Rating: 
Summary: A Timely Masterpiece
Review: Le Carre, one of the most richly satisfying writers of any genre, has finally turned his attention to the most neglected continent, Africa. The result is his most politically resonating novel since The Little Drummer Girl. The story begins in the aftermath of the murder of the activist wife of a mid-level British diplomat stationed in Kenya. The bad guys are soon revealed to be agents for a greedy multinational pharmaceutical company and complicit corrupt government officials. The widowed husband, jolted awake from his bucolic stagnation not just by his wife's murder but by the cruel and clumsy coverup by his own colleagues that follows, unearths the plot, resolute and resigned to his personal fate. Lest one think that the political content of the novel is a convenient diatribe against corporate greed, I find that the tactics employed by drug companies when threatened by inconvenient research data (misleading press releases, hack advertisements under the guise of "medical reviews" by well-paid physicians, and character assassination of scientists whose views threaten the corporate bottom line) are quite accurately portrayed, minus the physical skullduggery which I consider a forgiveable theatrical device. And yes poor nations really do suffer when lobbyist-influenced government officials inhibit the attempt to produce cheap generic forms of patented life-saving drugs they cannot afford. The prose is rich and flawless as usual; I found myself rereading some paragraphs just for the beauty of the literary architecture. The characters are deep and well-formed, and quite believable, with few exceptions. The police interrogation of Woodrow and Justin is a gem within a general masterpiece. Long time readers of Le Carre will note the familiar theme of a middle-aged man called to idealism and action by a traumatic event, and this resonates well here. A minor point, at last we have a beautiful female character who is NOT a sexual libertine! In summary, one of Le Carre's best, and timely for all that. It is gratifying that Le Carre can still produce a work that is literarily exhilarating, and yet creates the desire in the reader to do something, even in a small way, to alleviate suffering in a stricken continent.
Rating: 
Summary: Digging up the dirt
Review: A fertile new plot of ground for Le Carre to work on - international big business and corporate ethics (or the lack thereof). The corporate world we venture into here is the international Pharmaceutical industry and it's related spin-off activities of aid to Third World nations and medical research. Tessa Quayle a lawyer and much younger wife to a mid level British diplomat in Nairobi, Kenya is brutally murdered and the African doctor that was with her has disappeared. The investigation into her death by both local and British authorities is quick and nasty. Why was she travelling in her maiden name? what was the relationship between her and the doctor? Justin, her husband, suitably angered by the insinuations and the ineffective investigation and more importantly, armed with the knowledge that Tessa, ever the activist, was onto something - "a great crime" - takes up the cause and the case. So far, So Le Carre. Pretty typical plot setting, with the flashbacks and multiple story lines, two of which seem to be going somewhere. The first, the supposed relationship with the African doctor is a dead end and then there is the love letter from Woodward, another British Diplomat. Woodward, an interesting character seems the type that would make a hidden Le Carre villain. But no, we quickly learn that Tessa had rebuffed the poor man, and any motive or malice is removed -another dead end. The main character we are then left with, unfortunately is Justin. It's unfortunate because he's just not very appealing. Sure, the great George Smiley was described like that but it was only his physical appearance, with Justin it's his character - wimpy. George was also brilliant and I have serious doubts about Justin's intelligence. What makes me think Justin is a dim bulb? It's not revealing too much of the plot to tell you that the pharmaceutical company folk are the bad guys. Tessa knew it, we learn it fairly quickly and Justin figures it out. So, why, after leaving Kenya does the turnip find himself back there, back there where... well, I'll leave the conclusion alone. Corporate politics and the ethics of big business is certainly fertile soil for writer's in the spy-thriller genre, but Mr Le Carre has hit a very rocky patch of ground with this novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Gardener looks like a winner
Review: There is nothing as sure as a good John Le Carré book. Some are great, others not, but they are always at least enjoyable. The man writes with so much assurance and charm that people who like deep and well-written thrillers have to love and thank him for such a great material. 'The Constant Gardener' is a really interesting book. It has an engaging beginning that will be solved throughout the novel. Tessa Quayle is brutally murdered in a distant region in Kenya-- where the couple lives. Before her death, she and her husband --the gardener in the title-- had felt apart. Ever since they moved to Africa, she involved with humanitarian works, while he focused in his office duties. The crime will shad a new light in her life, and Quayle will learn that Tessa is far from being what he thought she was. In a nutshell the novel is Quayle's quest trying to find out who killed his wife and why. The deeper he goes, the more dirty he finds. He learns that her death may be linked to the pharmaceutical industry and its market in the third world. Le Carré has his special gift for drawing believable plots with by characters that are very human. Quayle and Tessa are people that may be anyone's friends. The dynamics of their falling apart is very true to earth. But not only them are believable, but also the supporting characters. The narrative is in a worthwhile slow motion --in other words, it requires patience from the readers. But people who enjoy Le Carré's style will find it fascinating the way he unfolds the story until it ending. At the same time, the writer is able to touch upon serious issues like the capitalism and the pharmaceutical industry that causes at lot of harm to many countries --mostly in the third world. All in all, 'The Constant Gardener' is quite a decent read, but it requires a lot of concentration from the reader. It is different from the fast pace explosive thrillers that are out there, but it is still very good on its own merits.
