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wovenstrap's review against another edition
2.0
I was honestly surprised at how terrible this book is.
Goldman surely absorbed his Stanley Elkin at some point, it's like Elkin without the discipline LOL.
Goldman surely absorbed his Stanley Elkin at some point, it's like Elkin without the discipline LOL.
lottpoet's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Torture
brannonkirkhuang's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite books now. I practically read the whole thing in one day. It's so good! I cannot recommend this book enough. There are twists and turns and heart stopping moments and perhaps the greatest running scene in all of literature. There, I said it.
hannahbarton23's review against another edition
3.0
This book was painfully slow probably like a marathon. But once this thing started going there was no stopping. Once you get through the first half you can’t put it down. If you’re able to touch it out I definitely recommend just know it’s a marathon, not a sprint!
johnnygamble's review against another edition
4.0
Pleasurable enough for me to overlook the flaws and the plot holes. Great twists.
abookishtype's review against another edition
2.0
William Goldman’s Marathon Man wasn’t half bad. Unfortunately, the other half was. I picked this book up because I remember enjoying the film version, which starred Dustin Hoffman and Sir Laurence Olivier. (Also, I’m a sucker for stories about tracking down Nazis who escaped Europe after the war.) I fell into the trap of expecting the book to be better than the movie because there would be more background and plot. The original novel did have more of both, but it didn’t make for a better tale...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
stacys_books's review against another edition
5.0
"Is it safe? Is it safe?"
When I was eight or so (possibly younger), I strayed on the torture scene from the film of the same name on a hotel room TV. I've never quite forgotten it, and i don't think I'll ever quite forget this book.
Thomas Babington Levy is a struggling graduate student majoring in history at Columbia University and a marathon man, training to run in his first marathon. His brother ostensibly works in the oil industry, but is really an agent in a shadowy U.S. government operation called the Division. When Thomas's brother dies in his arms, Thomas ("Babe") finds himself unwittingly drawn into his brother's world, one of espionage and deceit. He's now in a battle of wits with a Nazi dentist and a rogue agent, and Babe finds he must draw upon the few resources he has to survive.
This book marked a first for me in that when Babe decided he didn't care whether he lived or died, only that he got his revenge, I found myself agreeing with him.
When I was eight or so (possibly younger), I strayed on the torture scene from the film of the same name on a hotel room TV. I've never quite forgotten it, and i don't think I'll ever quite forget this book.
Thomas Babington Levy is a struggling graduate student majoring in history at Columbia University and a marathon man, training to run in his first marathon. His brother ostensibly works in the oil industry, but is really an agent in a shadowy U.S. government operation called the Division. When Thomas's brother dies in his arms, Thomas ("Babe") finds himself unwittingly drawn into his brother's world, one of espionage and deceit. He's now in a battle of wits with a Nazi dentist and a rogue agent, and Babe finds he must draw upon the few resources he has to survive.
This book marked a first for me in that when Babe decided he didn't care whether he lived or died, only that he got his revenge, I found myself agreeing with him.
fosterwalrus's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
stevo1977's review against another edition
4.0
Really fun spy thriller. This is the second book I've read by William Goldman (the other being one of my all-time favorites: The Princess Bride), and he's definitely got a distinctive voice. I was a little worried in the beginning that I wouldn't be able to root for the protagonist, for various reasons, but it ended up okay. Better than okay; I was solidly rooting for him from the halfway point on, and actually cried for him a few times near the end. The plot comes together phenomenally well.