Constant Gardener, The
Le Carre, JohnJustin Quayle is a British diplomat and amateur gardener, based in Nairobi, and who undertakes a personal odyssey in pursuit of his wife's murderers. The investigation leads him into a murky web of exploitation involving Kenyan greed, and a major international pharmaceutical company eager to promote a "wonder cure".
Comments from Groups
We really enjoyed this book and its meaty subject matter. Auckland 323Beautiful language. Great questions which made us refer to pages and pages of the book. He is a superb writer and very easy to read. General opinion was positive and once you started reading you couldn't put it down. Aokau 001A great read from a master storyteller - good discussion ensued. Nelson 052Good book, good discussion on pharma ethics. Tauranga 010Thoroughly enjoyed it. Our sole male voted it our best yet. Great discussion on drugs and multi nationals and Pharmac. Hokianga 001
Pages
570
570
Year
2001
2001
Reviews
24-05-2023
Mixed response. Some of us loved it: some gave up on it! We agreed the notes were particularly good.
23-09-2022
Overall a good read and enjoyed by most. Ending was considered realistic, for some too realistic...therefore disappointing. Change of style was confusing towards the end.
23-09-2022
We really appreciated the synopsis of each of the main characters in the story. The book raised many moral dilemmas about pharmaceutical companies and their products.
23-09-2022
Everyone enjoyed this book and a few had also seen the movie. Le Carre has wonderfully descriptive writing, and you learnt more and more about each character as the story unfolded. Interesting discussion had about pharmaceutical companies and large corporations who exploit the poor in third world countries. The notes were hugely beneficial and crated a lot of discussion - the best notes we have received on a book so far, I think. Definitely recommend this book as a compelling and thought-provoking read.
23-09-2022
Mixed feelings about this book. Interesting subject matter, but writing style not liked by all. Overall a good discussion.
23-09-2022
A powerful thriller that confronts the issues of unethical testing of drugs in Africa, by multibillion pharmaceutical companies. Universal support for this book!
23-09-2022
Our group had a great discussion about pharmaceutical companies, and found Le Carre's style of writing very engaging, especially his use of dialogue.
23-09-2022
The group thought this was the best book this year - setting, story and the current issues.
23-09-2022
We enjoyed the book although some felt it was a little long. Subject matter relevant currently given the Covid 19/ drugs/drug company issues!!
19-09-2018
Our group really struggled with this book. We found it complex and challenging. Most persevered through to the end, but a couple couldn't quite get there! Perhaps suited to those who enjoy a serious read. Those that had watched the movie found that a little easier.