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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Four stars for action and speed of story telling. Two stars for character development.
The action and intrigue in this book start on page one, and go pretty much non-stop to the last page. The book definitely reeled me in. The problem was the poor character development left me uninvested in everyone involved. Some characters don't even get names before they're offed. They're gone as quickly as they're introduced, so Ludlum relies on having to spell everything out. Thoughts, emotions, motivations and relationships all have to be spelled out, since so little attention is devoted to the characters for the sake of the plot.
The action and intrigue in this book start on page one, and go pretty much non-stop to the last page. The book definitely reeled me in. The problem was the poor character development left me uninvested in everyone involved. Some characters don't even get names before they're offed. They're gone as quickly as they're introduced, so Ludlum relies on having to spell everything out. Thoughts, emotions, motivations and relationships all have to be spelled out, since so little attention is devoted to the characters for the sake of the plot.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Written by Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Identity is the novel from which the movie is based. I watched the movie some time ago, and I dediced to read the novel to have a greater understanding of the story and characters.
If, like me, you watched the movie first, you can pretty much forget all about it since there are very few similarities. The plot is about Jason Bourne, a deep-undercover CIA agent who suffers amnesia after having being shot in the head during a mission. The few agents within the CIA that know about Jason Bourne are trying to locate him, but at the same time his enemies and other unaware agencies are trying to kill him whereas Jason Bourne has to struggle with both along with his condition.
The story is enjoyable and it's mostly a fast reading experience. The development of the characters and the relationships among them is good from an overall perspective, but the love story between Jason Bourne and Marie is quite unrealistic to say the least, which I think it's the biggest flaw within the novel, and it makes me understand why in the movie they changed completely the character of Marie. Normally this wouldn't be an issue if that love story was not a centric part of many of the twists in the plot, but it is. Therefore, it's kind of a bummer.
In summary, The Bourne Identity is an entertaining novel, but quite frankly you may want to stick with the movies.
If, like me, you watched the movie first, you can pretty much forget all about it since there are very few similarities. The plot is about Jason Bourne, a deep-undercover CIA agent who suffers amnesia after having being shot in the head during a mission. The few agents within the CIA that know about Jason Bourne are trying to locate him, but at the same time his enemies and other unaware agencies are trying to kill him whereas Jason Bourne has to struggle with both along with his condition.
The story is enjoyable and it's mostly a fast reading experience. The development of the characters and the relationships among them is good from an overall perspective, but the love story between Jason Bourne and Marie is quite unrealistic to say the least, which I think it's the biggest flaw within the novel, and it makes me understand why in the movie they changed completely the character of Marie. Normally this wouldn't be an issue if that love story was not a centric part of many of the twists in the plot, but it is. Therefore, it's kind of a bummer.
In summary, The Bourne Identity is an entertaining novel, but quite frankly you may want to stick with the movies.
I loved the movie, it was one of the first movies I saw in my youth and it was incredible. Imagine my excitement when I realise it was also a book series!
But now after reading the book, I realise that they fucked the movie up entirely. The book completely shits on the movie, as is the norm of these things.
This book was everything and more.
Dammit.
But now after reading the book, I realise that they fucked the movie up entirely. The book completely shits on the movie, as is the norm of these things.
This book was everything and more.
Dammit.
dnf @ 40%
this was my second time trying this book. i really liked it this time, but i just lost interest.
hoping to try again sometime!
this was my second time trying this book. i really liked it this time, but i just lost interest.
hoping to try again sometime!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book scratched an itch in my brain. i love books that have clear evidence of being written by a person who had some kind of hyperfixation. i feel like this book was paced perfectly for me in particular, keeping me engaged with lots of complex plot to wrap my head around, while also throwing in some moments of jason thinking through things or yelling at himself in his head. that being said, i think if i hadn’t watched the movies first, i might not have gotten as invested as i did. maybe i would have. who knows. anyway, if you want a chill book with an easy to follow plot, don’t read this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Audiobook 4.0 stars
After watching the movie, I was afraid that most of the major plot points would be ruined for me...
I was mistaken. Sure, some of the moments of Jason's memory-loss and "misty" uncertainty about his past were not as mystifying to me, but the plot as a whole had an entirely different and fresh angle.
Ludlum's writing style was swift and descriptive. He wasted no space but showed the reader every glint of sunlight off an exposed handgun barrel leaking out of a coat pocket and every subtlety of movement in the fast-paced action sequences.
The book was thrilling as well. There were several times that I had arrived at home, yet stayed in my car to finish a chapter because I could not wait to know what was going to happen. There were many moments of pure astonishment and surprise that kept me listening.
It is a very entertaining listen/read and will without a doubt transport you to the world of spy-craft with ease.
Read if you want to know what Jason Bourne's real name is.
After watching the movie, I was afraid that most of the major plot points would be ruined for me...
I was mistaken. Sure, some of the moments of Jason's memory-loss and "misty" uncertainty about his past were not as mystifying to me, but the plot as a whole had an entirely different and fresh angle.
Ludlum's writing style was swift and descriptive. He wasted no space but showed the reader every glint of sunlight off an exposed handgun barrel leaking out of a coat pocket and every subtlety of movement in the fast-paced action sequences.
The book was thrilling as well. There were several times that I had arrived at home, yet stayed in my car to finish a chapter because I could not wait to know what was going to happen. There were many moments of pure astonishment and surprise that kept me listening.
It is a very entertaining listen/read and will without a doubt transport you to the world of spy-craft with ease.
Read if you want to know what Jason Bourne's real name is.
The pacing is quite good in the beginning and the end, but that only leaves room for some absolutely boring middle 'play' that seems to become too long and too silly.
Definitely, in this one Robert Ludlum tried to write about love, and it gets out as pathetic as it gets in every Hollywood movie. It simply doesn't convince anyone, the characters simply don't work together.
Many people said that the Matt Damon movie had a worse story, but to be perfectly honest, this story is forgettable too, while Matt Damon as Bourne is believable.
The writing is good, and alert, and with the notable exception of the middle part, it works well, and reads fast.
Definitely, in this one Robert Ludlum tried to write about love, and it gets out as pathetic as it gets in every Hollywood movie. It simply doesn't convince anyone, the characters simply don't work together.
Many people said that the Matt Damon movie had a worse story, but to be perfectly honest, this story is forgettable too, while Matt Damon as Bourne is believable.
The writing is good, and alert, and with the notable exception of the middle part, it works well, and reads fast.
If I could give it 3.5 stars, I would. I will read the rest in the original trilogy, though, and then watch the movies which I hear have very little to do with these books.