#14 in Spy & espionage
Our Man in Havana
- 247
- Pages
- about 4.5 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“Our Man in Havana” is a spy novel played for laughs, and the joke is on the intelligence services. Greene mocks their readiness to believe whatever a local informant sends in, starting in something close to farce and letting darker consequences seep through. Some readers feel their attention slip near the end. The prose is witty and quick, and Greene treats even his schemers with some warmth.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Our Man in Havana (1958) is a novel set in Cuba by the English author Graham Greene. Greene uses the novel to mock intelligence services, especially the British MI6, and their willingness to believe reports from their local informants.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.6 across 124 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 46% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Spy & espionage average of 7.6. That is how 7.6 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 6.6 | 13 | 11% |
| Hardcover | 7.7 | 111 | 90% |
Frequently asked
How long is Our Man in Havana?
It has 247 pages — shorter than 80% of the ranked books in Spy & espionage.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Spy & espionage — with scores between 7.5 and 7.7, closest to this book.
