The Quiet American (2005)

By Graham Greene
Another book I read after seeing the film, and a really beautiful book. (The film is also good - it convinced me that Michael Caine is an actor worth his salt). It is always harder to write reviews of the books that are truly good – harder to be flippant, I suppose. The story is set in Vietnam, just before the US really get involved in the war, and is told by Thomas Fowler, an ageing English journalist. Vietnam has got under his skin, and he doesn’t want to go home. A young American arrives on the scene, Alden Pyle, talking about “A Third Force” that could bring stability to the region, and who promptly falls in love (of a sort) with Phuong, Fowler's mistress. The story then becomes one of trying to keep hold of what he loves, while still trying to remain neutral, to not take sides in what is happening around him.

To me, this was one of those novels where as I was reading I was conscious of it being perfect in all ways - succinct, poetic writing with complex characters that really seem to breathe, whose passions, sadness and fear are palpable. Strange that most of these books I have encountered so far are quite short.

Oh no, I have just realised this is a book about a LOVE TRIANGLE!! It tricked me! Wow, it really must be a good book.

Rating: 10 out of 10
Don't be put off by the gloomy topic - one of the best books I have read.

Hot Six (2005)

By Janet Evanovich
I went off Janet Evanovich and her sassy bounty-hunter heroine Stephanie Plum for a while, because I thought I detected the emergence of the dreaded LOVE TRIANGLE erupting between Stephanie and the two eligible bachelors around town, Joe Morelli (cop) and Ranger (fellow bounty hunter and general entrepreneur), at the end of “High Five”. And I really hate love triangles, I mean I REALLY hate them. They go on forever, they can’t possible have a happy ending, there’s way too much useless inner turmoil around and they’re just dullsville in general, man. Case in point: Dawson’s Creek, where there seemed to be several love triangles going on all at the one time. Oh, the agony! I thought I would kill someone. Fortunately, I remembered in time that watching Dawson’s Creek was an optional activity.

Anyway, the book. The eleventh adventure of Ms Stephanie Plum has just come out, so I am really behind the times with number six here, but I am pleased to report that, despite a little bit of love triangle action, this book is thoroughly enjoyable. (In brief, it’s about Stephanie Plum trying to help get Ranger off the hook for the suspected murder of a member of one of the local crime families). I think Evanovich’s skill is that her books really are fun – they’re not heavy, man. So I will get back on the Stephanie Plum train, which is a bit exciting really because I know I’ve got another five books to enjoy before I have to wait another year for the next one. I hope they will be just as reliably entertaining as all her previous books.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Good fun. Warning: May make you want to eat doughnuts.