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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
dark
tense
fast-paced
Beware! Spoilers!
This was my very first Tom Clancy novel after hearing about these books forever. It took me almost two weeks to get through this one. Its lengthy and a bit long winded at times, but I ended up enjoying it.
So the book introduces John Kelly, a former Navy SEAL who fought in Vietnam. When his wife and unborn baby die unexpectedly, everything changes for John. He picks up a hitchhiker on the side of the road which leads him on an adventure of violence, revenge and espionage.
So I have a couple of problems with the format that kept me from enjoying the book as much as I should have. The book was jumpy and the perspective changed multiple times within each chapter. While I understand that the multiple viewpoints helped with tying the stories together, I wish it was more organized. Often the perspective changed several times on one page with no labels. It would often take me re-reading the first paragraph or so to figure out who it was that was telling the story. It all came together eventually, but it was confusing as it was happening.
The other issue I have is with the main character, John Kelly. His wife dies, then six weeks later, picks up a prostitute off the side of the road and falls in love with her. Then by the end of the book, he’s married again. That really made me dislike him, but that’s a personal thing.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed the book. It was an exciting, well told story. Lots of intrigue and excitement, and you’re rooting for the main character the whole time. It might be a while before I read another Tom Clancy, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t read another one.
3.5/5 stars
Book review blog: http://thebookgirlblog.wordpress.com/
This was my very first Tom Clancy novel after hearing about these books forever. It took me almost two weeks to get through this one. Its lengthy and a bit long winded at times, but I ended up enjoying it.
So the book introduces John Kelly, a former Navy SEAL who fought in Vietnam. When his wife and unborn baby die unexpectedly, everything changes for John. He picks up a hitchhiker on the side of the road which leads him on an adventure of violence, revenge and espionage.
So I have a couple of problems with the format that kept me from enjoying the book as much as I should have. The book was jumpy and the perspective changed multiple times within each chapter. While I understand that the multiple viewpoints helped with tying the stories together, I wish it was more organized. Often the perspective changed several times on one page with no labels. It would often take me re-reading the first paragraph or so to figure out who it was that was telling the story. It all came together eventually, but it was confusing as it was happening.
The other issue I have is with the main character, John Kelly. His wife dies, then six weeks later, picks up a prostitute off the side of the road and falls in love with her. Then by the end of the book, he’s married again. That really made me dislike him, but that’s a personal thing.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed the book. It was an exciting, well told story. Lots of intrigue and excitement, and you’re rooting for the main character the whole time. It might be a while before I read another Tom Clancy, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t read another one.
3.5/5 stars
Book review blog: http://thebookgirlblog.wordpress.com/
adventurous
challenging
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
'I have to take you in, you know.'
'What for?' .
'For murder, Mr Kelly.'
'No.' Kelly shook his head. 'It's only murder when innocent people die.'
John Clark lost his wife one year prior to the start of the story, and is still grieving her loss, when he picks up a hitchhiker named Pam who turns his world around. They fall in love fast, and almost just as fast she's taken away from him, by the very people she was running from in the first place. Now John has to hunt down those that hurt her and nothing (and no one) will stand in his way.
I love a good revenge trope, and what I love even more is an anti-hero character, like John here. I couldn't help but like him from the get-go, something about him is just so likable.
There was one scene near the start where I didn't like him for a few seconds, when he said he never thought about young sex workers, how they might not like their jobs. I was like "really John?" but then I remembered this is set in the early 70s, he's a man AND in the military at that, so what was I expecting?
He quickly remedied that though, by being embarrassed that he never thought about what life was like for them, and that made me warm up to him again.
Now the problem with this book is that the first 200 or so pages were fun, but a good chunk of the rest was a bit of a slog to get through. The ending was brilliant though, and it made me cry. So I'm settling on three stars for this, maybe if I reread it in the future the rating will change.
'What for?' .
'For murder, Mr Kelly.'
'No.' Kelly shook his head. 'It's only murder when innocent people die.'
John Clark lost his wife one year prior to the start of the story, and is still grieving her loss, when he picks up a hitchhiker named Pam who turns his world around. They fall in love fast, and almost just as fast she's taken away from him, by the very people she was running from in the first place. Now John has to hunt down those that hurt her and nothing (and no one) will stand in his way.
I love a good revenge trope, and what I love even more is an anti-hero character, like John here. I couldn't help but like him from the get-go, something about him is just so likable.
There was one scene near the start where I didn't like him for a few seconds, when he said he never thought about young sex workers, how they might not like their jobs. I was like "really John?" but then I remembered this is set in the early 70s, he's a man AND in the military at that, so what was I expecting?
He quickly remedied that though, by being embarrassed that he never thought about what life was like for them, and that made me warm up to him again.
Now the problem with this book is that the first 200 or so pages were fun, but a good chunk of the rest was a bit of a slog to get through. The ending was brilliant though, and it made me cry. So I'm settling on three stars for this, maybe if I reread it in the future the rating will change.
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
It was a bit cliche and predictable, but generally well written. The book equivalent of a Jason Statham film - good for it's genre but it doesn't really do much.
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking
I read this book a long time ago, and just now got around to reviewing it. This introduces John Clark. A person in the FBI who is an agent but a very dangerous one at that. This book shows how he gets his start as his career.
My favorite Clancy book. It's not like the rest of the Jack Ryan series, though it does provide the back story for "John Clark" who plays a prominent role in the Ryan series.
I think John Kelly wins the award for the least relatable protagonist ever. I know he suffered a lot, but one single save-the-cat moment would have helped.