Rating: 
Summary: good book
Review: Kanon took one of the most interesting and fascinating event in modern american history and put a mystery in it, and then put a love story in that (which was probably the weakest sub-plot of the book). but i'd say it was more of an espionage story. kanon did an excellent job.
Rating: 
Summary: Los Alamos: A Novel
Review: This is a great read. I found it hard to put down. Mr. Kanon must have done a lot of research to bring this fascinating period of history to life. I found it like a visit to New Mexico in 1945. Especially the pages on Chaco Canyon's Anasazi ruins. I am looking forward to Mr. Kanon's next book, The Prodigal Spy and the novels to follow.
Rating: 
Summary: a chore to finish reading
Review: What a great idea for a book --- a murder mystery that takes place during the Second World War at the secret Los Alamos lab where the atomic bomb was developed and includes famous physicists in its plot. Too bad it fell apart so completely that my only motive for completing the book was to see if its plot was as lame as I suspected. Alas, it was. The author relies on the "idiot plot," with the main character behaving like a dunce solely to advance the story and prevent a premature conclusion. Why waste time on a book where you can guess who dunnit simply by the introductory description of a character? Furthermore, the moralizing in the book is superficial and serves only to fill pages up with words.
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother with this book
Review: This book was a major disappointment. The character development was poor (there were only a few main characters, and I didn't feel for any of them) and the story didn't even draw me in until the final 40 pages. In fact, I had to force myself to read the whole thing. About the only thing good with this book was that it piqued my interest in the Manhattan Project and General Groves who ran it - for that a non-fiction book is far superior.
Rating:
Summary: Kept Waiting For the Climax
Review: Upon reading all the reviews of this book on the inside cover and first couple pages, I figured I had a fantastic book in my hands, and couldn't wait to finish the one I was reading to get started on it. The premise seemed original, and the critics comments were outstanding. However, I must say I am slightly disappointed in not getting as much out of it as I thought I would. It just seemed like it never really hit full stride. It was entertaining but at times moved rather slowly; I charged ahead enthusiastically though in anticipation of an explosive (no pun intended!)ending. Aside from the obvious event, it never really happened. I also must say that that callous feelings our hero and heroin seemed to have about infidelity bothered me throughout. If this rating system had 1/2 stars, I would have given it 3-1/2.
Rating:
Summary: Horrible Horrible Writing
Review: This was the worst book I have read in a long long time. The writing was full off cliches that were like one liners in a bar. The unnessessary love scene was not even written well. It was like a teenager describing sex for the first time. The only reason I finished was to see who did what. Even after you find out, the book continues to drag on after. To much time was spent trying to set up the back ground and the chemistry between Connelly and Emma. From the get go this was a horrible trash pulp novel. And Like a cherry on the top I even found a typo. Go figure from a printing executive.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating mixture of fact and fiction!!!!
Review: Great book. If you enjoy any type of mystery or any historical fiction, read this book. I can't wait to read Kanon's next book, The Prodigal Spy. Truly a joy to read!!!
Rating:
Summary: You'll Also Want To Know About...
Review: Amazon's "similar subject" links are useful; they will lead you, for example, to the fine novel titled "Principles of American Nuclear Chemistry". And you should also check the IMDB, under Plot Keyword "nuclear-weapons", for films (good and bad) about passions in that time and place, such as "Desert Bloom", "Eternity", "Fat Man and Little Boy", "Mulholland Falls", and of course, "Oppenheimer".But the closest novel of all, in terms of the the narrator's role and voice, the literary quality, and the moral issues is "Who?" by Algis Budrys. Ignore the sci-fi cover art (and the Canadian movie); just remember what Kanon has Oppie say several times: "What a man's faith is, he is."
Rating:
Summary: This is a fabulous, wonderful book
Review: A great read both for the flavor of the time and place and these incredible people who learned so much. All the fear and paranoia is here as is the passion of the time. After reading Cold Mountain I thought It might be a year before I read another truly wonderful book. What a treat. If you read one book this month, read Cold Mountain. If you read two, also read this book.
Rating:
Summary: The best book of the many I've read this year.
Review: Joseph Kanon's Los Alamos is a brilliant piece of literature. When it was assigned for my mystery class, I was very dubious, as I don't usually read historicals. However, once I began reading, I became completely engrossed in the lives of the characters. I found myself rationing the chapters so that I wouldn't finish it too soon! The setting is so well-drawn that I could picture it vividly, and the characters are so interesting that I wanted to know more about them. After finishing the book, I was even motivated to read a biography of Robert Oppenheimer, who was one of the many historical figures in the book. Los Alamos - a book that instructs but above all entertains. Highly recommended.
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