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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
It took me a while to get into the book, but once I did, wow! (I should point out that I haven't seen the film.) I kept thinking "we must be nearly at the end now; where else could the story go?" only to find that there were a great number of pages left!
It's safe to say that I was captivated by the story and it's twists and turns.
It's safe to say that I was captivated by the story and it's twists and turns.
The movie version is known for its lightning paced action and the novel version couldn't be further from the truth. Its not bad but there was at times information overload and the repetition in Bourne's inner monologue became tiresome. Ludlum's ideas here are really good but the execution lacked at times. I rarely like a movie better than the book its based but that's not thte case here.
Finally finished this. Man, for a book I once thought I loved, it sure dragged on and on and on. I did not love it this time, maybe mostly because it was full of all those Ludlum-isms I soon tired of, after reading this, my first Ludlum. Things like paragraphs in italics to show just how important or emotional things are. Or a far too liberal use of exclamation marks. Or action sequences that are barely understandable.
Yeesh.
Yeesh.
I love the movies so I wanted to read the books.
The writing is so bad it was hard to keep things straight, and nauseating when the love story intruded.
BUT the plot is so much more complex and original than it is in the movies that im not sorry to have read it. I still think I'll be skipping 2 and 3
The writing is so bad it was hard to keep things straight, and nauseating when the love story intruded.
BUT the plot is so much more complex and original than it is in the movies that im not sorry to have read it. I still think I'll be skipping 2 and 3
I'm one of those that saw the movie first and loved them! I final have gotten around to reading this and wow. It's a really good book and the story is very compelling. It takes a while to grab into what's going on with who once it starts, but after about 100 pages goes pretty strong. Now, I can also see why people said you'll either r like the movies or the books. For now I'd say the movies win for me, but I did like the book for what it was. Very entertaining.
On the whole, this book was better than I'd thought it would be--especially in the suspense/pacing department. That said, sometimes the prose got a bit too simplistic for me, and I really, really didn't like the way Ludlum wrote Maria. Her character had a lot of potential and was integral to the plot, but Ludlum isn't going down in history for how well he writes women.
The plot itself really impressed me with its complexity and with how well Ludlum thought out who needed to be where and why--great study of GMC, methinks. Overall a fun read even if it was LONG.
The plot itself really impressed me with its complexity and with how well Ludlum thought out who needed to be where and why--great study of GMC, methinks. Overall a fun read even if it was LONG.
adventurous
tense
Originally published in 1980, this is THE book that I read in my early 20s that started my faithful love of the suspense genre. There are now 18 books in the series. After reading the first three, a new author took over and I abandoned the series. My loss.
Am starting again with 'mature' eyes and find that The Bourne Identity is still one very good book. Was afraid that the world of the Internet and technology might leave this story sadly behind, but it really does not. Yes, a cell phone might have helped certain situations.
This is so fast paced. It's lengthier at 600 pages, but there is a major scene in every single chapter. Easy to see why the film industry was able to turn this into a very successful movie series as well.
Robert Ludlum was a great writer. A complicated plot, a bad guy you will root for, and a hint of romance as well. A real page-turner.
Am starting again with 'mature' eyes and find that The Bourne Identity is still one very good book. Was afraid that the world of the Internet and technology might leave this story sadly behind, but it really does not. Yes, a cell phone might have helped certain situations.
This is so fast paced. It's lengthier at 600 pages, but there is a major scene in every single chapter. Easy to see why the film industry was able to turn this into a very successful movie series as well.
Robert Ludlum was a great writer. A complicated plot, a bad guy you will root for, and a hint of romance as well. A real page-turner.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Some part were interesting. The general concept and idea to hunt Carlos but most of the book was really mediocre. I forgot how poor it was. I re read and boy it is awful. Because some parts were ok this rating didn't get 1 ⭐