Book: The African Queen by C. S. Forester

Well, no one could possibly read this book after seeing Katherine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in the movie and not think of them constantly. I wonder how this book would read had the movie never been made. It WAS quite an adventure, though Charlie Allnutt is not nearly as attractive as Humphrey Bogart; he seems rather doltish and a bit wimpy. Rose comes across more like Hepburn and she inspires Charlie. Their trials down the river were as daunting or more so than those in the movie...biting insects, incredible heat, wild white-water rapids, nearly impenetrable reedy marshes, waterlily-clogged muck, thunderstorms and significant mechanical issues. Also, the end of the novel sort of whimpers...

For those who may not have seen The African Queen, it is the story of Rose, a missionary type in the heart of Africa, who finds herself escaping the Germans via a rather decrepit boat and its captain, Charlie. He is an unlettered roustabout with a kind heart but little vision, and Rose convinces him they can make it down the river, get past a German lookout, find a large German patrol boat, the Konigin Luise, and blow it up withe explosives that Charlie will fashion.

It is also a story of how these two fall in love, a rather odd development given their respective histories up to this time in both of their lives, but not totally unbelievable I guess. For once, I liked the movie much better than the book; however, for the most part, the movie is faithful to the book. It's just the characters in the movie are extraordinary and in the book, only Rose is.