43 replies to this topic

[DAN LIGHTER]

I need to finish it off, got occupied with doing other bits and bobs.

Bits and bobs.....I could not put the er down! Good read overal, plus the twists were in my opinon no way predictable. On "A Maidens Grave" at the moment, and again, i just cant put it down.

[Santa]

Well, I ploughed through Garden of Beasts and was disappointed to find it didn't keep me up into the night, not even a little bit. As with the other JD books I've read, the trademark 'plot twists' were completely obvious, some elements of the story

Spoiler

(the bits others have mentioned particularly, such as the fight outside the bookshop, the romance, Paul and Otto turning 'Nazi
vigilante' at the end)

were preposterous. The book also has what I have come to consider JD's trademarks: sloppy continuity errors. The only character I really liked was Willi Kohl.
I apologise for it but I do admit to being a literature snob and this was just so very... ordinary. Like JD's others, it's the male equivalent to Chick Lit. (Dick Lit.?) and it doesn't satisfy me.
It's just an airport thriller.

[Matt_13]

I've been reflecting on GoB for the last couple of weeks and I do admit that it IS rather standard, right up to the first line of the novel (which coincidentally bothered me from the outset and almost kept me from making the purchase at the bookstore). I've come to the conclusion that GoB is a fine piece of pulp fluff, effectively written but with plot and character issues. Willi Kohl is most certainly the most well rounded character in the book, and even "well rounded" is a stretch. Maybe I like him because he seems to be the only one around who doesn't suffer from impulse management issues. Either way, there are far worse thrillers out there and GoB, while it does very little to make itself stand out amongst them, is effective enough for me to have moderately enjoyed. I still maintain that Paul going Rambo towards the end was quite fun. Maybe if the narrative hadn't kept such a straight face through the proceedings it would have been more effective? Who knows, sorry you weren't a huge fan, Santa, but really I don't blame you. I still think he'll do a competent (even superior) Bond novel. The template is set, and his style (in terms of sheer language to ensure audience understanding) is very good, I cannot wait to what comes of it.

[DAN LIGHTER]

Well, I ploughed through Garden of Beasts and was disappointed to find it didn't keep me up into the night, not even a little bit. As with the other JD books I've read, the trademark 'plot twists' were completely obvious, some elements of the story

Spoiler

(the bits others have mentioned particularly, such as the fight outside the bookshop, the romance, Paul and Otto turning 'Nazi
vigilante' at the end)

were preposterous. The book also has what I have come to consider JD's trademarks: sloppy continuity errors. The only character I really liked was Willi Kohl.
I apologise for it but I do admit to being a literature snob and this was just so very... ordinary. Like JD's others, it's the male equivalent to Chick Lit. (Dick Lit.?) and it doesn't satisfy me.
It's just an airport thriller.

You snob Santa!

Which other Deaver books have you read Santa? I have only done "Garden of Beasts" and "A Maidens Grave" so far. The later being gripping and very enjoyable.

[Santa]

Well, I ploughed through Garden of Beasts and was disappointed to find it didn't keep me up into the night, not even a little bit. As with the other JD books I've read, the trademark 'plot twists' were completely obvious, some elements of the story

Spoiler

(the bits others have mentioned particularly, such as the fight outside the bookshop, the romance, Paul and Otto turning 'Nazi
vigilante' at the end)

were preposterous. The book also has what I have come to consider JD's trademarks: sloppy continuity errors. The only character I really liked was Willi Kohl.
I apologise for it but I do admit to being a literature snob and this was just so very... ordinary. Like JD's others, it's the male equivalent to Chick Lit. (Dick Lit.?) and it doesn't satisfy me.
It's just an airport thriller.

You snob Santa!

Which other Deaver books have you read Santa? I have only done "Garden of Beasts" and "A Maidens Grave" so far. The later being gripping and very enjoyable.

The Sleeping Doll and I can't remember the name of the other one. Yes, it was that bland.
All seriously average stuff.

