Monday, February 5, 2018

BACK TO THE CLASSICS 2018: Orient Express by Graham Greene


The first book I have completed for the 2018 Back to the Classics Challenge is Orient Express by Graham Green which was published in 1933. This title fits the category “A Classic Travel or Journey Narrative, Fiction or Non-Fiction”. 

Despite its title, this book is not a mystery a la Agatha Christie. Nor is it not a sexy spy thriller a la Ian Fleming, which the above cover of the Batam paperback that I read seems to suggest.  

Instead, the novel is really quintessential Greene, or maybe prototypical Greene based on the other novels of his that I have read. In my experience, Greene used his novels to ponder deeper moral questions about right and wrong, all the while with the understanding that humans are flawed. 

In Orient Express, the story begins in Ostend, Belgium and the reader is introduced to a few of the characters as they board the train which will travel through Cologne, Vienna, Budapest and Belgrade on the way to its ultimate destination of Istanbul, Turkey.  

Principal among the passengers are Carol Musker, a chorus girl and Carleton Myatt, a young, Jewish business man, both of whom are going to Turkey for work purposes and Richard John, a schoolteacher who is traveling under a British passport but who is clearly not English.  Richard John's true identity is recognized at the platform in Cologne by Mabel Warren, a journalist, who is seeing off her lover Janet Pardoe. Mabel then jumps on the train for what she thinks will be the scoop that will make her career.  Finally, in Vienna, a criminal boards the train to escape arrest.  Mix and stir, the characters will intersect and miss each other as the train rumbles further eastward. 

I found the dialogue a bit dated and stilted at times, which is to be expected I guess. Also there is some quite virulent anti-Semitism expressed by some characters that I believe the reader is supposed to understand as wrong, but also the author utilized quite a few stereotypical prejudices about Jews which I doubt he considered harmful. However, for this modern reader, it was pretty jarring to read. I enjoyed Orient Express for what it was, but if you are only going to read one of Greene’s novels, I would recommend The Quiet American or The Heart of the Matter over this one. 

10 comments:

  1. This is probably my least favorite Greene novel. I just didn't like it, or any of the characters, when I read it (not even when it was called The Stamboul Train). I agree though, The Quiet American and The Heart of the Matter are much better. I also quite liked The End of the Affair. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment Lark! The Quiet American was the first Greene title I read and it remains my favorite of his books for sure.

      Delete
  2. Thanks for another really fine review Ruthiella. I have read The Quiet American and also the Power and the Glory and I would recommend both. Greene is a great novelist. Agree, his books and plots do involve deep moral questions. Time maybe to read another of his books.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment Kathy! We'll I would suggest you try The Heart of the Matter or Our Man in Havana over Orient Express if you ever feel the need to pick up another title. But on the other hand, this was short and fairly quick!

      Delete
  3. Oooh not an author I have read, will have a nosey at their books and keep an eye out when browsing. Thanks for the review!

    Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment Lainy! I would highly recommend The Quiet American (or watch the 2002 movie with Michael Caine and Brendan Fraser!).

      Delete
  4. I love the premise and was about to add it to my own reading list, but the dated, anti-Semitism would grate and frustrate. Good review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment Jane! Yes, unpleasant attitudes towards other races, genders, religions, etc. is a real hazard when reading older books...

      Delete
  5. I also read this for the Back to the Classics Challenge. I think I liked it more than you did, but I got a little bored with the politics which really isn't my thing. I haven't read The Quiet American or The Heart of the Matter, but I loved Travels with My Aunt which is very funny (I wanted to reread it for the challenge but it's one year too early!) and The End of the Affair which is really heartbreaking. Colin Firth narrated an audio version and it's just great, highly recommended.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment Karen! If you can fit it in to your TBR, I would highly recommend The Quiet American. It is heartbreaking as well, but so amazingly told and amazingly prescient about the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Also, it brings to life Saigon as it will never be again.

      Delete