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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
This took me a long time. Such a complicated and old school spy novel. I will now move on to watching the movies.
adventurous
tense
medium-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
I loved the original book series and then had to see the movies. Originally, I felt the the movies had to update the storyline for current times and was prepared to handle significant differences. However, I had a moment of dismay and anger during the second movie when Marie dies. At that point, I had to accept that the books and movies diverge completely and became determined to enjoy each on their own merits (or not). So, as long as you don't think the books will be anything like the movies - or vice versa - you can independently appreciate both.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Those who know me know that I'm a huge Matt Damon fan--and part of that stems from the films made based on the original trilogy of this series. That being said, I haven't seen the movies in three or four years, so I can't make the comparison accurately.
Instead, I'll just briefly state my thoughts based on what I remember, and my feelings throughout the book. Marie St. Jacques is done so much better through text. I remember never liking the girls in the Bourne films, but Marie St. Jacques came off as much more realistic and good for Jason in the novel.
This book nearly disappointed me, and only for one reason: the pace. The hardest thing when reading an action novel is having to skim to feel like the action is really happening. It's another score for the movies--because they have to squeeze everything into a specific amount of time, everything moves faster and (in my opinion) is more entertaining. Though there's no doubt that this is an action title, there were a few rough patches where I was bored and losing interest in the story. That kind of feeling is what puts action novels in danger--no action.
Other than that, nothing affected me quite as strongly. I need to finish the rest of the series, and then re-watch the movies and enjoy Matt Damon's beautiful face.
Instead, I'll just briefly state my thoughts based on what I remember, and my feelings throughout the book. Marie St. Jacques is done so much better through text. I remember never liking the girls in the Bourne films, but Marie St. Jacques came off as much more realistic and good for Jason in the novel.
This book nearly disappointed me, and only for one reason: the pace. The hardest thing when reading an action novel is having to skim to feel like the action is really happening. It's another score for the movies--because they have to squeeze everything into a specific amount of time, everything moves faster and (in my opinion) is more entertaining. Though there's no doubt that this is an action title, there were a few rough patches where I was bored and losing interest in the story. That kind of feeling is what puts action novels in danger--no action.
Other than that, nothing affected me quite as strongly. I need to finish the rest of the series, and then re-watch the movies and enjoy Matt Damon's beautiful face.
This might be my first time saying this: the movie (with which I am obsessed, perhaps due to Matt Damon) is Superior to the book in every way (not to mention the movie is not actually based on the book at all, as its plot is entirely unrecognizable in Ludlum's thriller). Back to the novel: the writing is awful, the characters are one-dimensional, the dialogue is inane, and misogyny abounds (really, a HIGHLY successful woman leaves her entire world behind for a man who slaps her around and kills people? Um, no. Or only in an "alpha male" fantasy world perhaps).
I really loved this book... then I realized I still had 300 pages left. It begins strong and engaging, but starts to feel a little long half way through. Luckily, it regains momentum for the big finish and ended up being very enjoyable. I much prefer the story presented here to the one seen in the loosely adapted movie.
We discuss this and other classic Spy novels in this special episode of the All the Books Show Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-147-we-spy
We discuss this and other classic Spy novels in this special episode of the All the Books Show Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-147-we-spy
As most books that are turned into movies, this book was so full of detail that so much was blatantly changed or glossed over. I can't imagine having to be the screenwriter to interpret what will entertain the screen audience. Ludlum's story had me captivated until the midpoint and then it was either too much detail, too many new characters to recall or just the storyline a challenge to follow. I listened to the unabridged audio version.