Rating: 
Summary: The Intriguing Story of Vacuum Cleaner Salesman
Review: So, I picked up this book at a flea market in Obergnigl-a small suburb of Salzburg, Austria. The only reason that I bought it was because the inside cover told the reader that this book was forbidden to be brought into the United States of America or The British Empire. Well, naturally, who would not be incredibly intrigued after reading that lovely statement? I soon realized the reasons behind the hype over Graham Greene. After having read this book, the next day I went to the Rupertus Buchhandlung on Dreifaltigkeits Gasse in Salzburg and bought "The Third Man." (I read that in one day...) In short, what I am trying to say is that this man is one heck of a fabulous writer. He takes you to the far corners of the world--and throws everything at you.. it's like an assault on the senses. In this case, the main character, Wormwold, is a British vacuum cleaner salesman in Havana, Cuba--pre Castro. A British Intelligence agent offers Wormwold a job in the bathroom of one of the local bars as the British contact in Havanna. Wormwold decides to take the job to save money for his quickly maturing (and Omnipresent Catholic) daughter. Well, one thing leads to another, and the next thing you know, his best friend (Hasselbacher) is being exceedingly obvious about his connections to Germany, a dog is poisoned with drugs meant for Wormwold, the secretary turns into a love interest, strippers are being dragged into Cuban/British Issues, the police are busy playing draughts (checkers) with whiskey bottles, and imaginary agents become real and are being killed. Ok, so that's a Huge summarization---so read it, enjoy it, savour it. This book is only for the people that can really appreciate noir fiction/spy novels... oh, and you have to have a sense of humor too. I also HIGHLY recommend "The Third Man." It is, in my opinion, a better written novel than "Our Man in Havana." However, this book has its merits and should be read for pure leisure... Graham Greene is a winner and should be savoured as a writer of fantastic spy novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Satirical spoof. I found myself giggling throughout.
Review: This 1958 novel was a complete surprise to me. I'd read three books by this author before and found them dark and introspective. But "Our Man in Havana" is a satirical spoof and I found myself giggling throughout. It deals with a theme that Greene has revisited on many occasions - that of a spy in a foreign country. But this time, it's all in fun, although between the 220 pages of this slim volume, he manages to say a few important things about social class, the Catholic Church, and the absurdity of international relations.The hero of the story is Jim Wormold, a divorced vacuum cleaner salesman from England in pre-Castro Cuba. His 17-year-old daughter is growing up fast and he finds he needs money. So when the British Secret Service recruits him, he invents a whole world of secret agents and intrigues just to keep the money flowing. He is even sent a secretary, which introduces a bit of romance to the outrageous plot. All of a sudden, the lies he has invented seem to be coming true and the plot thickens, moving along at a breakneck pace. I was totally involved, and found myself laughing out loud at times. What a delightful read! Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: My favourite Greene novel.
Review: This book is one of Greene's lighter novels and is also one that is very easy to read. Having said that, with all the tension, humidity and fog of daquiris at lunch time, it still has the very distinct and heavy atmosphere that is present in all of his books. Based on Greene's extensive experiances of double-agents and British intelligence, the book has a wonderful plot and an exciting pace. The confused and likeable central character Wormwold, creating information and sub-agents, is one of Greene's finest. This is my favourite Graham Greene novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Too sly, too understated for it's own good
Review: This book is well-crafted, and the premise, as judging from the back dustjacket alone, is intriguing.
And I liked it...sort of.
It seems to me this book was written a little too slyly, with a little too much understatement. I mean, when you get a ridiculous premise like this, why not play it up? Have the characters' dialogue be more outrageous, have them be more eccentric. All the characters in this book talk to each other in very believable conversations, but they are rather mundane--a little too much like real life.
I guess what I mean is, this book attempts to mix humor in with a very serious, dramatic subject; but in attempting both, it completely succeeds at neither.
It is too serious, too matter-of-fact, for comedy; it is too laced with slyness to be dramatic.
If you think of the masterpiece of the same genre, of the same century which DID mix the two quite successfully, CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller, you will see quickly how Heller succeeded where this book stalls out: Heller allowed for much more eccentricities of his characters, in both dialogue and mannerisms; Heller also allowed for outrageous, unbelievable scenes now and again, laced in with some really serious matters.
Greene plays it more conservatively, and as a result, this book comes off as well-crafted, but largely insipid next to the classic of this genre. It just didn't hold my attention like I was hoping it would.
Rating:
Summary: Witty, brilliant, funny and sad spy story.
Review: This is a comic spy novel by well-known English writer Graham Greene. The stage is Havana, Cuba, just before Castro.The easy-going divorced salesman Wormold becomes a spy by accident. He is reluctant with this job but he badly needs money for his pretty daughter. By his friend's careless advice he keeps this job. He has absolutely no skill because he even didn't go to war for his bad leg. His actions cause a lot of mess and death. Witty, brilliant, funny and sad spy story.
Rating:
Summary: if you are a graham greene virgin you'll get hooked
Review: this is a lovely portrayal of havana in the 1960's with a wacky vacuum cleaner salesman turn MI6 agent, mainly because of the ability to acquire money from her majesty's secret service. this gives you an idea of the idiotic ways a secret service could be run and that makes you question how close it was to the truth...
Rating: 
Summary: Too silly to be plausible
Review: This is a well-written satire with some of the same ingredients that work well in other works by the great Graham Greene. But in this case both the characters and the action are too far into the realm of comics to be believable. [Of course you might say that Graham Greene knew infinitely more about incompetence and delusion in the Secret Service than I do, and without doubt that is true, but Greene's other similar books (e.g., The Comedians) don't go this far and look more like the truth.] The dialogue ranges toward the cute. The best parts are the conversations between Wormold and his daughter Millie. Those involving Dr. Hasselbacher are rather good also. At his best Greene wrote as well as Hemingway, but not in this book.
Rating:
Summary: A fun romp
Review: This is really a fun book to read. Greene makes light of spying during the cold war. Wormold a vacuum cleaner dealer is recruited as a spy for the British in pre-Castro Cuba. He invents his information to keep the goverment money coming for his daughter who has expensive tastes. Wormold turns in drawings of vacuum cleaner parts as part of an imaginary secret installation in Cuba and invents sub-agents that all have to be paid. There is even a moral thrown in, people and families over goverments and ideologies. Good stuff!
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Greene
Review: This is undoubtedly my favorite Graham Greene Novel. It's hilarious in a subtle way, and the storyline has an unbelieveable air to it. Wormold's life spins out of control and the events take a life of their own. He is continuously saved from close shaves with Death by his impeccable luck and bumbling innocence. But don't let the light side of this affair fool you; Greene addresses the darker issues of humanity and politics, and although this discussion is not a profoundly deep one, it is woven into the background, ever-present and unavoidable.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: This novel is very interesting to read and full of tension. It's about a salesman of vacuum cleaners who should work for the secret service. At first he doesn't want but then he agrees because he needs the money. But instead of recruting real underagents, he invents them and earns a lot of money...
|
