The Human Factor

By: Graham Greene

Narrated by: Tim Pigott-Smith

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

When a leak is traced back to a small sub-section of SIS, it sparks off security checks, tensions and suspicions - the sort of atmosphere where mistakes could be made. This novel opens up the lonely, isolated, neurotic world of the Secret Service.

©1978 Graham Greene (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Subtle understated story by a master author

Would you consider the audio edition of The Human Factor to be better than the print version?

No, but Piggot-Smith was outstanding portraying a range of characters from the reserved, cynical British, the bully white South African and the strong black African woman. I felt he understood the book and portrayed the emotions of the characters well.

What did you like best about this story?

Greene as always presents a story with loads below the surface, enetertaining on face value but so much more beneath the veneer. Cynical, slow moving in parts and always with reserved humour the story builds and builds to its emotional climax. This is not just a spy story.
Other authors may pack a bigger punch in their story telling but with Greene there is always more to think about after the tale is told.

Any additional comments?

Is Graham Greene the most underrated author ever?

Great and timeless read concerning human intelligence activities and the costs of being a defector

This is a classic Cold War writing concerning the choices one makes in serving as an intelligence officer, falling in love with your controlled asset and finally betraying your nation, your country, your family and your class. Very well written and narrated in an excellent fashion. This should be read by intelligence professionals and students of the tradecraft. The Human Factor is an excellent investment.

The Ending Ended just like this

Had never read a GG novel. How very English. Liked it alot. The ending ends abruptly, but on reflection it fits the story. Not very cheerful.

Full dose of Graham Greene

Wow, that was bleak. But excellent. Perceptive of how loneliness corrodes. Good narration, as well.

All the stops

This book is painfully good - the story, character development, the prose and the humor and the real-ness are all there - and the narration is impeccable. I mean I can’t believe how good this guy is (Tim Pigott-Smith). It’s like a translator that brings a piece to life in another language…. Anyway yeah all the stars.

A sad love story

I am usually expecting an exciting adventure when it comes to espionage, or at least intriguing. This was simply a sad love story.

The Greatest Spy Novel - James Bond w/o Explosions

This is perhaps the greatest spy novel ever written. Spy vs. Spy without the Cubby Brocholi explosions of James Bond films. Greene was brilliant to spin this yarn of tension woven with mundane day-to-day spy-business.

I cannot believe this hasn't been redone into a film - other that the 1979 version. It's the perfect balance of spy-work, appartied politics, cold war paranoia.

A true spy-masterpiece.

The master of miserable plays a favorite tune

Nobody wrote crime fiction better. He's the writer behind all the writers who follow him, even if (boy, is this influence) they haven't read him. He divided his work into entertainments and novels, this being an example of the latter. It's the entertainments that hold up the best, at least for me. The pleasure of his sentences, of his observations and rhythms, cannot be overstated.

Then there's the grimy fact of it all. Reading him is like slow drowning in mud. His characters think their tip toes are about to find solid ground, but that ground soon shifts again, always shifts, under them. Only the really evil do well, because they don't love anybody and don't regret anything. He's considered a Catholic writer. If you want to know what people are talking about when they speak of Catholic guilt, Graham Greene is exhibit A.

Like air bubbles in the murk, there's humor, stark and arid. I haven't quite reached the ending here, but I see where it's going, and I'm taking a little time out to brace myself.

He's the master, but a bit bleak

This possibly wasn't the best choice in the middle of a very cold winter when there is still no end in sight. It's the mood of the book already and it becomes too much. He captures the eroding of the human spirit that life in the secret service brings, which in his hands seems more destructive than actual physical harm. Everything is very well done and Tim Pigott-Smith as the narrator was masterful. One of his characters sounded very upper class British and made me picture Edward Fox playing the Duke of Windsor in Edward and Mrs. Simpson. Apparently it's a Mayfair accent.

Superb Narration - acted, not read

Very satisfying. Well drawn characters. Tim Pigott-Smith was outstanding! I knew exactly which individual was speaking thanks to Tim's drawing of each voice; I could see the people and settings. The female characters were well done - I didn't have that jolt that frequently comes when a male narrator gives women a high pitched whine. Pigott-Smith really delivered a masterful performance, not merely a reading. Thank you for bringing this novel alive for me.