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3.22 AVERAGE
3.22 AVERAGE
I got this book as one of the kindle first free reads for Amazon Prime subscribers. In this book, a seventy something, Stanley Peke, and his wife plan to move more south, but their items are stolen by a fake moving company. Peke ultimately decides that he will get his things back.
It is really deceptive to call this book a thriller, especially with “thriller” being part of the actual title. There was nothing thrilling about this book. It took twenty chapters before any action happened.
There is a lot of stream of consciousness style writing here. While it may be intended to give little more insight to the character, which it really does not, it bored me for the most part. There was more of the characters thoughts than there was action.
This story seems to be more about a Jewish man coming to terms with his past experiences with surviving the Holocaust than it is about being thriller. There is no problem with that, but a book should not be marketed as a thriller if that is the case.
If you are expecting a thriller, then look elsewhere.
It is really deceptive to call this book a thriller, especially with “thriller” being part of the actual title. There was nothing thrilling about this book. It took twenty chapters before any action happened.
There is a lot of stream of consciousness style writing here. While it may be intended to give little more insight to the character, which it really does not, it bored me for the most part. There was more of the characters thoughts than there was action.
This story seems to be more about a Jewish man coming to terms with his past experiences with surviving the Holocaust than it is about being thriller. There is no problem with that, but a book should not be marketed as a thriller if that is the case.
If you are expecting a thriller, then look elsewhere.
A rather slow-moving thriller, as much psychological content as action. It's the classic moving van scam. The movers come a day early with all the "paperwork" and off goes all your stuff. Then the real movers show up.... This time the 72-year-old man is not quite what they expected. He is a Holocaust survivor who just can't sit still for having everything taken away again. The story is as much about the integration of the man's 7-year-old feral self fighting for survival with his adult self, facing his past while facing down the thieves. Very interesting, and didn't fall for the vengeance cliche.
Interesting, unpredictable, gritty. I'm still not sure if I liked this book.
Very enjoyable read... deep and considering. I found Stanley's backstory was as interesting as the present. Not at all what I thought I'd get in a book marketed as a thriller.
Enjoyable, thriller with a psychological edge. Thought provoking tale of two men who want give up. The results, and getting there, show how trauma affects your core.
Gosh, I would give this 6 stars. Could not put it down.
At once, this story grabbed me, and I found it difficult to put it down.
The uniformed men. The empty house.
I chose this book through Kindle First two years ago, and this year I'm determined to whittle down and read through the growing electronic "pile" of books I've accumulated but have never read. That makes for some tough reads. This book was, frankly, an exhausting read. If I were the kind of reader who allows herself to DNF, this would've been one. I wanted to like this one, I really did. I still find the premise intriguing, but ultimately, it was not handled properly here at all.
The uniformed men. The empty house.
With almost ⅞ of the book being dialogue-free, we are left with an amazingly repetitive narration by different characters' points-of-view, sort of. Third person at its worst. The majority of the book contains only short, choppy blips of sentences. They endlessly repeat certain points. The main character — the victim, our beloved protagonist — is seventy-two. He's seventy-two. He's only seventy-two. He's no longer any other age, especially the seven-year-old age he was back in Nazi-infused Poland. He's seventy-two. If you still don't have it, don't worry, this is a pervasively worn-out pseudo-mantra. He's seventy-two. Between that and the other repeated phrasing (The uniformed men. The empty house.), it was an eye-rolling experience.
Page 2: At seventy-two, he is physically robust, the envy of his friends...
Page 8: He is seventy-two, she seventy, and though they...
Page 35: That is what any cautious, just-victimized, seventy-two-year-old man would do.
Page 36: His seventy-two-year-old heart ticks a little faster.
Page 61: Except that he is seventy-two and she is seventy.
Page 89: A seventy-two-year-old man who has lived several lives already...
Page 91: And really, what is this seventy-two-year-old Jew doing in the land of outlaws?