Rating:
Summary: Le Carre's Disappointing Polemic
Review: This may be the most disappointing book Le Carre has written. It purports to be a thriller in the style of most of his books since the Berlin Wall came down: there's a whiff of the Intelligence agent, re-employed after Communism collapses, in some other international enterprise. This time it's the multinational gigantic drug companies, out to make megabucks out of people's suffering. A fearless (and tireless)British woman is murdered, and her Black African companion, a doctor, vanishes while trying to amass evidence that an international pharmaceutical company has been using human guinea pigs to test its new anti-TB drug. The drug has appalling side effects. The woman's husband tries to unravel the story and bring to book the people responsible for the murders. What we get is masses of polemic and denunciations of pharmaceutical companies in general, interspersed with reports on disease and famine in East Africa. It is cleverly disguised as "reports" and "letters" that Justin Quayle, the book's protagonist and husband of the murdered Tessa, has to plow through in his search for the "truth". In fact, there really isn't much of a story, and Quayle is simply a rehash of nearly all Le Carre's Good Guys Against the Establishment who have filled Le Carre's books ever since George Smiley went to a well-deserved retirement. It's a measure of the crusading nature of the book that Le Carre has seen fit to put a disclaimer at the end of it, for fear of litigation. Perhaps the time has come for Le Carre to turn to non-fiction, if he feels (perhaps rightly) so strongly about his subject, or perhaps, like his hero, he should turn to gardening. I do not recommend this book for discerning Le Carre fans.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent tale from the spymaster
Review: In Kenya, someone rapes and murders activist Tessa Quayle, wife of a mid level British diplomat while the victim's traveling companion Dr. Arnold Bluhm has vanished. Tessa and Arnold protested the inhumane practices of the global pharmaceutical companies. They bitterly complained about the use of locals to test new products and the selling of expired medicines that would be flushed down the toilet in the West. The police blame the missing Arnold for the crime as evidence surfaced that they were lovers. Tessa's sedate, older spouse Justin wonders if something more sinister led to his wife's death. Even as his superiors want to place a lid on a major scandal, Justin begins to make inquiries starting with the time Tessa spent as a patient in an African hospital where he believes she discovered something top secret. He also believes that someone felt she deserved to die to keep all hidden skeletons buried so the public doesn't know. Many recent novels have anointed the giant drug companies as the replacement to the Soviet Union as the enemy of the common person. With THE CONSTANT GARDENER, espionage thriller guru John Le Carre comes out of the cold and joins the ranks of writers starring a serene David battling against the pharmaceutical-government complex who will kill for profit. The story line is fast-paced and no one does locality scenes better than Mr. Le Carre does as he shows with his vivid tour of Kenya's Lake Turkana region. Fans of his great tales will welcome the author's switch, as this is one of his better entries in recent years and is one of the sub-genre's superior crafted tales. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Gardener looks like a winner
Review: There is nothing as sure as a good John Le Carré book. Some are great, others not, but they are always at least enjoyable. The man writes with so much assurance and charm that people who like deep and well-written thrillers have to love and thank him for such a great material. 'The Constant Gardener' is a really interesting book. It has an engaging beginning that will be solved throughout the novel. Tessa Quayle is brutally murdered in a distant region in Kenya-- where the couple lives. Before her death, she and her husband --the gardener in the title-- had felt apart. Ever since they moved to Africa, she involved with humanitarian works, while he focused in his office duties. The crime will shad a new light in her life, and Quayle will learn that Tessa is far from being what he thought she was. In a nutshell the novel is Quayle's quest trying to find out who killed his wife and why. The deeper he goes, the more dirty he finds. He learns that her death may be linked to the pharmaceutical industry and its market in the third world. Le Carré has his special gift for drawing believable plots with by characters that are very human. Quayle and Tessa are people that may be anyone's friends. The dynamics of their falling apart is very true to earth. But not only them are believable, but also the supporting characters. The narrative is in a worthwhile slow motion --in other words, it requires patience from the readers. But people who enjoy Le Carré's style will find it fascinating the way he unfolds the story until it ending. At the same time, the writer is able to touch upon serious issues like the capitalism and the pharmaceutical industry that causes at lot of harm to many countries --mostly in the third world. All in all, 'The Constant Gardener' is quite a decent read, but it requires a lot of concentration from the reader. It is different from the fast pace explosive thrillers that are out there, but it is still very good on its own merits.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Solid Effort
