Rating: 
Summary: What is ethics?
Review: "Just a small county east of London" in the view of Foreign Office diplomat Sandy Woodward. Le Carre begins his examination of the modern form of imperialism in Kenya with the murder of the wife of Woodward's colleague, Justin Quayle. Woodward has reason to know Tessa's murder may not be a random killing. His definition of ethics places him among those once called "the Silent Majority". A civil servant on the rise, he reflects how ethical values have been eroded by surging "globalization". The erosion results from a rising tide of a new imperialism - the multi-national corporation. There are billions of dollars to be made in developing new drugs and ethics aren't profitable. When government policy furthers the process, people like Woodward are there to help it along. How Le Carre's people deal with ethics is the central focus of this book. The George Smiley trilogy gave us a lexicon of "spy industry" jargon. This book introduces "pharma" as a new buzzword. It identifies a new subversive adversary - the international pharmaceutical corporation. It's a term that is likely to be with us for some time. In the way that his spy novels kept us focused on the Soviets as cruel foes, the pharmas are depicted as influential, determined powers existing nearly uncontrolled. Unlike the image carried by the Soviet antagonists, the pharmas' image is ameliorated by the demand for their products. Everyone wants what they can provide. What cost are we prepared to pay in their bringing it to us? Le Carre bluntly confronts us with that question. Le Carre shows vividly how the response is clearly individual. No agency will front for us in dealing with the pharmas. A departure from his spy novels, this book is hard to categorize. That's good, since it shows Le Carre has breadth and remains capable of surprise. He's on a campaign here, and wants us to join it. He shows the venality of government agencies under thrall to outside forces and depicts the people representing those elements with skill. Woodward is particularly well portrayed, as is Curtiss, the pharma baron. Justin Quayle is more difficult to diagnose. For a Foreign Office functionary, his ability to "go to earth" seems rather elevated, but Le Carre needs this to give us all the information we require. Only Le Carre could give a persona to someone dead, displaying it without providing a living voice at any point. Tessa speaks through Justin Quayle's memories and interpretation of events. It seems clear that the characters take a back seat to the message of the book. Justification for the conclusion of this tale seems lacking. It's almost as if Le Carre had tired of writing and had to contrive an ending, no matter how illogical. There's no motivation given for the pilgrimage, especially with prior events related in the story. The scene is very nearly a reprise of Leamas at the Berlin Wall in Spy Who Came In From The Cold. There is the same sense of philosophical failure and bleak future. Clearly, this book will not launch a trilogy in the vein of Smiley's quest. Which is sad, since globalization is a force sweeping the world in ways that would have made Lenin cry out with envy. Le Carre shows how the morality of communism and corporatism stand at par, toppling governments, repressing dissent and manipulating lives. Once again, Le Carre has exposed a world hidden from most of us. He's exposed it with his usual skill at language and characterization. It's a book to be ignored at your peril.
Rating:
Summary: Solid
Review: Although this is touted as one of Le Carre's best I found it a bit weak. If the British argot doesn't get to you, the slow development of the story will. The protagonist doesn't really begin to take hold of the story until a hundred pages into the book. Justine, the constant gardener, is a complex character as is his wife, the murdered Tessa. The problem that she is trying to stop is the testing of a new drug for TB by a multinational that is killing some of the test subjects. The collusion of the local government and even British Intelligence, bought off by the drug company, sounds only too plausible and is a well-told story. The ending is a bit weak and somewhat philosophical rather than definitive.
Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful, exciting thriller
Review: I honestly believe that The Constant Gardener is one of John Le Carre's best books of his career, and certainly the best of the last decade. This is partly due to the nature of the story itself; set in Africa, filled with exciting characters and paced in an unusual but compelling way, keeping the reader turning the page long after the mysteries of the tale have been solved. What struck me about the book, however, was how different it was from Le Carre's usual body of work. Normally his characters are so dark, their motives so clouded, that you expect even the protagonists to be morally compromised. Thus, in any other book it would be assumed that the character of Justin's motivation would be solely to discover his wife's murderers, but in a book by Le Carre it comes as a shock, halfway through the book, when the reader discovers the two main figures of the novel, who were married, were actually deeply in love with each other. It suggests that Le Carre takes the subject of the book; the greed of corporate drug companies, very seriously, and places all the ambiguity upon them. When an author is this passionate about his work he demands that his readers take it seriously, and Le Carre fans would do well to do so.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book. Couldn't put it down
Review: I thought I'd read about 20 pages of the book, to find out the setting, and then put it away for later reading. Mistake. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. I'm learning what many people know: Le Carre is not a writer of thrillers, or spy novels, but is simply a great novelist. His books belong in the Literature section of the bookstore. He is writing as well now, in his late sixties, as he did 40 years ago.
I was stunned by the ending. I admired the author's guts for not taking the easy way out.
Lacrimae rerum
Rating: 
Summary: Not his best work.
