Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Comment: why are all thriller cover sleeves so unspeakably ugly? Embarrassment about carrying this monstrosity round was probably my #1 reason for not reading any Robert Ludlum.
Biggest surprise was the high frequency of soppy kissy kissy moments.
[Q]
Biggest surprise was the high frequency of soppy kissy kissy moments.
[Q]
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Was actually a really good read. Don't read many spy thriller types, and despite having seen the movie was enticed and enjoyed the writing. Now need to watch the movie again to compare.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The premise and setup for this novel are great. The dialogue can be outstanding at times. The clever ways Bourne gets himself out of each sticky situation he finds himself are interesting, at least at the beginning.
Sadly that's about all that's great in The Bourne Identity.
The novel is incredibly overlong, with some scenes dragging on or repeating themselves in endless cycles. Bourne whined so much about losing his memory I really started to hate him and wished Marie would hit him over the head with a lamppost. The action started off great, but after the 25th chase scene, they started to feel the same. This is one of those novels that would be twice as good if it were half as long.
The pages are filled so much with faceless henchmen and bureaucrats, I really had trouble telling them apart, even when they made references to their previous scenes. "Was that the congressman who said that? Or the CIA director?" "Did Bourne last see this guy in Zurich? Or was that someone else?" Again, less is more. Characters should've been combined; it would've given their actions more history and meaning, letting the reader get to know them better.
I started off loving The Bourne Identity, then grew to hate it, then the novel improved slightly toward the end, but not enough to prevent me from being glad I was finally done with it.
Sadly that's about all that's great in The Bourne Identity.
The novel is incredibly overlong, with some scenes dragging on or repeating themselves in endless cycles. Bourne whined so much about losing his memory I really started to hate him and wished Marie would hit him over the head with a lamppost. The action started off great, but after the 25th chase scene, they started to feel the same. This is one of those novels that would be twice as good if it were half as long.
The pages are filled so much with faceless henchmen and bureaucrats, I really had trouble telling them apart, even when they made references to their previous scenes. "Was that the congressman who said that? Or the CIA director?" "Did Bourne last see this guy in Zurich? Or was that someone else?" Again, less is more. Characters should've been combined; it would've given their actions more history and meaning, letting the reader get to know them better.
I started off loving The Bourne Identity, then grew to hate it, then the novel improved slightly toward the end, but not enough to prevent me from being glad I was finally done with it.
Going into this I may have started with unrealistic expectations just because I had heard so much about the series and so I think for the first half I was a little disappointed because I expected it to be great from the start. But after about halfway I felt it really started to pick up and I was fully into it. It was cool starting in the dark alongside Bourne and piecing things together while seeing Bourne do the same. Also, I liked seeing him be super resourceful and creative when pulling off his schemes. So I would say the second half redeemed it. And I really did like the story, but the writing felt a bit off to me in some parts. Sometimes I'd get a bit lost, more so at the beginning, but I guess it got better as I got more accustomed to the writing style.
So, overall it was good. Maybe a bit of a slow start, but I'd say it makes up for it in the end.
So, overall it was good. Maybe a bit of a slow start, but I'd say it makes up for it in the end.