Review: Four stars really isn't fair. Judged against other fiction, this novel, like much of Le Carre's work, is simply a cut above. It's really not fair to judge it against more mundane fare. So, in an objective sense, it's five stars, but judged against his other work and, I guess, one's expectations when turning to the first page of a Le Carre book, it's three and half or four stars for me. The beauty of the book for me was getting to know its protaganist, a wonderful creation and one of the more sympathetic characters Le Carre has created in a long time. I feel I know Justin; could anticipate things he might do in situations not presented by the book, for example, a wonderful sign that a complex character has been well developed. Some of the secondard characters are equally wonderful, but, unfortunately, I never felt I could understand Tessa, Justin's departed wife. She just didn't make sense to me, and without extended flashbacks or dialogue, I ended the book unable to really understand her. She seemed more two-dimensional than the rest of the characters; not surprising since she's already dead when the book begins. Still, she is a key, and this was a disappointment. Like most Le Carre works, I continued to think about this one after I finished the book, and was engrossed throughout. He pushes all the right buttons, and unfolds a tale like no other. Takes you to a part of the world you probably don't know much about and inside an industry that is the same. The resolution was a little *too* bleak for me, but it is Le Carre after all. I may have just managed to say virtually nothing in about 500 words, so to close I'll just say it's worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: slow-moving, only gradually interesting
Review: Constant Gardener moves pretty slowly, especially for the first 350 pages, but gets interesting in the last third of the book. Would have been a lot better if le Carre had cut to the chase quicker and placed his action in the present rather than grasping at what happened in the past for so long. He can be long-winded and often writes in major league run-ons and uses meaningless dialogue and narration - the book could flow better. But it does end up to be thought-provoking. First le Carre book for me, so I can't compare it to others.
Rating:
Summary: LeCarre Sucks You In
Review: It's amazing how LeCarre quietly sucks you into a story. His books often seem overlong and glacially paced, yet somehow, but the last quarter of a novel, I find I can't put his books down. The Constant Gardener is no different. There are so many things LeCarre does well in this novel. First off, the characters are thouroughly fleshed out individuals. Next is the variety of locales; you feel like you've been to Kenya, London, Italy, and Canada, as the novel swings around the globe. This time around, the plot isn't as strong and driving as in previous novels, but LeCarre makes up for it with strong characterization in the leads. One place the book fails is in the villains. I found they came off a bit hokey and sometimes generic. But it was easy to overlook that and other minor failings because the novel is otherwise expertly written. If you read this novel, I suggest you also try "The Billion Dollar Molecule". TBDM is a great work of non-fiction relating the trials and potential riches of drug developement. This is a nice bookend for "The Constant Gardener"
Rating:
Summary: A slow-moving look at the pharmaceutical industry
Review: Tessa Quayle, lawyer, activist, and wife to a minor diplomat is found murdered in her Jeep, in Nairobi. The blame falls swiftly on Arnold Bluhm, a doctor suspected of being her lover, and perhaps even father to her stillborn child. Tessa's husband, Justin, disagrees and vows to take up the causes his wife was involved in, in order to retrace her steps and find the real killer. The political aspect of the novel was fascinating. I really enjoyed getting an inside look at how cover-ups really work. The descriptions of Africa were also wonderfully done, and it was clear that LeCarre had done a great deal of research. However, the story itself was very, very slow. Even after I finished the book, I was left with the sense that nothing much had happened. The ending wasn't at all the clear-cut finish I was hoping for, and it felt more philosophical than conclusive. Overall, the book does offer a fascinating look at the large drug / pharmaceutical industries, and their testing habits - particularly, using third-world people to test their new drugs. The companies in question use Africans as their human guinea pigs for drug trials, not caring if the results mean death. I would recommend the novel to those who weren't looking for a fast-paced read, but were interested in political cover-ups and the pharmaceutical industry.
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