Brig Berthold

Damn, Doerr!
I read this after loving “Cloud Cuckoo Land” and I almost wish I'd read this first. Doerr's style is so entirely his own. All-in-all, this was terrific.
4 stars because I said so and because CCL was just that much better for me.

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.

Wow! Wow! Wow!
Just a few pacing issues that, honestly, I think have more to do with me than the book. This was fantastic and I'm still recovering.

This was enjoyable

Hey! This was pretty dang fun!!

Loved this entirely

Overall, this was interesting. The end went sideways for me.

Enjoyable for sure.

Nope.

I will catch hate for this, but here goes.

I'm pissed! The only reason this book is called Burner is because Greaney just burned all his readers.

There is little to no emotional tension. We barely care about the characters. The plot was largely stale. The political implications were the heartbeat of the narrative. Then, somehow, we are left with nearly zero political fallout!? One person dies, the other resigns, that's it?! The journalism angle never paid off.

Not once have I been disappointed in this series. Perhaps that is the source of my frustration.

SLOW burn.

If you give yourself up to the story, it'll take you away. If you're ultra critical, you'll ruin the experience for yourself.

Wow. He does it, again!

Wow. So much emotion.

The first story was brilliant. I still can not stop contemplating it.
The others, less so. I found myself feeling tremendous melancholy throughout most of these stories. An emotional resonance, I'm sure, was altogether intentional.
So. Nailed it.

Surprisingly satisfying.

Me and my daughter laughed and laughed!

Series is better!

While it is almost lock-step the same as season 1 of the series (starring Gary Oldman) the differences were critical. This was fun but you stand to miss nothing by watching the series, instead if that's your question.

That ending!
This is a wonderful book in a wonderful series. So completely glad I discovered it.

I tried this book on a whim because it purported to be about a spy. And while I did not get the espionage I thought I would, I was not disappointed.

This book is about mankind, war, and the political struggles on the smallest scale all set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.

The social commentary was poignant. The cultural commentary will annihilate American xenophobia. The deeply flawed inner dialogue was relatable. And the climax was perfectly tailored.

Every single word in this book was painstaking labored over. That effort, alone, the craftsmanship of the writing will be an intoxication to the reader.

All bait, no hook. Pretty disappointed with the “startling revelations” promised.

This was incredible. Now I have to re-read Career of Evil to see whether this is my favorite.

I'm impressed. Not a single detail was wasted. Just when you begin to question the pacing, never fear.

Enjoyable. Great for kids around 8 and up.

My 5 year old enjoyed this. I read it to her as a long-ish bedtime story. She was engaged from start to finish.