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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
A beautiful, pulpy masterpiece. Never lets up from the word go and it's just so fun. Some legitimately great twists that didn't quite translate to the movie just because certain things are harder to pull off in a visual medium. But I remember my little middle-school brain being blown away when I got to certain reveals in the book.
Is it safe?
Is it safe?
dark
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Even though I've seen the film, Marathon Man will remain a gripping read. The story cracks along at a blistering pace, much like historian and marathon runner Babe, the central character. Babe's life is torn apart and we watch him put it back together piece by piece. The book has a little bit of everything, action, mystery, political intrigue, and a conclusion worth the journey. Read it, then watch the film.
It's going to be a long while before I can hear the word "pulp" without cringing.
I'm sick (since you asked: shingles) and I wanted something taught to read that wouldn't require a lot of effort. In a recent NY Times bit, Harlen Coben said that Marathon Man made a big impression on him. I'd seen the movie of course.
This is a remarkable yarn. What's crazy about it is its efficiency. There are surprises, but they are perfectly set up. In weaker thrillers, you hit the surprise but you don't feel prepared. For instance, a name may be introduced that you're supposed to recognize from earlier in the novel. With this one, you get it.
Great characterization . . . great suspense . . . great violence. And the political/historical context is dealt with graciously.
This is a remarkable yarn. What's crazy about it is its efficiency. There are surprises, but they are perfectly set up. In weaker thrillers, you hit the surprise but you don't feel prepared. For instance, a name may be introduced that you're supposed to recognize from earlier in the novel. With this one, you get it.
Great characterization . . . great suspense . . . great violence. And the political/historical context is dealt with graciously.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Spies, Nazi dentist, diamonds. Read and enjoy.
From BBc Radio 4:
William Goldman's dark cult thriller about a student whose world is turned upside down by a Nazi dentist and a network of spies.
Dramatised by Stephen Keyworth.
Starring Jack Lowden, Ian McDiarmid and Tom Burke.
Directed by Kirsty Williams.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08xx9tn
William Goldman's dark cult thriller about a student whose world is turned upside down by a Nazi dentist and a network of spies.
Dramatised by Stephen Keyworth.
Starring Jack Lowden, Ian McDiarmid and Tom Burke.
Directed by Kirsty Williams.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08xx9tn
The most Jewish of revenge fantasies. The most seventies seventies thriller. So many little details. So many perfect absurdities. So paranoid. This book makes me want to reverse engineer it.
This is actually a well-crafted thriller. The plot moves right along and it has a really good twist right at the half-way point, that does a nice job.
There are only two problems:
1. The dialog. It's steeped in some really bad 70s lingo that would be fine in a movie script, but really reads pretty dated in the novel.
2. There's just a nagging sensation of things being just so. The pieces move around the board to fit the plot, not necessarily organically. Things that are supposed to be random, are really just clockworked to death.
I could forgive one or the other, but both costs this book a fourth star.
It's a good story though.
Goldman tends to start his books with a non-fiction forward, which is delightful. It makes me want to read his "Adventures in the Screen Trade" which is on my to-buy pile.
There are only two problems:
1. The dialog. It's steeped in some really bad 70s lingo that would be fine in a movie script, but really reads pretty dated in the novel.
2. There's just a nagging sensation of things being just so. The pieces move around the board to fit the plot, not necessarily organically. Things that are supposed to be random, are really just clockworked to death.
I could forgive one or the other, but both costs this book a fourth star.
It's a good story though.
Goldman tends to start his books with a non-fiction forward, which is delightful. It makes me want to read his "Adventures in the Screen Trade" which is on my to-buy pile.