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Jun 02, 2014dbarry111 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I loved this book and also thought the movie with Michael Cain and Brendan Fraser was equally as sensational, which is not often the case. Set in exotic Vietnam in the early 60s as the American presence is slowly increasing, it beautifully recreates the city of Saigon with its cafes and international intrigue. The subplot is the romantic relationship of Michael Cain's character, an older, life-weary English journalist who is living with a beautiful, younger Vietnamese woman, Phoung. Fraser's character is ambiguous at first...what is he actually doing there, who is he really? Cain takes a liking to him, until Fraser bodaciously reveals he is in love with Phoung and wants to marry her. Turns out he is with an American agency (CIA?) bent on fomenting upheaval. All of the different plots, the desires for Phoung, Fraser's real purpose, the setting, the war that is raging in the North and moving south, Cain's expatriot and indulgent lifestyle (smoking heroin almost daily) fire the imagination and are beautifully woven together by Greene's masterful skills. If you like romance and intrigue in exotic locations, this has it all!