Brig Berthold
I LOVED this book until the very end. That's when my principle issues surfaced and remain problematic.
Why did they need to travel to Vegas? Because plot? If Trash Can Man was headed there, anyway, I can't figure out why the four were required to embark on their perilous, though noble, journey.
It wasn't to inspire the “wicked” to question their fear-based discipleship and “repent” or “reform” or whatever we are calling it. They all died. No reason to experience remorse for the evil they had facilitated, abetted, or perpetrated.
It wasn't to cleanse themselves. The only survivor never completed the full pilgrimage. Nor could he return with the full weight of knowledge of events. He simply assumed the truth based on preconceived notions of atomic fallout.
It wasn't to obtain some everlasting wisdom required to re-write the future and ensure a more prosperous society, devoid of man's previous follies. The intimation is that those are humanistically inevitable; hence Fran and Stu's departure.
Regardless, I simply must give it 4/5 stars. So much to love. Such rich characters. So poignant given the 2020 pandemic, social and institutional responses, etc., which are (arguably) secularly prophetic.
Damnit. I wanted more from the finale.
You could definitely tell when Arnold was leading the charge on the writing versus the biographer assisting him. The language changes gradually throughout and it is interesting to notice. All-in-all, I really enjoyed this read. At the end, Arnold gives you a list of approximately 14 items to consider when designing your life and preparing to accomplish the great things you seek to realize. The list was great, but would have diminished in worth had I not read the book from start to finish. It was like a meme or an infographic but with a real punch having the story behind it.
She did it again! Wow. Who... why... I don't even know. This is now in the running with my favorite of the series. I'll need to go back and read Career of Evil to be sure. Holy crap!
Mossad is presented as nonfiction but delivered like a spy novel. Others have mentioned that this dynamic leaves room for concern about its authenticity. I'm not so concerned with authenticity, as I'm sure each of these operations were legitimately carried out by Mossad. My concerns lie with integrity of the seemingly unknowable details; vis-à-vis the “unreliable narrator.”
Despite my doubts, what may well be propaganda, the stories were genuinely entertaining. I hope for this in nonfiction but I do not expect it.
I took especially great interest in the availability of information that is not yet 50 years old. Top secret information is rarely downgraded without significant time. Even though the first part of the book dealt with the development of the organisation, I was genuinely surprised to read of operations in the 2000's.
This could not possibly be a more satisfying conclusion. I have nothing else to say. Masterful achievement.
Surprising at the right times, satisfying throughout, and epic in proportion.
This book holds a great deal of intellectual and academic information. Intertwined with the elevated language and concepts of Chaos and Accident Theories are myriad stories of survival. Everything from cringe-worthy accounts to humorous narrative taken from the accounts of those who lived despite mounting situational adversity. I found this book triumphant and hopeful, yet challenging and “nichey.” Of course, as with most non-fiction, this book gathers a fair amount of the author's life and experiences. However, in this accounting the author used his personal life as proof and morale authority, lending weight to his research and findings. Gonzales has another book that I will likely read very soon. I enjoyed the way this book challenged my mind and forced me to look beyond my day-to-day personal philosophies and reach a bit higher trying to understand another's. While I don't agree with everything anyone writes carte blanche, I did find a number of his concepts both revelatory and novel. As I find a great deal of pleasure in outdoor recreation, I was able to pull from personal experience myself and place his lessons against a benchmark of my own; despite knowing I have not survived a few days in the winter, on the mountain, with a broken leg, six miles from freedom.
DNF...I'm sad I had to let myself stop after only 120 pages (roughly 1/3). I usually enjoy King's work and I'm familiar enough with some of his idiosyncracies to put up with a lot. But this was just boring.
DNF
I'm over the American exceptionalism coupled with the anti-Muslim trope. I couldn't stomach this beyond when they first landed in Yemen.
Easily my least favorite of the series thus far. In spite of my knee-jerk reaction, the character development and sub-plot expansions were critical. It was clear, eventually, how Martin chose to handle this installment. Once I realized this would get the wheels turning for book five, or perhaps book six, I was settled down. A great deal of excitement presented itself in the climax and certain aspects of the story are absolutely succulent. Though, they would not have been as great without the 900 pages prior to the presentation of those details. I'll save you the spoilers.
Pre-apocolyptic is not something you find very often but this was really interesting. Who commits murder when the world is about to end? That's a compelling question and a great premise for a solid story.
This book was truly unique. At first, one could only wonder what could possibly have produced the hype. Rather quickly I became engaged with the characters and developed rather intense opinions which caused me to gush in judgement or empathy. Only then do we... well, I will refrain from saying more.
