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The Comedians

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The Comedians

By: Graham Greene
Narrated by: Adrian Lukis
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Three men meet on a ship bound for Haiti, a world in the grip of the corrupt 'Papa Doc' and the Tontons Macoute, his sinister secret police. Brown the hotelier, Smith the innocent American and Jones the confidence man - these are the 'comedians' of Graham Greene's title. Hiding behind their actors' masks, they hesitate on the edge of life. And, to begin with, they are men afraid of love, afraid of pain, afraid of fear itself...

©1976 Graham Greene (P)2020 Penguin Audio Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Political Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Fiction Espionage

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Critic reviews

The ultimate chronicler of twentieth-century man’s consciousness and anxiety. (William Golding)
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Grahame Greene is a wonderful writer. His thoughts are deeply philosophical and he never fails to engage my mind from start to finish.

As always faultlessly brilliant

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Graham Greene is a masterful writer, that goes without saying - and Adrian Lukis' ability to bring Greene's characters to life is truly impressive. I lost count but he voices at least 17 characters, and each one is so distinct, you never lose sight of who they are. Between them, Greene and Lukis bring this very particular time in Haitian history to life.

So many voices!

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The book is good. Mainly I want to shout out this narrator - his performance was fantastic.

Brilliant narrator

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Another author at the height of his career. Full of characters that are totally believable. History lesson in the troubled island of Haiti, whose troubles continue today. Excellent reader and well crafted story.

Recommended listen

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Great narrator and good storytelling . The characters were all well defined. Great overall good to listen to whilst gardening .

Kept me listening

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I didn’t know this book at all before I listened to the audiobook so wasn’t sure what to expect. It’s a pretty depressing account of a place and history I was unfamiliar with. The flawed characters were brought to life expertly by the narrator who had an astonishing array of believable accents and voices. When not reading the dialogue I found his voice extremely dull - I was tempted to give up before 10 minutes had passed - but I’m glad I pushed through, as he is fantastic with dialogue.

We got to know a small cast of characters and their relationship with each other, the political regime and the country. It’s a hard listen as they had such a difficult time, and only the Smiths brought any light relief.

I don’t think I’d listen again but well worth hearing once.

Excellent characterisation by narrator

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I haven't read any Graham Greene before so was unsure what to expect.

Other reviews have covered the plot better than I could, but suffice to say that it is some of the strongest character writing I have ever come across.

The narration is as close to perfect as I can imagine, with the use of clearly different voices for each character and each one conveys something extra to the text. Really quite the best narration of a novel I've heard. It also conveys the protagonist's deep cynicism without removing our empathy.

I can't recommend this highly enough.

Brilliant novel, brilliantly read.

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Set in Haiti near the end of Papa Doc’s vicious regime the story is pervaded by an aura of menace as the Tonton Macoute kill and injure anyone they please. Against this backdrop are the stories of flawed people who nevertheless elicit sympathy as they try to make the best of their lives. The central character hotelier Mr Brown is a familiar Graham Greene character full of regrets, embroiled in a tempestuous affaire with a married woman and still carrying the guilt of a lapsed Catholic. As with other if the author’s books I leave with a sense of sadness for the characters I’ve lived with for many hours.
The narrator is outstanding.

Great story but not much comedy

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Well read,
I have been thoroughly entertained.
Worth my monthly credit.
A grown up story.
Dark, funny and believable.

Classy

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The narrator, Adrian Lukis, reads this classic with wit, verve and at exactly the right pace. His treatment of the American couple, the Smiths, is humane and humourous. The novel itself is beyond reproach - love, betrayal, loyalty are the classic themes, set in the exotic environment of Haiti leading to a conclusion which echoes life.

Superbly read - a classic Graham Greene novel

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