[godwulf]

I don't believe that I've ever encountered any book with as pronounced a contrast in pacing, between its first and second halves; it was quite literally like a different author had picked up the story midway.

Most days, about the only free time that I have for leisure reading is after I've gone to bed, and, with GoB's first half, it was all I could do to struggle through a few pages - at most a chapter - before I was bored and called it a night. I even took a break from it completely, at one point, and read another book (A Breed Apart, by Pierre Davis - excellent!). It ended up taking me nearly a month to get to the halfway mark, and if it hadn't been a soon-to-be Bond novelist's work, I might well have just ditched it, in the end. Really glad I didn't.

A bit more than halfway through, as Paul is preparing to finally do the deed, this book suddenly becomes electric. I found myself staying up till 1 a.m., reading "just one more chapter", and then another, and I think I read the last half in just three days.

My concerns about certain plot elements are minor, and are pretty much the same ones mentioned by previous posters - in particular,

Spoiler

Kathe's reappearance at the end, which I found completely inexplicable.

One side-effect of having read this book is that I'm now interested in doing some non-fiction reading about Hitler and his cronies - their rise to power, etc. Quite honestly, the Second World War has never interested me all that much, but reading GoB has made me want to know more.

[terminus]

I'm finding it interesting that everyone is having pretty much the same basic problem areas - hopefully when we move onto next months selection, we'll be able to see if these recur across the bredth of his work.

Hopping back onto the bandwagon of reading GoB now as have a lovely paperback copy. It's personal preference, but I love paperback copies in contrast to hardcovers.

[godwulf]

I bought the paperback copy (by mail order from an abe.com seller) that has the little Bondesque silhouette, and that's the copy that I had JD sign when he was here. The bookstore where he spoke and signed also has a huge selection of older, signed hardcover editions, and I was fortunate enough to find, not a First, but an earlier, signed hardcover of Garden, and got it for cover price.

[terminus]

Awesome. I've ended up with the version with the brass lion's head on the cover.

[terminus]

Now that I've got a paperback, I'm moving through this with more speed. I can read it on the bus or in the car (I don't drive, my partner does) and it's not as bulky as the hardback to lug around.

Really enjoying it so far - not so keen on the sudden appearance of Otto, which seems far far too much of a coincidence.

[terminus]

Almost finished - and still really enjoying it. Yes, there are the obvious problems that other people have pointed out - such as Paul putting himself into the public eye by throwing himself into a relationship with Kathe and going out on a date with her. That said, it's the only major problem that I have with the novel - even the fight outside the bookshop (which seemed an incredibly stupid maneuvere) didn't irk me as much as the relationship.

The subplot with the two brothers didn't seem to lead anywhere - but I've not got much past their arrest so something might come of it in the next few pages.

All in all, I'd say we're in safe hands with Deaver handling Project X.

[godwulf]

The subplot with the two brothers didn't seem to lead anywhere - but I've not got much past their arrest so something might come of it in the next few pages.

As you no doubt have discovered by now, the subplot with the brothers was designed - at least this is my thinking - to set up possibly the biggest plot twist in the entire book:

Spoiler

throughout most of it, we're led to have a certain degree of sympathy for Reinhard Ernst, and to think of him as a pretty nice guy; yes, he's working for Hitler, for chrissakes, but I mean he loves his grandson and the rest of his family, and he's mostly presented to be just a man caught up in the mad plans of others - trying to get by, do his duty; all in all, a fairly decent and honorable human being. Then we discover, with a shock, that he's really as big a crazy, evil f*** as any of the rest.

[terminus]

Yeah, I kinda suspected that plot twist was coming - but didn't think the subplot of the brothers was going to factor in. Not read much more, had a birthday party to go to last night and not had any time to do more reading today - about to pick it up and read the rest now.

[terminus]

And I've eventually finished the novel - onwards onto The Sleeping Doll. Have to say, it was a good novel, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I didn't seem to have the major problems that other posters had.