Review: I've been a Le Carre fan for many years. His Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is extraordinary. This lastest novel falls short of his best. Justin, a career British diplomat, has been content to grow yellow freesias for his beloved younger wife. Suddenly Justin's well ordered life becomes turbulent when Tessa, his wife, turns up brutally murdered. Then, the understated and boring Justin springs into to action to discover the true details of his wife's and her friend's murders. Justin slips away from the British Diplomatic Service and becomes a pretty good spy. As he uncovers the conspiracy of the world's largest pharmaceutical corporations, his life becomes endangered. The story's premise and its characters didn't ring true. Tessa seemed a naive and well meaning do-gooder, not the hard-nosed lawyer she supposedly was. Justin was never quite able to fill the shoes of a strong leading character. His motive for becoming a spy, to avenge his wife's death, seems at times pathetic rather than heroic. The drug trial conspiracy would have been totally suspect as contrived if not for the recent scandals surrounding the cancer research facility in Seattle. This organization has been accused of some of the same abuses as the companies in the novel. Anyone who has followed the Seattle scandals will find the parallels in the book uncanny. Despite its flaws, The Constant Gardener, would be an OK summer afternoon's read. Wait for the paperback.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Solid Effort
Review: It's amazing how LeCarre quietly sucks you into a story. His books often seem overlong and glacially paced, yet somehow, but the last quarter of a novel, I find I can't put his books down. The Constant Gardener is no different. There are so many things LeCarre does well in this novel. First off, the characters are thouroughly fleshed out individuals. Next is the variety of locales; you feel like you've been to Kenya, London, Italy, and Canada, as the novel swings around the globe. This time around, the plot isn't as strong and driving as in previous novels, but LeCarre makes up for it with strong characterization in the leads. One place the book fails is in the villains. I found they came off a bit hokey and sometimes generic. But it was easy to overlook that and other minor failings because the novel is otherwise expertly written. If you read this novel, I suggest you also try "The Billion Dollar Molecule". TBDM is a great work of non-fiction relating the trials and potential riches of drug developement. This is a nice bookend for "The Constant Gardener"
Rating:
Summary: In a world where no one can be trusted
Review: Le Carre is a true master of the "grey" world; a world where no one can be trusted the dollar (or pound) reigns supreme. Justin Quayle's wife has been murdered, and this quiet British diplomat tries to unravel what occurred. What he finds is deceit, betrayal and eventually a realization that the things he thought were important really don't count for much. While on a journey through his wife's life, Justin learns how much he has failed as a husband and how difficult it is to set things right in a world that is not concerned about morality. Le Carre greatest talent is his ability to make us care for his characters as they struggle valiantly against odds too great to overcome. There is no mastermind here, just a faceless corporate entity whose singular quest for profit leaves many lives in jeopardy. Le Carre is not afraid to show the ugliness of this world, warts and all, and there is a great deal of truth in this work of fiction. This one will force you to think about a number of issues that may have escaped your notice; at least that's what happened to me after finishing this one. Some people wondered what Le Carre would do after the Berlin Wall fell; THE CONSTANT GARDENER shows that he definitely is not at a loss for ideas or "bad guys."
Rating: 
Summary: A slow-moving look at the pharmaceutical industry
Review: Tessa Quayle, lawyer, activist, and wife to a minor diplomat is found murdered in her Jeep, in Nairobi. The blame falls swiftly on Arnold Bluhm, a doctor suspected of being her lover, and perhaps even father to her stillborn child. Tessa's husband, Justin, disagrees and vows to take up the causes his wife was involved in, in order to retrace her steps and find the real killer. The political aspect of the novel was fascinating. I really enjoyed getting an inside look at how cover-ups really work. The descriptions of Africa were also wonderfully done, and it was clear that LeCarre had done a great deal of research. However, the story itself was very, very slow. Even after I finished the book, I was left with the sense that nothing much had happened. The ending wasn't at all the clear-cut finish I was hoping for, and it felt more philosophical than conclusive. Overall, the book does offer a fascinating look at the large drug / pharmaceutical industries, and their testing habits - particularly, using third-world people to test their new drugs. The companies in question use Africans as their human guinea pigs for drug trials, not caring if the results mean death. I would recommend the novel to those who weren't looking for a fast-paced read, but were interested in political cover-ups and the pharmaceutical industry.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: The Constant Gardener is a 500 page story about a man's quest to uncover the (not so mysterious) mysteries revolving around his late wife's research into an evil pharmaceutical company and her subsequent murder. It really did not live up to it's billing as a thrilling tale. It definitely did have a feel to it, though, typical of many fiction novels these days: an elegantly written bleak and depressing story. Most of the "action" that takes place occurs within the endless conversations between various characters on the same subject, which makes for a slow pace. Are there good moments of intrigue and drama? Yes . . . but, oh so few! The ending of the book was especially unsatisfying. Please also be advised that Le Carre likes to do a lot of preaching through the words of his characters against the pharmaceutical industry and ultimately, it would seem, against capitalism. For someone like me who reads fiction for entertainment and escape, this was unfortunately not a good choice.
Rating:
Summary: Le Carre in Africa
Review: The first 200 pages or so are superb, up to Le Carre's finest standards, in which he tackles the story of the murder of a beautiful young activist in Kenya through his typical refracted perspective, that of a colleague of the husband of the murdered woman, AKA, the "Constant Gardener." Whether or not anyone actually talks the way Le Carre writes dialogue, he is a master of the form and always a pleasure to read. In this story, it's the British Foreign Office that serves as the behind-the-scenes institution, rather than British Intelligence, but the FO's diplomatic intrigues and folklore are every bit as mystifying, obfuscating and fascinating to read about. After Justin Quayle, the widower of Tessa Quayle, embarks on a solitary quest for his wife's murderers, the story's pace slows considerably. A fair amount of local color (England, the island of Elba, Saskatchewan) leavens the weight, but a long section in which Quayle cannot even master the basics of computer usage strained belief. However, when the action returns to Nairobi and the festering secrets in the British expatriate community boil to the surface, Le Carre swings back into gear and I was swept away again. One long scene prior to that, in which Quayle has lunch with a high-ranking Foreign Office potentate back in the clubby dining rooms at Whitehall, is pure gold and represents that which I've always loved most about Le Carre's work. His characters talk to one another but rarely mean what they say or say what they mean; deciphering what lies beneath the tortured convolutions is what makes his novels so much fun to read. The underlying message of this particular novel -- that the world pharmaceutical industry is responsible for heinous practices in the 3rd world -- was of less interest to me, though obviously important to the author.
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