Rating: 
Summary: plausible and entertaining, if somewhat plodding
Review: Perhaps more true to the facts of the film than the facts of history, Michael Walsh does a good job of tying up loose ends and presenting a plausible storyline to continue the classic WWII era film. Walsh did his homework in analyzing the details of Rick, Ilsa, Renault and Victor Lazlo's pasts, and I don't think the blame for his inability to really pin down their personalities can be laid entirely at his doorstep - after all, the script of the film had been worked on by many different hands, the characters themselves were inconsistent in the film (which actually contributed a sense of realism), and much of the characters' backgrounds and motivations were left to the viewer's imagination. The book involves an assassinatin plot on famous Nazi Reinhard Heidrich, who is tall, slender, handsome, and elegant in this fiction, unlike the wide-hipped large-bottomed homely Heidrich of historical reality. And while Walsh casts him as a Hitler admirer, historically it is probably more accurate to say that Heidrich resented the Feuhrer, viewing himself as more qualified to lead the nation. There is some speculation that Hitler felt Heidrich a threat, and in fact Heidrich's widow swears that he was recovering nicely from the bombing, when Hitler put him in the care of his private physician, followed shortly thereafter by Heidrich's death. All this aside, 'though, the book is an entertaining read (if not exactly a page-burner) for those who long for another story with the familiar cast and crew of one of the most beloved films of all time.
Rating: 
Summary: All nay sayers...
Review: Please do yourselves a favor and LISTEN to this book on tape. I'll guarantee your opinion of As Time Goes By WILL change (and perhaps earn Walsh more well deserved stars). Herrmann and Redgrave do a fantastic job with the characters of this terrific story. They put so much life into the characters of this novel, you'll swear you're watching the rest of the movie. I enjoyed this book very, very much and began listening right after TCMs Christmas showing of Casablanca in Dec. of '04.
Thanks Michael, Edward, Lynn, and the producers of this fantastic book on tape. A job well done!
Rating: 
Summary: End of a beautiful friendship
Review: This book is similar to the first fifteen minutes of "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," in which all of Indy's quirks are explained down to the scar on his chin. Only in this case, it's not funny, or even fun. Walsh gets the characters' flaws correct, but completely misses their strengths -- especially Renault and Victor Laszlo, who seem to be completely different people here. He also removes the nobility from both Rick and Ilsa, making their sacrifices vain in both senses of the word.
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