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The Constant Gardener
The Constant Gardener: A Novel | John le Carre
Frightening, heartbreaking, and exquisitely calibrated, John le Carr's new novel opens with the gruesome murder of the young and beautiful Tessa Quayle near northern Kenya's Lake Turkana, the birthplace of mankind. Her putative African lover and traveling companion, a doctor with one of the aid agencies, has vanished from the scene of the crime. Tessa's much older husband, Justin, a career diplomat at the British High Commission in Nairobi, sets out on a personal odyssey in pursuit of the killers and their motive. A master chronicler of the deceptions and betrayals of ordinary people caught in political conflict, le Carr portrays, in The Constant Gardener, the dark side of unbridled capitalism. His eighteenth novel is also the profoundly moving story of a man whom tragedy elevates. Justin Quayle, amateur gardener and ineffectual bureaucrat, seemingly oblivious to his wife's cause, discovers his own resources and the extraordinary courage of the woman he barely had time to love. The Constant Gardener is a magnificent exploration of the new world order by one of the most compelling and elegant storytellers of our time.
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LiseWorks
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Perfect 👍🏻 6mo
21 likes1 comment
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OutsmartYourShelf
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Mehso-so

If you've ever since the film with Ralph Fiennes & Rachel Weisz, then you'll pretty much have the gist of what happens. If you haven't - then please watch it, it's a great film. There are one or two glaring differences between the book & the film but the main characters of Justin & Tessa were played pretty much spot on by Fiennes & Weisz, & the ending was kept true to the book. (Continued)

OutsmartYourShelf The book itself could have been about 100 pages shorter & probably would have been the better for it........Overall, good but characters a bit too loquacious, 3🌟

Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1586168043

+2556 pts #OctoberBookBingo #OctoberTeamReadingChallenge #BooktrovertBingo #Thrillathon #20in4 (for last 200 pages) #BodyCountBingo #StabbyBingo #31by31st #Scarathlon2022 #TeamSlaughter

2y
Catsandbooks 🙌🏼🐈‍⬛🧡 2y
Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 2y
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Sapphire
Panpan

It was a poor choice on my part. Clearly the spy novel genre is not my bailiwick. #foodandlit #kenya

Texreader I‘m not a fan of John LeCarre‘s writing. I think he writes for a very niche audience 2y
TrishB I love spy novels but as @Texreader says LeCarre has a particular style that I can never get into. 2y
Sapphire Good to know! I have a few detective novel series I like. But other than Our Man in Havana which is more satire, this was my first spy novel I think. It was also pretty dated I think. 2y
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Sapphire
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Still plugging along. It was rather a slog till about page 150. Seems to be improving

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Sapphire
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Starting my September #foodandlit #kenya book at my favorite reading spot in the world.

Catsandbooks So fun!! 2y
24 likes1 comment
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Awk_Word_Smith
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Pickpick

Am I the only one who loves le Carré endings? It‘s never a happy ending. It‘s always tidy though. A realistic spy thriller where the good guy may win but it‘s never a happy ending for the MC. I haven‘t seen the film—which is odd because like any Luc Besson movie, I‘ll watch anything based on a le Carré novel. Justin Quayle is a tragic character from the beginning and fulfills that role right up to the end. No one wins in the real world.

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Awk_Word_Smith
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Definitely one of his faster paced books. And that‘s saying something for le Carré. I got halfway through the book in one sitting. He has a way of seamlessly incorporating character studies into fast-paced plot-driven spy thrillers.

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Awk_Word_Smith
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Another le Carre novel.

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marleed
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Pickpick

This is such a beautiful story. Tessa just reads as a modern-day saint, and my heart broke for Justin.

marleed ...I sat in one spot and read yesterday, but likely won‘t be on Litsy for a few days. A family incredibly close to my heart experienced the homicides of two brothers (11 and 14), and the abduction with eventual safe return (thank you, Oklahoma) of their 2 sisters (3 and 7). There is life before yesterday. And life after. 4y
Jas16 I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. 4y
MicheleinPhilly Jesus. I‘m so sorry. ❤️ 4y
See All 8 Comments
Tanisha_A ❤️ So sorry. Take care! 4y
JessClark78 I‘m so sorry. ❤️ 4y
JennyM I‘m so sorry - please look after yourself ❤️ 4y
In_the_stacks Oh no. I am so sorry. Take good care of yourself. 4y
marleed @Jas16 @MicheleinPhilly @Tanisha_A @JessClark78 @JennyM @NomiReads Thank you. The boys are now at rest. Tara is a strong, amazing mother, and her little girls are loved beyond measure. 4y
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quirkyreader
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Pickpick

The year of LeCarre rolls on. And I have completed Number 50 in my #Mounttbrchallenge. Here is the link to my gr review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2335892251

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melissa.drake
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Mehso-so

This was my first John le Carré and I had seen the movie some years ago. It was a solid so-so.

I expected...more action, I guess. Just as the book really started building tension for me, it fizzled out.

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Peaslady
Mehso-so

A John le Carre classic. I can‘t remember if I‘d read it or just seen the film before. It improves immeasurably once the narration switches from Sandy to Justin.

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Peaslady

“Everything like ours but smaller, because the Quayles were childless and a rank lower. Then why did Tessa‘s house always seem to be the real thing, and ours its unimaginative ugly sister?” p.56

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DGRachel
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I have never been so sorry that I am not fluent in another language, despite years of German classes. According to Le Carre's memoir, Yvette Pierpaoli inspired a major character in The Constant Gardner. Yvette published her autobiography in 1992 and it was translated into several languages, including English, but is out of print and I can only find used copies in French & German, which I can't read. 😭😭 She sounds amazing! I want to read this!

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TheKidUpstairs
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This was the first le Carre that I read, and I loved it. I picked it up after enjoying the movie, and (no surprise) found so much more here to love.

#gardentitle #aprilbookshowers
@RealLifeReading

TheKidUpstairs I just realized I have the wrong day! This is tomorrow's prompt. #fromthefuture 8y
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Godmotherx5
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I found this at a library sale. I've never read John le Carre. I enjoyed The Night Manager on AMC. Hoping this doesn't disappoint. #spynovels #photoadaynov16 @RealLifeReading

SusanInTiburon I love Le Carré! Hope you will too. 8y
RealLifeReading Ive only read one - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - and it was pretty exciting! 8y
wonga i want to read this. the movie is one my favorites! 8y
Godmotherx5 @wonga I never saw the movie. @RealLifeReading @SusanInTiburon Thanks for encouragement. I hope I like it, too. 8y
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Delphine
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Perfect Sunday afternoon spent reading!
I'm loving it even more than the movie and God knows how much I enjoyed and cried about that movie.

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