The Constant Gardener: A Novel

The Constant Gardener: A Novel Product Overview Editorial Reviews Review British diplomat Justin Quayle, complacent raiser of freesias and dotinghusband of the stunning, much younger Tessa, has tended his own garden inNairobi too long. Tessa is Justin's opposite, a fiery reformer, "that rarestthing, a lawyer who believes in justice," whose campaigns have earned her anickname: "the Princess Diana of the African poor." But now Tessa has turnedup naked, raped, and dead on a mysterious visit to remote Lake Turkana inKenya. Her traveling companion (and lover?), the handsome Congolese-Belgiandoctor Arnold Bluhm, has vanished. So has Quayle's complacency. Tessa had been compiling data against a multinational drug company that useshelpless Africans as guinea pigs to test a tuberculosis remedy withunfortunately fatal side effects. Her report was destroyed by her husband'ssuperiors; was she? It's all somehow connected to the sinister British firmHouse of ThreeBees, whose ad boasts that it's "buzzy for the health ofAfrica!" John le Carre symbolically associates ThreeBees with an ominous buzzin the Nairobi morgue: "Over [the corpses], in a swaying, muddy mist, hung theflies, snoring on a single note." The home office tries to take Quayle in out of the cold. He cleverly eludestheir clammy embrace, turns spy, and takes off on a global chase to avengeTessa and solve her murder. Le Carre has lost none of his gift for settingvivid scenes in far-flung places expertly described: London, Germany,Saskatchewan, Kenya. His sprinting thriller prose remains in great shape. Andthanks to his 16 years in the British Foreign Office, his merciless send-up ofits cutthroat intrigues and petty self-delusions is unbelievably good--orrather, believably so. This is global do-gooder satire on a literary par withDoris Lessing's _The Summer Before the Dark_. But you want to know if _The Constant Gardener_ is as good as _Tinker, Tailor,Soldier, Spy_. Very nearly. Africa's nightmare is more complex than the coldwar chess match, and the world pharmaceutical circus is tougher to dramatizethan the old spy-versus-spy-versus-spymaster game. Still, le Carre can write asmart, melancholy page-turner, and his moral outrage (the real subject of hisbooks) burns as brightly as ever. _--Tim Appelo_ _--This text refers to an outof print or unavailable edition of this title._ From Publishers Weekly As the world seems to move ever further beyond the comparatively clear-cutchoices of the Cold War into a moral morass in which greed and cynicism seemthe prime movers, le Carr 's work has become increasingly radical, and this isby far his most passionately angry novel yet. Its premise is similar to thatof Michael Palmer's Miracle CureDcynical pharmaceutical firm allied withdevious doctors attempts to foist on the world a flawed but potentially hugelyprofitable drugDbut the difference is in the setting and the treatment. LeCarr has placed the prime action in Africa, where the drug is beingsurreptitiously tested on poor villagers. Tessa Quayle, married to a member ofthe British High Commission staff in corruption-riddled contemporary Kenya,gets wind of it and tries in vain to blow the whistle on the manufacturer andits smarmy African distributor. She is killed for her pains. At this pointJustin Quayle, her older, gentlemanly husband, sets out to find out who killedher, and to stop the dangerous drug himselfDat a terrible cost. Le Carr 'smanifold skills at scene-setting and creating a range of fearsomely convincingEnglish characters, from the bluffly absurd to the irredeemably corrupt, areat their smooth peak here. Both The Tailor of Panama and Single & Single werefeeling their way toward this wholehearted assault on the way the world works,by a man who knows much better than most novelists writing today how it works.Now subject and style are one, and the result is heart-wrenching. (Jan. 9)Forecast: Admirers of the author who may have found some of the moralambiguities and overelaborate set pieces of his last two books less than top-drawer le Carr will welcome a return to his best form. There is a wonderfullycharismatic and idealistic heroine, which will bolster female readership, andthe appearance of the book shortly after the release of a movie of Tailor(starring Jamie Lee Curtis) is bound to create an extra rush of mediaattention. Be prepared for the biggest le Carr sales in years. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. _--This text refers to an outof print or unavailable edition of this title._ See all Editorial Reviews Details: Paperback: 482 pages Publisher: Scribner; Media Tie-In edition (August 26, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 0743287207 ISBN-13: 978-0743287203 Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.2 x 8.4 inches Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces Made with JoeLister Quality Products Have peace of mind knowing that your order will arrive original factory sealed packaging. That means that you'll have the full force of the manufacturer's warranty to protect your purchase. Fast and Free Shipping You're already purchasing the item. Why pay additional for shipping, especially slow shipping? We get your order shipped out and delivered to your doorstep as quickly as possible. Commitment We are committed to making sure that you leave this transaction satisfied. That means having access to real people that get your questions and concerns answered quickly. 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