Page 94: He is seventy-two years old.
Page 97: The seventy-two-year-old man turns.
Page 122: It takes a few moments for his seventy-two-year-old eyes to adjust...
Page 127: Yes, he is a strong and healthy seventy-two,...
Page 145: —could hardly be expected of a seventy-two-year-old survivor.
Page 154: But talking about...a seventy-two-year-old man.
Page 159: He's seventy-two, you say?
Page 164: ...snuck by them, and at seventy-two,...
Page 217: ..and a seventy-two-year-old Jewish war survivor...
Page 232: ...closed circle of seventy-two years.
Page 264: felt himself shuttling oddly, uncontrollably, between his seventy-two-year-old and his seven-year-old selves.
Page 269: Stanley Peke curls into his seventy-two-year-old body...
The uniformed men. The empty house.
The uniformed men. The empty house.
The uniformed men. The empty house.
The uniformed men. The empty house.
I chose this book through Kindle First two years ago, and this year I'm determined to whittle down and read through the growing electronic "pile" of books I've accumulated but have never read. That makes for some tough reads. This book was, frankly, an exhausting read. If I were the kind of reader who allows herself to DNF, this would've been one. I wanted to like this one, I really did. I still find the premise intriguing, but ultimately, it was not handled properly here at all.
The uniformed men. The empty house.
With almost ⅞ of the book being dialogue-free, we are left with an amazingly repetitive narration by different characters' points-of-view, sort of. Third person at its worst. The majority of the book contains only short, choppy blips of sentences. They endlessly repeat certain points. The main character — the victim, our beloved protagonist — is seventy-two. He's seventy-two. He's only seventy-two. He's no longer any other age, especially the seven-year-old age he was back in Nazi-infused Poland. He's seventy-two. If you still don't have it, don't worry, this is a pervasively worn-out pseudo-mantra. He's seventy-two. Between that and the other repeated phrasing (The uniformed men. The empty house.), it was an eye-rolling experience.
Page 2: At seventy-two, he is physically robust, the envy of his friends...
Page 8: He is seventy-two, she seventy, and though they...
Page 35: That is what any cautious, just-victimized, seventy-two-year-old man would do.
Page 36: His seventy-two-year-old heart ticks a little faster.
Page 61: Except that he is seventy-two and she is seventy.
Page 89: A seventy-two-year-old man who has lived several lives already...
Page 91: And really, what is this seventy-two-year-old Jew doing in the land of outlaws?
Page 94: He is seventy-two years old.
Page 97: The seventy-two-year-old man turns.
Page 122: It takes a few moments for his seventy-two-year-old eyes to adjust...
Page 127: Yes, he is a strong and healthy seventy-two,...
Page 145: —could hardly be expected of a seventy-two-year-old survivor.
Page 154: But talking about...a seventy-two-year-old man.
Page 159: He's seventy-two, you say?
Page 164: ...snuck by them, and at seventy-two,...
Page 217: ..and a seventy-two-year-old Jewish war survivor...
Page 232: ...closed circle of seventy-two years.
Page 264: felt himself shuttling oddly, uncontrollably, between his seventy-two-year-old and his seven-year-old selves.
Page 269: Stanley Peke curls into his seventy-two-year-old body...
The uniformed men. The empty house.
The uniformed men. The empty house.
The uniformed men. The empty house.
The uniformed men. The empty house.
I read this book because it was free with my Amazon Prime membership and sounded interesting. I didn't go into it with much expectation, but the idea of a 72 year old man chasing a thief across the country sounded fascinating.
This book was so much fun to read. There were several experiences of suspense where I couldn't put my Kindle down. There were also a couple curveballs that I didn't see coming. I would recommend this novel to any thriller-lover!
This book was so much fun to read. There were several experiences of suspense where I couldn't put my Kindle down. There were also a couple curveballs that I didn't see coming. I would recommend this novel to any thriller-lover!