The Quiet American

4.2 avg 142 votes

About this book

One of Graham Greene's best works. The story is set at the time of the French war against the Viet Cong and tells the story of liberal British journalist Thomas Fowler, his mistress Phuong, and their relationship with American idealist Pyle. The latter is an earnest young man indocrinated with geo-political theory and whose attempts to shape the world to American ideals ends in his own personal tragedy and drastically alters the lives of the other two participants. Written before the US involvement in Vietnam this is a strangely prophetic work and seriously encapsulates the British viewpoint towards that conflict. A beautifully written book and highly recommended.

4.2 ★★★★☆ average of 3 sources · 142 votes
Open Library 4.0 22
1★2★3★4★5★
Apple Books 4.5 129
Hardcover 3.9 142

Reader Profile

Enjoyment83Difficulty80Influence84Popularity49Classic86

4.2/5 · 142 readers · 202 pages · ≈ 3 h 44 m · Challenging

How long does it take to read The Quiet American?

About ≈ 3 h 44 m — 202 pages, assuming roughly 250 words per page at 225 words per minute.Typical novel≈ 5 h 56 mThe Quiet American~3 h 44 m

How many pages is The Quiet American?

202 pages in its most-read edition.Typical novel320The Quiet American202

What genre is The Quiet American?

It sits on the Fiction shelves.

Has The Quiet American been made into a movie or TV show?

Yes — screen adaptations include The Quiet American (2003).

Is The Quiet American in the public domain?

No — it is still under copyright.

Who are the main characters in The Quiet American?

The main characters include Phuong, Alden Pyle, General Thé, Granger.

Where does The Quiet American take place?

It is set in Indochina, Vietnam, Saigon during 1945-, 1945-1954, 1945-1975.

Who wrote The Quiet American?

Graham Greene.

Setting IndochinaVietnamSaigon Time period 1945-1945-19541945-1975 Characters PhuongAlden PyleGeneral ThéGranger
The Quiet American ★ 4.2 · 3 sources Check price →