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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
I actually enjoyed reading this book BUT there were numerous things that bugged me about it and they won't go away. Some books mature in your mind when you finish them and they establish themselves as a good book but others kind of fester and the more you think about them the more you dislike them. Firstly, there are a lot superfluous scenes that are obviously written with a movie in mind. For example there is a chase which ends up in a boat warehouse with lots of expensive boats crashing into each other. This lasts for several pages and I found that I was so bored with it that I jumped a couple of pages. It was a pure action movie scene, that you could imagine back in the 90's with Mel Gibson or Arnold Schwarzenegger and it did not work at all in the book.
Secondly, the plot brings together a number of coincidences that are unbelievable, yes I know I'm talking about a book, make believe but it was seriously flawed and the New York murder took us on a 300 page detour. The New York murder could have been extricated from the terrorist plot to form another book.In fact the way the book ended leads me to believe that this plot will continue in another book.
Lastly and the thing that bothers me the most, is the women in the book. This really does feel like a 90s action movie throwback. The women are seriously 2 dimensional. They are often eye candy to Pilgrim, there's lots of references to "boobs" (seriously? How old are you?) and there are lots of women stereotypes. There is quote after quote of cringe worthy references to women
"The secretary was one of those women where everything about her was extravagant – her gestures, her boobs straining against a tight blouse, her make-up, her as*s in a pencil skirt. The moods, too, one suspected."
or
"He clapped his hands, and one of the screens slid open. A slim Hispanic chick dressed in a red silk kimono entered and bowed, prompting in me a question which has occupied the minds of great philosophers since time immemorial. How come unattractive guys nearly always get the hot women?"
The more you re-read them the more annoying they get.
This book is a page turner and many people have/will enjoy it but here are just too many flaws for me that spoil the initial enjoyment.
Secondly, the plot brings together a number of coincidences that are unbelievable, yes I know I'm talking about a book, make believe but it was seriously flawed and the New York murder took us on a 300 page detour. The New York murder could have been extricated from the terrorist plot to form another book.In fact the way the book ended leads me to believe that this plot will continue in another book.
Lastly and the thing that bothers me the most, is the women in the book. This really does feel like a 90s action movie throwback. The women are seriously 2 dimensional. They are often eye candy to Pilgrim, there's lots of references to "boobs" (seriously? How old are you?) and there are lots of women stereotypes. There is quote after quote of cringe worthy references to women
"The secretary was one of those women where everything about her was extravagant – her gestures, her boobs straining against a tight blouse, her make-up, her as*s in a pencil skirt. The moods, too, one suspected."
or
"He clapped his hands, and one of the screens slid open. A slim Hispanic chick dressed in a red silk kimono entered and bowed, prompting in me a question which has occupied the minds of great philosophers since time immemorial. How come unattractive guys nearly always get the hot women?"
The more you re-read them the more annoying they get.
This book is a page turner and many people have/will enjoy it but here are just too many flaws for me that spoil the initial enjoyment.
This book hinges on the rabidly senseless Islamophobic sentiments that plague the US. It appears as though such Islamophobic sentiments are justified throughout the book through 911. Search literature exacerbates the already existing marginalisation of certain communities and diminishes an entire group of people down to a caricature that centralises on generalised, media driven narrative of barbarians. He predictable villain captures the lazy undertones of many modern thrillers. The villain always falls in a few categories. This guy decided to pick an Arab terrorist. Yawn
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Save your time. Don’t bother reading this 800 words of bizarre drivel
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Well read audiobook of the fast paced, exciting thriller.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not for the faint of heart. Like 5 movies in one book. Absolute rollercoaster. The main character has lived many lives and you feel every one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, War
I have no idea how this book has a 4.2 rating here on goodreads. The first 150 pages were interesting with some setups/history that were nice but repeated and referenced to death…over the next 400 pages. The narrator is smug. The villain is perfect (but you know how it’s going to end hundreds of pages before it happens). Every female character is objectified slightly before any interaction occurs. I should have quit reading it but I did that thing I always do and just hope that the book will turn itself around for the last half. Nope
Ik moest me even door het begin heen worstelen, maar zeker een goed debuut!
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No