The Charm School

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read!
Review: "The Charm School" is one of the BEST books I've ever read in my life! I've read over 500 spy novels, and at least 300 mysteries - Nelson DeMille has the ability to capture the reader from the first line of this book where he involves the reader DIRECTLY in the action, as well as elicit a multitude of emotions from the reader, based on the reader's personal experiences and what the reader can imagine, evocatively elicited by DeMille from is readers. The novel occurs during the waning days of The Cold War in Soviet Russia. An American tourist, Gregory Fisher, discovers a dark secret hidden deep in European Russia, which could effectively end Soviet-America relations for years to come. This discovery occurs when Fisher is committing an "intinerary violation," which brings him to the attention of the KGB. Fisher then attempts to relate the information that he uncovered to the American Embassy's Air Force Attache` in Moscow, Sam Hollis, on the very night that the KGB discovered Fisher's intinerary violation. Following that discussion, Fisher is murdered by the KGB, who subsequently tries to make Fisher's death look like an accident. This does not sit well with Hollis, who is trying to help him get to the American Embassy. It also does not sit well with the CIA Station Chief at the American Embassy, Seth Alevy. The woman who took the initial call from Fisher, a State Dept. Liason Officer, Lisa Rhodes, is also involved, as she listened to and recorded the initial call between Fisher and Hollis, and she is familiar with some of the CIA's espionage operations in Moscow; she was the former girlfriend of Alevy, and is soon to become Hollis' girlfriend during the operation to discover the truth behind Fisher's death and the secret Fisher discovered. Both Alevy and Hollis operate together under personal and professional rivalries; their CIA/U.S. Air Force rivalry, as well as their mutual affection for Lisa Rhodes, yet they form an alliance to try and solve Fisher's death, as well as solve the dark secret which Fisher dicovered. As the novel goes through its paces, the tension between the KGB and the joint-American espionage forces escalate to the point where Hollis and Rhodes get their diplomatic privileges revoked and are kicked out of the Soviet Union. This is the point where the tension REALLY hits home with the reader - from here you just need to buy the book, and discover the end of the story, as well as the details which I purposely omitted. One thing that I will say is this - that which I omitted provides a wealth of information concerning how sociological aspects affect each and every one of us (worth the read in itself). You can discover how Nelson DeMille develops his characters and his story in order to appreciate how well he places a reader into one of his novels.And you can experience the overall sense of humanity and justice which DeMille elicits from his readers. Buy ANY of DeMille's books (I've read them all), and simply enjoy as well as feel your own sense of humanity and justice, which is where DeMille takes your heart, mind, and soul!

Rating:
Summary: WHAT A 'CHARM'ER!!!
Review: I have recently become a huge Nelson DeMille fan and in the past two months read ove half his books. 'THE CHARM SCHOOL' is by far DeMille's most gripping read. The action of Mr. DeMille's book is constant throughout the book, which is my only minor criticism of some of his other books. 'THE CHARM SCHOOL' walks the thin line between unrealistic, unbelievable and 'Yes, this really could have happened.' What impressed me the most about this book was Mr. DeMille's ability to draw you into an old sotry (USA vs. USSR) without demonizing either. Instead, he created an intricate web of good guys and bad guys evenly distributed among both sides. He respected the Soviet Union's position and refused to demonize (this is not to say he glorified it). Even better than that the action of this book is amazing. I was so drawn into the finale, which is intricately unwound in a fast pace series of events that last a good 100 pages instead of 10 like so many other 'action/ suspense' books. This is the perfect summer reading book that will hold you attention, tell an old story in a new way, and give you an appreciation for Russian and Soviet Union culture (the old and the communist).

QUITE AMAZING!

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Summary: Airplane consensus
Review: I work in airplanes and I'm always looking to see what people are reading. When I see Nelson DeMille, I ask if it's their first or if they are a fan. For the first time DeMille-ers, I tell them to pick up Charm School. For those that say they are fans, their number one pick is ALWAYS The Charm School. I have to agree! The Charm School had me hooked from the first page and I just couldn't put it down. It's made me a fan of Mr. DeMille's books and I've read them all. The Charm School is still my number one favorite book of his. Read it. You'll be a fan, too!!

Rating:
Summary: A Little Tedious, But A Great Plot
Review: My wife has tried to get me to read books by Nelson DeMille for some time and stated that "The Charm School" was his best. So I decided to give it a shot. The plot of a school in Russia where former American Vietnam War POWs teach Russian spies to become Americans is one of the best plots I've ever seen in adventure/thriller novels. Definitely a plot where you could ask yourself (especially in 1988 when it was written and when US/USSR relations were still fairly cold) "could this happen".

However, DeMille is a tedious author and you have to trudge through pages of mundane discussions about the Russian people, government to get to the meat of the action, which is what interests me. I would guess that DeMille did a fair amount of research on Russia and wanted to incorporate this knowledge where he could. That is fine if the information helps move the plot along.

Overall, it's a good book which could have been 100-150 pages shorter. As I was reading it, I found myself wondering what a master of adventure like Clive Cussler could have done with this excellent plot. A lot more, I suspect.

Rating:
Summary: Cold war classic
Review: There are books that don't age, even if the time circumstances of their stories is long past. "The charm school" is one of those books. This is clearly a product of the Cold War times (close to its end, in fact - circa 1988), but the plot is still compelling and thrilling, after 16 years.

Major Sam Hollis and press atache Lisa Rhodes are two of the hundreds of people working on the US embassy in Moscow. Deceit, provocation, threatening, all this is part of their lives, since the KGB won't take it easy on american personnel working on russian soil. When a young tourist inadvertently walks on the biggest secret of Mother Russia, Hollis and Rhodes are swept in a turmoil that will certainly end in death - unless they outsmart thousands of Komitet employees, and one in special: the unusually violent Colonel Burov.

Maybe DeMille's creation is the definite fictional work on russian-american relations during the final stages of the Cold War. His depiction of Moscow and russian citizens is very vivid. The main characters are memorable, especially the despicable villain, Burov. The final chapters of the book are astonishing, fast paced, chases, ruses - the usual DeMille stuff.

I put "The charm school" along with "Plum island" and "The gols coast" as DeMille's best books.

Grade 9.1/10

Rating:
Summary: Mrs. Johnson's Charmer
Review: This book is absolutely amazing. It is the second book I have read by Demille, and is by far one of the stories I will most recommend to my friends. It is a fantastic page-turner that truly captures the heart and soul of the Russian people and the differences between their perspectives and American attitudes toward life. All of the characters are amazingly believable; the plot also comes across as being extensively researched.

Demille's world of espionage and foreign service comes to life in a manner tha most authors cannot match: this was our world during the Cold War. Mrs. Ivanova's Charm School did not exist that we know of, but the reality of national security policies are exemplified in this fictional account.

After my own experiences in Russia, I highly recommend that you read this book even if your interests only slightly bend in this direction. It is a novel you will want to display on your own shelves to be discussed with friends and family!