i used to love graham greene. now i have trouble getting through. ( )

A smart, gripping thriller about seaside thugs, Brighton Rock delivers intense character studies of evil and innocence and the energetic, exact language typical of Graham Greene. Though set in England, the novel seems just as exotic as Greene's stories set in Asia, West Africa, or Latin America; for me, at any rate, 1930s Brighton boardwalk life was a seedy revelation. ( )

One of his best ( )

I am so glad this was not the first Graham Greene I read, otherwise I would have stopped here and not picked up another book of his! I did not like Brighton Rock. Perhaps it packed more punch in its day, but in 2009 the descriptions of how the characters entertain their darker desires and do bad and hurtful things seem like a pale caricature of a Chuck Palahniuk, and the Kolley Kibber schtick is a bit too 94.5KFM's The Fugitive for my taste: a very cheesy plot device that has contributed to the book's dated feel.That said, I am still a Greene fan... I just wish he was still around to write a new novel that applies his explorations of theology and spirituality to today's world. ( )

I loved this book - its a must read ( )