The Quiet American

Readability: Not one of those books that starts out with a bang... from the very beginning people, places, and things you've never heard of are involved, and it's a little tough to get into. Get through the first 30 pages or so though, and things start to get interesting.

Enjoyability: Liked it. A lot (this surprised me a little). Good story, great writing (doesn't use unnecessary adjectives, I appreciate that in a person). What I liked best was that the characters were like real people, people who have good qualities but are also flawed, people I felt conflicted about.

Favorite quote(s):
"We all get involved in a moment of emotion and then we cannot get out. War and Love - they have always been compared." That's deep, Mr. Greene.

Favorite character: Thomas Fowler. First let me say that by "favorite," here, I don't mean that I would want to sit and have a drink with Mr. Fowler. I sort of picture him as one of those morose old guys you'd see sitting in a corner at the pub (probably throwing dice and drinking a vermouth cassis, whatever the hell that is) who would probably be as likely as not to strike up a conversation about how much he hates England or how he'd rather die than be alone when he's old. It would not be cheerful. That said, he's definitely my favorite character in this book. Fowler is not, by outward appearance, a likeable person: he is jaded and cynical, drinks, smokes opium, and cheats on his wife. He repeatedly claims to be disengaged, impartial, and univolved, and takes pride in this. What we find throughout the book, though, is that he's anything but unengaged. Fowler turns out to be the character who is willing to see the realities of War rather than being satisfied with the "safe" official Press Conferences, and ultimately the one person who is willing to take action to support his principles. I respect that.

Least favorite character: Pyle, the quiet american himself. Just thinking about him makes me mad. Here comes this young American guy who doesn't drink and doesn't sleep around and is such a romantic and is... innocent. Fowler says "What's the good? he'll always be innocent, you can't blame the innocent, they are always guiltless... Innocence is a kind of insanity." And though I respect Fowler, on this particular point I completely disagree. I think you can absolutely blame the innocent... just because Pyle happens to be bumblingly innocent doesn't mean he's not culpable for his actions, no matter the good intentions he walked in with. At one point Pyle and Fowler are standing together looking at the chaos after a bomb explodes, which Pyle had a role in creating, and he looks down at his shoes at says, 'What's that?' and Fowler goes 'Blood... haven't you ever seen it before?' I admire his control... I think I would have punched Pyle in the eye. I seriously don't like that guy.

Social impact: A commentary on colonialism, with haunting foreshadowing to the United States/Vietnam war. Interesting also that in a novel written 55 years ago featured an American who got involved in a conflict overseas that he didn't really understand which then led to some pretty negative consequences... remind you of anything?

Person I felt bad for, but who I wished would just grow a backbone already: Phuong, of course, the Vietnamese woman who lives with Fowler and then with Pyle and then with Fowler again. I just feel bad for her. Here's her country, being meddled with by all these foreign powers, and she's got this guy who kind of loves her but kind of treats her like a dishrag, and then she finally leaves him and what does he do? Well, I wouldn't want to spoil it for you, but that doesn't end well either. Kind of sad, but she doesn't put up enough fuss to really make you feel much about at all.

Recommended for: People who like the Jason Bourne books/movies but can handle a little less action, people interested in colonialism or Vietnam, Americans who can handle a little bit of criticism (I agree that this book could be considered a bit anti-American... but on the other hand, it's not really pro- any other nation or people, either).