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The Heart of the Matter cover art

The Heart of the Matter

By: Graham Greene
Narrated by: Michael Kitchen
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Summary

Scobie, a police officer in a West African colony, is a good and honest man. But when he falls in love, he is forced into a betrayal of everything that he has ever believed in, and his struggle to maintain the happiness of two women destroys him.
©1971 Graham Greene (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Heart of the Matter

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    5 out of 5 stars

Just brilliant

A brilliant book brilliantly read. I read all Graham Greene's work 30 years ago and felt it was time to revisit. I wasn't sure if I would like Michael Kitchen's reading as I have got to know him so well through his TV work, but he was absolutely superb. I became completely absorbed and, through his skilful reading, I enjoyed the book even more than I did the first time around.

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25 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The Heart of the Matter is a literary masterpiece.

A gripping tale of a man’s struggle with his conscience. Set in West Africa, in the racist years of the early 1940s, the novel captures the relentless heat and the daily lives of the British living there, and the people they ruled. Its main character, Major Henry Scobie, encapsulates one of Greene’s major preoccupations, that of a Catholic trying to live up to the church’s teachings, and failing.
Greene is one of Britain’s major writers, a classic, really. If you love literature, you can’t leave out Greene.
The novel is brilliantly read by Michael Kitchener.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Hot and Steamy

While the story is a little on the simple side Graham Greene manages to capture the atmosphere of the west African colony during war time. The climate is hot and steamy and the social scene is claustrophobic to say the least. The narrator captures the feel of the book perfectly.

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15 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Something wrong with these people...

I read this book 30 years ago and I didn't really understand it then. Now I do.
The narrator's voice doesn't follow the text at all, seeming to rise and fall and trail off randomly like an old librarian dictating a seed catalogue to his secretary. It does convey something like ennui, but unfortunately also distracts from the actual meaning of Greene's oh-so carefully arranged words. This tendency does mend by the last quarter or so of the book where you can at last get yourself lost in the story.
All said this book is a masterpiece so don't let me put you off....🤓

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

An outstanding book superbly read.

This is one of Graham Green's finest books and Michael Kitchen's narration is flawless.

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5 people found this helpful

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  • MW
  • 13-09-17

Great audiobook but not for depression sufferers!

Where does The Heart of the Matter rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

As an audiobook, it's top notch. Graham Greene doesn't disappoint with his quality storytelling which is why it gets 5 stars all the way - despite my final comment.

What does Michael Kitchen bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Excellent narrator who brings the whole atmosphere of the topics right before your eyes.

Any additional comments?

The story line is definitely not for anyone who suffers from depression, because this will put you close to the edge - take it as a warning. If you want a good story and are not depressed, I would imagine it would have been a different experience, but I had to stop listening as soon as I saw where the story was headed.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Possibly his best.

Hard to decide between this and the equally haunting Power & the Glory. Wonderful perception and insight into even the most unexpected of his characters.

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3 people found this helpful

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First Class Greene and first class performance

what a fabulous renditioning by Michael Kitchen. Wish he'd do more. A heartfelt charming story.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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One of the best books ever

Lovely, beautiful and victorian.

Very of its time.

It’s won too many awards to mention.

Worth a go.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

Heartbreakingly poignant

Beautifully read by Michael Kitchen. A novel of its time for a particular mindset the only thing I disliked intensely was awful voice of the American at the beginning and end of the recording. Ghastly and jarring.

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1 person found this helpful