Stamboul Train ~ Graham Greene

Funk Rating: 7 out of 10

I'm not quite sure of the background on this book and how it came to be in my library. When I did a quick Amazon check on this, I bought this book back on May 16, 2000. Why? No clue. Why did I decide to finally read it now? Again, no clue. But, for some reason, Graham Greene has found his way into my consciousness lately, mentioned as a great 20th century author, so perhaps I pulled it off the shelf out of frustration after several lousy reads.

This is more "literature" than it is page turner, thriller fare. The author called it "an entertainment" when he wrote it, and while it's not entertaining in the way I think of the word, it is fascinating. I'm sure it's overly stereotypical of the time period (early 1930s), but I found it fascinating to see how life was lived a mere 75 years ago. With elements of major political movements (revolutions, socialism, etc.) that just aren't present in today's generally epic democracy vs. radical Islam world, and industrial revolution at its front end (trains belching smoke for goodness sake!), this is a heck of a time traveling read.

In addition, it's pretty darn well written. Someday I'll read what is generally regarded as classic Greene, and see what I really think of him. But, for now, I'll kind of put him in the zone of a Michael Chabon -- a serious author, with real talent for writing. May not make it through all of his stuff, but he's worth another one.

As for you, dear reader, I can't argue you should go out of your way. But, should you ever find a Graham Greene book on your shelf gathering dust, it's worth at least a few turns of the page...