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kathrinpassig's review against another edition
4.0
Den zentralen Erzähltrick habe ich erst hinterher durch Wikipedialektüre begriffen und kann ihn hier nicht spoilerfrei verraten, aber er ist schon sehr elegant.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
In Victorian London, can Edward Pierce and his cronies pull off a train heist and get away with a fortune in gold bullion?
Like quite a few of my reads over the years, this book appeared on my radar courtesy of Kemper. We were discussing the Breaking Bad episode Dead Freight and he asked if I'd ever read The Great Train Robbery. I said I hadn't and promptly forgot about it for a couple years until I ran across the Great Train Robbery in the local used bookstore.
The Great Train Robbery is a gripping heist novel set in the 1850's. Crichton doesn't skimp on the Victoriana, either. The social climate and attitudes of the time are in full force, as is Victorian criminal slang. Critchton throws the reader into the deep end with his talk of bone lays, twirls, drums, and gammons.
As with most capers, the joy is in the planning and watching Pierce deal with getting key impressions, ferreting out key impressions, and dealing with setbacks along the way. Pierce proved to be quite a cracksman and would make Richard Stark's Parker smile with admiration, if such a thing were possible.
The way Crichton tells the story is masterful, alternating the story as it occurred with newspaper clippings from after the caper went off and the subsequent trial. It was excellent way to misdirect readers such as me. I thought I had things pegged pretty early on but Crichton surprised me at the end.
If I had to justify not giving this a five, I would mention that the characters were a bit weak, Pierce included. However, the story is entitled The Great Train Robbery, not An Examination of the Psyche of a Train Robber so some slack must be cut.
Four stars. Now I want to track down the movie version starring Donald Sutherland and Sean Connery.
Like quite a few of my reads over the years, this book appeared on my radar courtesy of Kemper. We were discussing the Breaking Bad episode Dead Freight and he asked if I'd ever read The Great Train Robbery. I said I hadn't and promptly forgot about it for a couple years until I ran across the Great Train Robbery in the local used bookstore.
The Great Train Robbery is a gripping heist novel set in the 1850's. Crichton doesn't skimp on the Victoriana, either. The social climate and attitudes of the time are in full force, as is Victorian criminal slang. Critchton throws the reader into the deep end with his talk of bone lays, twirls, drums, and gammons.
As with most capers, the joy is in the planning and watching Pierce deal with getting key impressions, ferreting out key impressions, and dealing with setbacks along the way. Pierce proved to be quite a cracksman and would make Richard Stark's Parker smile with admiration, if such a thing were possible.
The way Crichton tells the story is masterful, alternating the story as it occurred with newspaper clippings from after the caper went off and the subsequent trial. It was excellent way to misdirect readers such as me. I thought I had things pegged pretty early on but Crichton surprised me at the end.
If I had to justify not giving this a five, I would mention that the characters were a bit weak, Pierce included. However, the story is entitled The Great Train Robbery, not An Examination of the Psyche of a Train Robber so some slack must be cut.
Four stars. Now I want to track down the movie version starring Donald Sutherland and Sean Connery.
janeeyre_914716's review against another edition
4.0
ok.....I REALLY liked this book!!!! Not as intense as his newer ones, but I really enjoyed it! great heist plan, reminded me of Ocean's 11 a little, and the end.....omgosh!!!!!! I loooooved it!!!!! what a great book!!!!
harridansstew's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this audio book much more than I thought I would. It reads like a nonfiction story with lots of historical context and fascinating details. Lots of fun.
charliebluewolf's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really fun read! I love a good heist story, and that is exactly what this book is about. And it is based on a real event which makes it even better in my opinion. One tricky thing I encountered when reading this book, is that it uses some slang terminology that I have never heard of before (This isn't really a surprise since the book was written in 1975 and takes place in the 1850s). But that was not a big deal as it explained the important words, and the others you could either figure out from context or they were relatively irrelevant.
ericbuscemi's review against another edition
4.0
This book had all the ingredients for a great adventure -- a charming rogue for a lead character, an intricate Ocean's Eleven-style heist, a well-drawn Victorian London setting (you could almost feel Sherlock Holmes in the background investigating), and top-notch writing.
However, since it is made clear in the beginning of the novel that the heist was pulled off successfully, the story is lacking any "will they or won't they pull it off" suspense. The fact that the novel is still so gripping and enjoyable is a testament to the late Michael Crichton -- and make no mistake, the novel is gripping and quite enjoyable.
However, since it is made clear in the beginning of the novel that the heist was pulled off successfully, the story is lacking any "will they or won't they pull it off" suspense. The fact that the novel is still so gripping and enjoyable is a testament to the late Michael Crichton -- and make no mistake, the novel is gripping and quite enjoyable.
lladams_9000's review against another edition
5.0
Michael Crichton was one of the greatest writers of our time because of his ability to weave together factual details of science and history into his imaginary tales. This time he imparted his storytelling on a true crime, blending beautifully the real life events of this robbery with hypothetical dialogues that brought these historical figures to life. This is the sixth book of his I have read and I look forward to many more.
natniss's review against another edition
5.0
I adored every moment of reading this. Crichton takes an incredible true story and tells it with his masterful flair. The plot speeds along at a breakneck pace, never offset by the many interesting notes from the author giving the reader insight into the period. I highly recommend this to fans of Crichton, fans of true crime, and anyone with an interest in this fascinating era.