In the end, I found myself wishing for a slightly different conclusion. I felt I understood the author's decisions, despite similarly feeling the ending was rushed. Overall, I would recommend this book. Of course the recipient of my offering must first be warned of the rather incredible (albeit fitting) use of expletives. The expletives, which served as a pillar of the author's tone, a voice for characters, and what ultimately developed into a plot line/lesson, the choice of words did slowly deplete the pool readers I might have suggested this to.
Totally brain candy. The characters were interesting enough, the storyline was entertaining enough, and the conflicts were plausible. Obviously this was no #1 NY Times best seller, and for good reason, but it was a short suspension of reality. I read this because James Patterson identified this story specifically as he described identifying a raw idea worth pursuing. A woman who marries men in overlapping segments, unbeknownst to them, and then kills her lovers at the most opportune time. Is that a sales-worthy idea? Yeah, I suppose so. Did it wow me? No.
Officially: 2.5 Stars.
Ugh...I hate that I didn't love this book. For all it's popularity, I simply don't understand how people drool all over this story. Alex Cross is a compelling protagonist, but I would like to have seen far more of his human element come through. That is an understandably difficult thing to accomplish and it's hard to offer a coarse opinion. I sympathize and I have no answers. The only benchmark I have is in other author's work. Other authors do it for me.
Review to follow... possibly. A concise analysis of how the story was brilliantly written must lead off. Further, evidence of Alice's interactions left me gleaning nuggets of life's truths in a way a seven year old might come upon them. For instance, the Cheshire Cat explaining that “we're all mad here,” and there's nothing to be done about it, is spot on. If I have time, I'll return with a more thorough explanation of why I enjoyed this book. In the mean time, have a tea, and read this book. It will be a conversation starter for years to come.
Disclosure, I took advantage of amazon/audible “whispersync for voice,” both reading and listening to this book. The narrator was good, the storyline was sufficient, the characters were memorable. Despite the character development, which was wholly sufficient, I wished there had been more plot to enjoy. I can only assume, and hope, the subsequent installments will focus less on background development in order to emphasize plot/storyline. I see a great deal of enjoyment coming in the future if, like Rae, my demands are met.
Also, it is worth noting that you must be able to withstand what came to be the model of a dysfunctional family, a protagonist with questionable scruples, and a cast of background characters lodged firmly in the background.
Wow. This book was fabulous. That doesn't always happen with assigned reading but this one was a banger.
Is a 0.5-star rating available?
I hated this book. I took as much as I could handle, then I had my wife summarize the details I missed. Despite a distillation of Kogan's laborious prose, even my wife's more patient (and more empathetic) retelling simply reinforced my opinion.
Kogan was a rape victim, a feminist and a floozie with an almost deliberate naivete and a Leica camera. After placing each item in her pack, she, courageously, ventured into the dog-eat-dog world of photojournalism. Her journeys were dangerous and defining. Her efforts were both noble and relatable.
The book is themed as a chronicling of love. This point is made, re-stated, reinforced, beaten with a stick, skewered and plated with garnish... ad-nauseam; much like this sentence.
Did I mention it's poorly written? Does she know more than one sentence are allowed in a paragraph. That one does not need to use cumbersome grammar to cram everything into a one-sentence paragraph. It's true... you can do that.
In the end she found love. She realized feminism was not her desired answer to love or life as she matured in both respects. I know many people have found, and will certainly continue finding, value in this memoir. For me, don't just skip it, read a thesaurus instead... which Kogan must surely have done, based on the incredibly forced vocabulary throughout.
Review Pending... and unnecessary. Just read this book. If you want to write, are already writing, or somewhere in between, this book will make you feel better.
Excellent insights into the life of an excellent man.
The analysis presented in this book was clear and concise. I found each bullet well researched and without a hint of fallacy.
Another mark of good success litterature is the inability for the reader to continue reading in order to pause and contemplate. This book came through on that score in spades.
Highly recommended for all seeking a unique, yet unmatched view of home-grown leadership principles. No fluff, no overbearing rhetoric, and no moral or behavioral lifestyle change to grapple with.
I knocked it down to four stars due to minor, yet repetitious, editing flaws. Otherwise this book was worth every sentence.
Part of the book gave me what I wanted, the rest however was a giant disappointment and a paranoid waste of time.
While the perceived horrors of this tale go almost saying, I was disappointed in the overall delivery.
This book was pitched as the unlikely RISE of Vladimir Putin. What we ended up with was a series of essays and journalistic reports chronicling a period of time featuring myriad suspenseful coincidences which may or may not be directly linked to the rise of the Russian president.
I don't mean to undervalue the despair of the Russian people. I don't want to take away from the very real brutality of the regime. And I don't deny the rampant corruption in Putin's Russia. However, this is not the book I asked for, and was promised, by title and description.