship with the African doctor is a dead end and then there is the love letter from Woodward, another British Diplomat. Woodward, an interesting character seems the type that would make a hidden Le Carre villain. But no, we quickly learn that Tessa had rebuffed the poor man, and any motive or malice is removed -another dead end. The main character we are then left with, unfortunately is Justin. It's unfortunate because he's just not very appealing. Sure, the great George Smiley was described like that but it was only his physical appearance, with Justin it's his character - wimpy. George was also brilliant and I have serious doubts about Justin's intelligence.
What makes me think Justin is a dim bulb? It's not revealing too much of the plot to tell you that the pharmaceutical company folk are the bad guys. Tessa knew it, we learn it fairly quickly and Justin figures it out. So, why, after leaving Kenya does the turnip find himself back there, back there where... well, I'll leave the conclusion alone.
Corporate politics and the ethics of big business is certainly fertile soil for writer's in the spy-thriller genre, but Mr Le Carre has hit a very rocky patch of ground with this novel.
Rating: 4
Summary: Gardener looks like a winner
Comment: There is nothing as sure as a good John Le Carré book. Some are great, others not, but they are always at least enjoyable. The man writes with so much assurance and charm that people who like deep and well-written thrillers have to love and thank him for such a great material.
'The Constant Gardener' is a really interesting book. It has an engaging beginning that will be solved throughout the novel. Tessa Quayle is brutally murdered in a distant region in Kenya-- where the couple lives. Before her death, she and her husband --the gardener in the title-- had felt apart. Ever since they moved to Africa, she involved with humanitarian works, while he focused in his office duties. The crime will shad a new light in her life, and Quayle will learn that Tessa is far from being what he thought she was.
In a nutshell the novel is Quayle's quest trying to find out who killed his wife and why. The deeper he goes, the more dirty he finds. He learns that her death may be linked to the pharmaceutical industry and its market in the third world.
Le Carré has his special gift for drawing believable plots with by characters that are very human. Quayle and Tessa are people that may be anyone's friends. The dynamics of their falling apart is very true to earth. But not only them are believable, but also the supporting characters.
The narrative is in a worthwhile slow motion --in other words, it requires patience from the readers. But people who enjoy Le Carré's style will find it fascinating the way he unfolds the story until it ending. At the same time, the writer is able to touch upon serious issues like the capitalism and the pharmaceutical industry that causes at lot of harm to many countries --mostly in the third world.
All in all, 'The Constant Gardener' is quite a decent read, but it requires a lot of concentration from the reader. It is different from the fast pace explosive thrillers that are out there, but it is still very good on its own merits.
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Title: SINGLE & SINGLE by John le Carre ISBN: 0684859262 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 02 March, 1999 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: Absolute Friends by John le Carre ISBN: 0316000647 Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: 12 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $26.95 |
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Title: Our Game by John Le Carre ISBN: 0345400003 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 31 January, 1996 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Tailor of Panama by John Le Carre ISBN: 0345420438 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 30 July, 1997 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre ISBN: 0743457900 Publisher: Scribner Pub. Date: 01 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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