The Constant Gardener

7 Reviews

• 2 people find this helpful

  

  Solid tale of the dark side of corporate greed

  However, as a thriller, I have to say this book disappoints me. The plot was so predictable that it seemed merely an excuse, to fill the pages between beautiful and moving descriptions of the love between Justin and Tessa. Perhaps I really am terribly cynical - none of the so-called corporate crimes ... (continue)

  However, as a thriller, I have to say this book disappoints me. The plot was so predictable that it seemed merely an excuse, to fill the pages between beautiful and moving descriptions of the love between Justin and Tessa. Perhaps I really am terribly cynical - none of the so-called corporate crimes described in this book surprise me any more. What interests me is how we can fight them, prevent them. Unfortunately, this book ended in a way that agrees with my cynicism and desperation.

  I read the book having Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz in my head, and I have to say these two are perfect for the roles.

  I'll probably read John le Carre's Smiley books soon to see again if he is as good as he is famous.

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  s tsui said on Sep 13, 2007 | Add your feedback

• 2 people find this helpful

  

  typical le carre thriller but it's the political intrigue that drew me in... actually to be honest, i saw the movie first... i know, my bad. but as long as it gets you to read right? (saw some of it on the plane and finished it later on dvd)

  it's a long book but you dun really feel it because ... (continue)

  typical le carre thriller but it's the political intrigue that drew me in... actually to be honest, i saw the movie first... i know, my bad. but as long as it gets you to read right? (saw some of it on the plane and finished it later on dvd)

  it's a long book but you dun really feel it because it is so good...

  oh, ralph fiennes looked really good in the movie. sigh. and that rachel woman too - think she got an academy award nomination for the role and won a bafta for it...

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  fatfacefan said on Mar 28, 2006 about the Mass Market Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  My expectations too high?

  Halfway through, I was getting bored because of the overly detailed descriptions of the inner workings of the international aid community. But this is my first John le Carre book and I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately, the story never really took off for me, and I was "what, that was it?!"
  Re ... (continue)

  Halfway through, I was getting bored because of the overly detailed descriptions of the inner workings of the international aid community. But this is my first John le Carre book and I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately, the story never really took off for me, and I was "what, that was it?!"
  Read my full review here: http://guiltlessreading.blogspot.com/2011/07/constant-g…

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  guiltlessreader aka screamingbanshee said on May 30, 2011 about the Unbound edition | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  *** This comment contains spoilers! ***

  

  How sad the ending is!

  Well, of course I have to admit such an ending is unavoidable, as it is very hard to fight against the System. Yet, it just disappoints me that Justin can't find a way to fight back and get vengeance for Tessa.
  This is the first le Carre' novel I've ever read. I bought this one simply because some ... (continue)

  Well, of course I have to admit such an ending is unavoidable, as it is very hard to fight against the System. Yet, it just disappoints me that Justin can't find a way to fight back and get vengeance for Tessa.
  This is the first le Carre' novel I've ever read. I bought this one simply because someone recommended it to me, not because of the movie. I had no idea there was a movie until just now, when I read some of the reviews! Then I checked the IMDB and think that Ralph Fiennes didn't look so much older than the Tessa in the film. :P
  Something that I didn't know about is that John le Carre' is from England. I just started ploughing through the book and thought that the author has a very British way of writing. And then, bingo! He is British, really! But the informal language used in the novel really pushed me to check the dictionary. Well, in this way I've also learned something new.
  For me the most thrilling part is when Justin is traveling around and looking into the whole affair. It seems that he is constantly spied on wherever he goes. It just gives creeps when I read these parts. But there is something I don't quite understand. When he was in Bielefeld, Germany, he talked with Birgit. And Birgit mentioned the word "roman." It seems to me Birgit didn't know what Roman meant and it was Justin that told her that Roman means "novel." But isn't Birgit German? This is really beyond me!
  All this corruption depicted in the novel, according to the author, is as mild as a postcard photo in terms of its truthfulness. This is really appalling and makes one feel most depressed. How can one fight against the System when the System is determined to have its own way?
  There are portions in the novel that are kind of really detailed and a bit boring, especially at the beginning when one is not really used to the author's style. Nevertheless, I would recommend this book as a good thriller. Something like a "spy" novel.

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  Ruth Ye said on Feb 9, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  This novel was somewhat spoilt for me by the fact that I already seen the film. A mistake as I much prefer not to have any preconceived ideas about the plot, characters and settings, letting my imagination have free rein.
  This is probably the reason that although the book has been on my booksh ... (continue)

  This novel was somewhat spoilt for me by the fact that I already seen the film. A mistake as I much prefer not to have any preconceived ideas about the plot, characters and settings, letting my imagination have free rein.
  This is probably the reason that although the book has been on my bookshelves for a few years now I have only just got around to reading it. Even so with pictures already in my mind I did enjoy the book more than I expected to.

  This novel is disturbingly believable as exploitation of Africa and Africans for medical testing by the giant pharmaceutical companies is a sad but I suspect true fact of life. In this case the story is set in Kenya and the protagonist Justin Quayle is a diplomat in Nairobi with the British High Commission. His wife Tessa is murdered because she finds out that a drug being used as a cure for tuberculosis within the tribal villages is unstable. There are still many unresolved and dangerous side effects making the drug unsafe for prescribing, although bribery and corruption have meant that it is in common local use. Tessa is a lawyer and so horrified by her discovery that along with her friend Arnold Bluhm she had been collecting data to prove what she has discovered.
  After her death Justin carries on with his wife’s campaign, turning spy to resolve why his wife was murdered and by whom. Time spent working in the foreign office meant he knew to be extra careful in his investigations as ‘In a civilised country you never can tell!’

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  Lindyloumac said on Nov 3, 2009 | Add your feedback

• 

  This was the first novel by Le Carre I have red and I am stunned by how thrilling and exciting it is. Justin's desperate adventure to find out more about his wife is gripping. More importantly, Le Carre balances fiction and reality to describe some aspects of capitalism in Africa. Beautifully writte ... (continue)

  This was the first novel by Le Carre I have red and I am stunned by how thrilling and exciting it is. Justin's desperate adventure to find out more about his wife is gripping. More importantly, Le Carre balances fiction and reality to describe some aspects of capitalism in Africa. Beautifully written.

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  Lunarossa said on Jun 27, 2009 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

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Book Details

• Rating:
  (63)
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• English Books
• Paperback 608 Pages
• Edition: Film Tie-in Ed
• ISBN-10: 0340837098
• ISBN-13: 9780340837092
• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Paperbacks
• Pub date: Jan 01, 2005
• Dimensions: 1226 mm x 839 mm x 258 mm Just how big is that?
• Also available as: Mass Market Paperback, Hardcover, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Unbound, Others and eBook
• In other languages: other languages 繁體書, Livres Français, Deutsche Bücher, Libros en Español, Livros em Português, llibres en català, Libri Italiani, Ελληνικά βιβλία

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