(or maybe 4 stars) Very well-written , like everything by Greene. Very sad. Doesn't quite stick with me the way his other books that I'd read did (Havana, Quiet Americans, Third Man, Comedians) .. I think because it's less about plot & more of a character study / story about the atmosphere of those times in those European countries. ( )

Non si salva nessuno in questo romanzo dio Graham Greene. Quelli che inizialmente sembrano vittime si dimostrano cinici approfittatori. Quelli che avevano o speravano di avere il ruolo degli eroi si perdono in finali ingloriosi. I personaggi di questo romanzo viaggiano sullo stresso treno diretto a Costantinopoli, tutti alla ricerca di diverse fortune. Ma la ruota della vita li conduce di fronte alle loro mediocrità terrene. ( )

3.8

Greene's 2nd "proper" novel, since he disowned his actual 2nd and 3rd works and made sure they would be hard to find in print.

Stamboul Train (or Orient Express, if going by its reprint title) strikes quite a nice balance between some of his more pensive works and one of his thrillers. Greene says he wrote this novel for success, or "to please", with the aim of getting it adapted into film, but it doesn't feel in any way shallow as a result. Religion, loneliness, lust, guilt, discontent, crime. His personality and commonly favoured themes shine through the pages regardless of his intent. It feels as personal as any other work of his.

The omniscient perspective can feel a little muddled when he jumps between characters mid-paragraph, and his initial introduction to our cast feels clunky and convoluted; but when things settle in, things feel much more 3 dimensional and rounded. Some characters are significantly better drawn than others, and its fluency undulates, but overall it's a really nice piece of writing and worth reading.

Considering Greene's intent, the ending is rather cynical, and I was expecting a token "happy" ending. I'm not sure if I would have preferred the latter or not. It's a touch bittersweet and more sobering, as it is.

Greene got his wish anyway - this was adapted for both TV and film. He thought both to be very bad. ( )

I'm about a third of the way through, and I'm not sure I'm going to read any more. It feels very long winded, and I'm not finding any of the characters to be particularly interesting. In fact, they are rather annoying and stereotypical. I keep hearing about what a good writer Graham Greene is, but so far he isn't ringing my bells.

Reiseskizzen eines 25-jährigen Autors, der sich leichtfüßig & neugierig kurz nach dem Ende von WW I, vom Balkan kommend, auf die Reise macht nach Damaskus: über Adrianopel, Stambul, Trapzon, Tiflis, Eriwan, Täbris, Teheran, Bagdad, Babylon & von dort aus durch die große Wüste nach Westen; auf & in Eisenbahnen, Schiffen, Pferden, Automobilen, Maultieren, Kamelen & zu Fuß. Abgesehen davon, daß diesen Texten in der Beschreibung & Analyse der politischen & sozialen Verhältnisse in den vom Weltkrieg verheerten, zerfallenen Resten des osmanischen Reiches & der rasch zu Staaten erklärten Protektoraten des nahen & mittleren Ostens eine vorurteilsfreie Präzision innewohnt, die auch dem rückwärtigen Blick nach 100 Jahren standhält; und auch abgesehen davon, daß dieser Autor sich beim Beobachten ironisch über’s Beobachten auszulassen versteht, ohne daß dieses Bemühen als solches sichtbar & peinlich wird: –: ist das die schönste Prosa, die ich seit langem gelesen habe.
( )