The Tenth Man

Book Name : The Tenth Man

Author : Graham Greene

What is it about : In this novella set in WW II war-torn Paris , a middle-age lawyer signed away his complete fortune including the mansion he grew up in, in order to save his own life. All because our man Chavel drew the short straw which meant he would face the German firing squad at dawn; to avoid this rather unpleasant experience, Chavel signed a legally binding document to hand over all his assets to Janvier, who would take Chavel's place in the death squad line-up, with his family inheriting the mansion, stocks and all, after his death in the German's hands. With the war over, Chavel returned in disguise to his old mansion as a laborer to live amongst Janvier's family and even entertained the thought of marrying Janvier's sister. Things came to a boil when another prison survivor turned up at the mansion, claiming himself to be the real Chavel.

Some thoughts after having read the book : In this unlikely thriller, the plot twisted and turned and would have the readers holding on to the book until the end, the story would seem somewhat surprising and implausible but never mind. Readers should take note that the novella was set in an era of gentlemanly gaming and lady-like behaviour and not our nowadays, cynical grab-the-money-and-run ethics and shameless antics - so think of a good old black and white old-timer movie with the likes of Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, where men folks took their hats off in greetings and grunted "Mam" and ladies would make apple pies in their ironed clean aprons. 

Would I recommend this book to you : A book showcasing concise writing and the art of novella writing at its best - great lesson on essaying techniques or even the making of a short stage-play.

Monsignor Quixote

Book Name : Monsignor Quixote

Author : Graham Greene 

What is it about : One would think a tale about two middle-age men travelling in Spain cramped in a temperamental old car did not have the dynamics to develope into an interesting story  - but if the characters turned out to be a communist and the other a priest, both riddled with doubts about their respective faith and belief; and the story was penned by the strokes of a genius writer, think again ! Monsignor Quixote received a promotion unexpectedly after having given shelters and a meal of horse meat steak to a religious big-wig and thus began his motor journey across Spain, using his faithful old car, "Rocinante" with a mayor of communist-leaning ideals. Along the way, the two would share bottles of wine, making themselves suspicious to local policemen, giving a lift to a robber and would at the same time, exchange their view points over religion and politics.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The author's wit and intelligence came to mind immediately when I came to write this little amateur review. Running parallels between Communism and Religion could easily backfire if the subjects were to be treated without care and resulting in disappointment and dismay from both camps. But GG did the job of delivering the contradictions and similarities between the two camps admirably and with sure-foot confidence; with tons of laughter and memorable set-pieces along their motor journey across Spain. To name a few of the hilarious scenes, a confession of a dishonest funeral undertaker, took place in the male lavatory ; the Monsignor and the mayor trying to out-wit the ensuing local policemen ; the two men went into a cinema watching a soft-pornography film with vastly different attitudes and expectations - the mayor hoping for a more overt version whereas the priest found it hard to figure out how such a film can be named "A Maiden's Prayer". Enlightening, thoughtful and amusing but not the laugh-out-loud kind of book.

Would I recommend this book to you : Read a Master at work, effortless and plenty of wit ! Greene also threw in his two-cents sideways, on the topics of Communism and Religion, making excellent arguments as well as mockery of both camps. The mayhem at the festival in the last 40 pages would stay with me for a long while - hilarious yet unexpectedly shocking.

Orient Express

Book Name : Orient Express
Author : Graham Greene

What is it about : Not the Agatha version with a detective on board, but a slightly more real life drama with a Jew hoping to close a deal on his business, a chorus girl wanting a part in an Istanbul show, a dogmatic political exile returning to his roots, a fugitive running away from his crimes and a dogged journalist determined to grab the headlines. Their stories, ideals and passion all inter-played out along the different legs of the famous train journey with high dramas culminating towards the end of the book.

Some thoughts after having read the book : On my train journeys, I would never have guessed that there would be a murderer in the midst or a committed socialist on his death tour, or even a fine-figure performance artist romanced by a wealthy Jew making out in the compartment next door; well, it's all happening here in this book. Between these characters on this journey "of a life time", they went through harrowing car chases, fired and dodged bullets, were interrogated by dubious army generals in a make-shift court and amazingly a few of them made it to Istanbul alive. But yes, under the pen of the masterful story teller, everything and anything was possible and all came to life.

Would I recommend this book to you : The reviewer stated in the Introduction of the book that Orient Express was classified as an "entertainment" by the original author. Indeed, the book was entertaining in the sense that it read like a black and white Bogart, Hepburn and Cary Grant matinee. So if that's your thing, this would be an ideal book for your Christmas and New Year indolent days and nights, all curled up warm with a mug of hot cocoa and having a jolly good read.

Our Man In Havana

Book Name : Our Man In Havana
Author : Graham Greene

What is it about : Our man in Havana Wormold, was actually a boozing vacuum cleaner salesman who was recruited in a bar toilet by the British Secret Service as their man in Havana. Wormold subsequently conjured up his imaginary sub-field agents - a pilot, a naked dancer, an engineer, a waiter and the lot, to sort operation monies from London as well as enlarging and forging vacuum cleaner diagrams to be presented as the "secret weapons" deployed deep in the Cuban jungles by "the other side". Before he could say "Hey Presto, those fools in London ... ", his imaginary world collided with reality and found himself the assassination target from "the other side"; climaxing in a hilarious duck-and-dodge-the-poison luncheon, followed by his "triumphant" return (deportation) back to London and was subsequently knighted !

Some thoughts after having read the book : The Author peppered the book with sarcastic remarks of the cynicism that existed in the "Western" and "Eastern" worlds during the Cold War. These remarks still resonate in today's world as conflicts still abound the world over, albeit in different forms. But the book was all about the lighter and humorous side of arm-chair espionage, written with all the flippant flair and freedom and created such larger-than-life colorful characters - a Cuban Police Captain (The Red Vulture) whose cigarette case was upholstered with the skin of a former prisoner; the all-knowing Chief back in London who had assumed too much, exacerbated by his underling who gave partial answers and silent nods; and there was the whiskey-soaked long time friend of Wormold's, the German doctor who inadvertently became a victim of Wormold's sad comedy.

Would I recommend this book to you : Being a big GG fan, I cannot recommend this book more to readers, to view a snapshot of the world that was (Cold War) and that which has changed little since. A super fun read of the chaos caused by our man in Havana, code-named not Double-O Anything, but Agent 59200/5 who had trouble using a Shakesphere reference to encrypt messages and posted a poorly taken micro-dot (film) onto an unmarked stamp and threw into the post box, a further 250 letters (with identical stamps) to "confuse the other side". Yeh, it was so much fun to catch up with such hilarity ! Go Read !

Travels With My Aunt

Book Name : Travels With My Aunt
Author : Graham Greene

What is it about : A reluctant, laid-back middle-age fellow was forced to get off his cosy comfort zone and embarked on a journey with his un-predictable and adventurous Aunt with a colorful past, whom he hardly knew.

Some thoughts after having read the book : The tale was populated with such interesting characters like the disabled old bloke who rented a 100-bedroom villa, each room with its own decorations; he changes room everyday so that he feels he is constantly on the move and resulting in him feeling satisfied with his "travels". The intriguing and charming past of The Aunt, comes peeling off layer by layer as the book storms ahead and the reader was left to feel he too needs to get back to his comfort zone, away from all this tiresomeness.

Would I recommend this book to you : Most definitely ! Graham Greene is one of my favourite writers. Depth, strength, complexity and humour are all his trademarks; but most of all, he has a keen eye into human frailty and frequent madness.

The Man Within

Complete Short Stories By Graham Greene