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jlink17's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
greatlibraryofalexandra's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Decent re-read. I read this years and years ago and I'm a great fan of Crichton's work. I'll also mention I read this years ago when I was in my "I don't need Feminism because I don't hate men" phase and thought it was a 5 star masterpiece. Now I just think it's a decent corporate thriller - Crichton is good at thrillers.
I do appreciate his role-reversal here, and I am amenable to more stories on men's experience with sexual harassment, how it differs. and how patriarchy actually enables it in ways starkly different than it enables and encourages harassment towards women - i.e., men are viewed as pussies if they claim harassment, or men are viewed as being unable to be harassed at all (a common believe is that erection + consent) - I also appreciate that Crichton made the precipitating event very great. He does explore a lot of the issues here, and makes interesting commentary on the rules changing, but he ultimately gets lost in or distracted by the business intrigue storyline, and fails to examine the harassment issue with true nuance.
Crichton views the role-reversal as a complete tit-for-tat swap, with every instance of it sort of implying that by putting shoes on the other feet, everything is exactly the same. There are different dynamics at play when men are harassed in a patriarchal world, and Crichton either doesn't consider them, or doesn't see them. I don't mean men aren't facing real issues, I mean specifically that they are facing different issues - for a small example, men are often conditioned that to be gentlemanly is to refuse to hit a woman, so how does a man react when being sexually touched but is hesitant to push someone away? I also thought Crichton clung annoyingly hard to the old adage of "one accusation can ruin a man's life" - this book was written in 1994, meaning the Anita Hill hearings had already been televised, and Crichton would know damn well that a major example of accusations not doing a damn thing was once front page news. It is now 2023, and men are only starting to face consequences for real accusations. What Crichton consistently fails to sensitively acknowledge in this book is the harassment women had been expect to put up with as a normal part of employment for a century before women began gaining equal rights and calling attention to inappropriate behavior. A role reversal that interrogates the social norms and beliefs isn't complete without nuanced exploration, and this book lacks that.
But, it is a fast-paced corporate/legal thriller with Crichton's usual densely and impressively researched subject matter, and it's a fun read.
I do appreciate his role-reversal here, and I am amenable to more stories on men's experience with sexual harassment, how it differs. and how patriarchy actually enables it in ways starkly different than it enables and encourages harassment towards women - i.e., men are viewed as pussies if they claim harassment, or men are viewed as being unable to be harassed at all (a common believe is that erection + consent) - I also appreciate that Crichton made the precipitating event very great. He does explore a lot of the issues here, and makes interesting commentary on the rules changing, but he ultimately gets lost in or distracted by the business intrigue storyline, and fails to examine the harassment issue with true nuance.
Crichton views the role-reversal as a complete tit-for-tat swap, with every instance of it sort of implying that by putting shoes on the other feet, everything is exactly the same. There are different dynamics at play when men are harassed in a patriarchal world, and Crichton either doesn't consider them, or doesn't see them. I don't mean men aren't facing real issues, I mean specifically that they are facing different issues - for a small example, men are often conditioned that to be gentlemanly is to refuse to hit a woman, so how does a man react when being sexually touched but is hesitant to push someone away? I also thought Crichton clung annoyingly hard to the old adage of "one accusation can ruin a man's life" - this book was written in 1994, meaning the Anita Hill hearings had already been televised, and Crichton would know damn well that a major example of accusations not doing a damn thing was once front page news. It is now 2023, and men are only starting to face consequences for real accusations. What Crichton consistently fails to sensitively acknowledge in this book is the harassment women had been expect to put up with as a normal part of employment for a century before women began gaining equal rights and calling attention to inappropriate behavior. A role reversal that interrogates the social norms and beliefs isn't complete without nuanced exploration, and this book lacks that.
But, it is a fast-paced corporate/legal thriller with Crichton's usual densely and impressively researched subject matter, and it's a fun read.
roshk99's review against another edition
2.0
The book was well written, but could have been a better topic - I mean to prove his point, many other topics could have easily done as well
sharks_and_dinos's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
catladylover94's review against another edition
4.0
liked the book better then the movie, i dont like demi moore so the movie kinda sucked, book was an easy read after watching the movie
kit_kat006's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I found the book slow until the main trigger. Then, you cannot put the book down and it goes so quick.
Altough it was written more then 20 years ago, I found this book still relatable. A good read!
Altough it was written more then 20 years ago, I found this book still relatable. A good read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Sexual assault
philip_rudy's review against another edition
4.0
Thought it was pretty good. Needed an entertaining book and this was exactly it.
kellylynnthomas's review against another edition
3.0
This book really fascinated me, since it deals with a woman sexually harassing a man. I was probably too young to really understand what was going on when I read it, though...
everstormseve's review against another edition
4.0
The book has a sex scene within the first few chapters. It’s not gratuitous, though it is graphic; the scene has important ramifications later in the story.
The tech talk is quite dated. At one point Crichton talked about the protagonist sitting down to check his computer after noticing that “his E-mail cursor was blinking,” and tells us about how great CD-ROM technology is. It’s funny in a nostalgic way, not at all off-putting.
The story was fascinating - an interesting perspective on sexual harassment and gender in the workplace. A real page-turner.
The tech talk is quite dated. At one point Crichton talked about the protagonist sitting down to check his computer after noticing that “his E-mail cursor was blinking,” and tells us about how great CD-ROM technology is. It’s funny in a nostalgic way, not at all off-putting.
The story was fascinating - an interesting perspective on sexual harassment and gender in the workplace. A real page-turner.