Our Man in Havana

I enjoyed this immensely. It is the often hilarious story of cold war espionage in pre-revolutionary Cuba. Jeremy Northam's reading is excellent with superb characterisations - even of the female characters. the excerpts of 'theme music' between chapters - Samba music for Cuba, Brass band for English scenes, fast music at the end of an exciting chapter - were rather irritating though.

I enjoyed the book, I must have to put up with the stupidly long musically interludes, Whoever came up with them needs calling back to London ;)

Book great. Reader great. Who the hell thought the music was a good idea? Totally spoiled it for me. Intensely irritating and intrusive - even used underneath the reading, as well as during apparently random breaks. Let's have some Irish dance music with Angela's Ashes, or Chase & Status during Sons & Lovers.

Really enjoyed this. Like another reviewer, I could have done without the musical interludes to tell us when we were in Cuba and when we were in London, but the rest was great.

Great story, well read. The recording could have done without musical interludes every 5 minutes, it breaks the flow of the narration

Am I the only person who loved the musical intervals which distinguished events in London and Havana? Maybe because I was brought up on Cuban music (growing up near Miami) I thought it

added mood and flavour to Jeremy Northam's brilliant reading of this hilarious satire. I'd love to know who composed the Cuban music.

I'd have given this an easy five stars were it not for the constantly intruding theme music, often lasting as long as 90 seconds, separating chapters and even parts of chapters. I find it distracting and patronising (Yes, I KNOW this bit is set in London, you don't need to wheel out the military band). Northam's excellent.

I heard this book discussed on a radio show and it got a good review. But im kinda sorry i brought it.
the "hero" is a desperate looser miles from home, struggling to blag or bluf a his way to providing a life for his only daughter. while her mum left ages ago... I wonder if Greene was at an equally low point in his own life when he wrote this. Because this story to nowhere meanders on and on for absolutely no reason. from the dumb MI5 guy picking up a man in the gents toilet scene. right through the bit where two grown men have to invent a drinking game before finding the balls to talk about their stupid differenes over some impossible 20+ shots of whiskey each! Consumed in less time than it takes to read the whole un-inspired chapter.
By comparison, ide say this book is less entertaining than walking uphill on a rainy day. So unless your bed- ridden, and very well read. you don't need this story in your life.