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The Confidential Agent

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The Confidential Agent

By: Graham Greene
Narrated by: Tim Pigott-Smith
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About this listen

In a small continental country civil war is raging.

Once a lecturer in medieval French, now a confidential agent, D is a scarred stranger in a seemingly casual England, sent on a mission to buy coal at any price. Initially, this seems to be a matter of straightforward negotiation, but soon, implicated in murder, accused of possessing false documents and theft, held responsible for the death of a young woman, D becomes a hunted man, tormented by allegiances, doubts and the love of others.

©1978 Graham Greene (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Crime Fiction Espionage International Mystery & Crime Fiction Mystery England
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What listeners say about The Confidential Agent

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Outstanding.

Great story, beautifully written. Twists, turns, pace, thrills, dramatic tension, and a compelling read.
Superbly read by TPS - I don’t love his Spanish accent for D (a bit too similar to his voices for very different characters in other Greene novels), but pretty perfect otherwise.
Greene is such a great storyteller and writer.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Classic Green, superbly narrated

Classic Green, superbly narrated. As good today as when it was first published. Breaking the mold of spy novels.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not the best of GG's work but still a good read

Feels very much like a story with a moral and a reflection of the time it was set in. The deliberate concealment of the country that D comes from, makes the story feel very Orwellian.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A little slow

For me this was a little slow. I suspect that was because of my own impatiaciance.

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Outstanding Narrator

Tim Piggott Smith is an outstanding narrator. Listening to him is an utter joy and adds to the enjoyment of a great book

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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An engaging story of a man with a mission

the story captures the mind and feelings of the Confidential Agent trying to complete his mission against opposition, his own sense of loss, his anger at murder, and growing love which seems hopeless. Very well narrated by Tim Pigott-Smith.

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2 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Very much of its time.

Easy to see why Le Carre looked up to Greene more than any other writer. Slow moving by modern standards but involving by turns and beautifully narrated by the late Tim Pigott-Smith.

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Goes on a bit

I felt it tried to tick too many boxes, too many loose ends and unanswered questions. Hard to see through to the end.

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Greene's best title but a weak book

Greene is a great writer and Heart of the Matter is in my top five books. Loved this book's title but the novel itself is not that good. Main characters are referred to by letters. Our hero is D, a widowed classicist and singularly inept for the espionage world he is thrust in to. He must get a coal deal for his unnamed country (Spain) and thwart the opposite side's attempt to do the same. D comes out the loser in every encounter and apart from being the most moral has little to recommend him. He struggles from disaster to disaster and the whole thing just becomes annoying. A romance that is thrown in towards the end is so improbable, rushed and adds nothing of value to the story. Read Greene, I highly recommend him, just not this one.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A classic Study into Civil War Psychology

I could happily listen to the late lamented Tim Piggot Smith reading anything. This book is a love story and a case book for the phycological effect of prolonged civil war.

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