Up Country

Rating:
Summary: Way Up Country
Review: I have read many of Nelson DeMilles novels and have enjoyed them immensley for their intrigue, characters and settings. This one was different.

I bought the paperback in Dusseldorf, Germany, to read on the flight home. Over 800 pages...bit of a tome.

I have not read "The General's Daughter", where the central character, Paul Brenner, originated. I didn't need to. Brenner's character is well defined in this book.

I understand why some people might think that the book bogs down in places. When you've been through a DeMille novel, like "Plum Island", or "Lion's Game", you develop a certain expectation for swiftly moving adventure and deft plot twists. A quick read, a great story, and possibly something to think about.

That is not the case with "Up Country". It's a long read, a great story, and a lot to think about.

I think that in this novel DeMille vetted his views on the political, cultural, economic and social impact of the war we fought in Vietnam. The detail of Brenner's trip back to Vietnam,
his insights about the places he'd been, the battles he'd fought, and the battles he's still wondering about, are richly described.

Those descriptions are the meat of this fascinating novel.

DeMille doesn't really need Susan or Colonel Mang to make this story interesting. In a way, they kind of both detract from the realism in his descriptions of Vietnam today.

I was left with food for thought, and not caring so much about the characters. But I like food for thought in a novel. DeMille delivers bigtime in that category in this one.

I was 9 in 1968, but, our war with the North Vietnamese affected me too. I still have my own questions. DeMille answers a lot of them in this book through the eyes of someone who was there.

"Up Country" is quite a ride.

Rating:
Summary: ...A hump down memory trail
Review: For my tastes, Nelson DeMille writes good books and marginal ones. Thanks to "Up Country" arriving in Hong Kong a month or so before its U.S. release date, I've read the book and thought I would offer a few observations to fans and new readers alike.

"Up Country" is billed in the blurb as a military murder mystery that took place 30 years ago in Vietnam. Paul Brenner, of "General's Daughter" fame, is back, called upon by his old commanding officer to return to Vietnam and investigate the killing of a U.S. lieutenant by his captain during the Tet Offensive.

The reason I say "billed as a murder mystery" is because the action of that plot line takes up only about fifty pages of this 654-page novel. The rest is travelogue, war history and personal reminiscence.

DeMille at his best does description and dialogue well. The fact that Paul Brenner of "Up Country" is indistinguishable in attitude and conversation from John Corey in "The Lion's Game" doesn't detract too much. I like cynical, sarcastic characters, and I suspect that it is DeMille's personality coming through, which makes me like him more. And since the author was in Vietnam at the same time as his protagonist, I'm even more convinced that we're listening to Nelson DeMille strolling down memory lane. That is not necessarily a bad thing if you approach the book from this angle.

What was troublesome for me, having read many of his other books, was turning the pages looking for a little action. Don't hold your breath. It's a travel book - good for those who never served and want to know how it was, or for those who served and never returned but would like to from the comfort of their sofas. But it was a let-down for someone who was there and imagined that when he finally went back it would be by plane rather than by book.

I spent the same time in the same places and saw many of the same paddy fields (they mostly look alike) as Paul Brenner, but rather than experiencing camaraderie with this character, I felt he had taken me hostage for a returning-veterans tour. To paraphrase one of the statements in the book -- Been there. Three times. Done that. Six times - and I hadn't planned on doing it again.

If you'll forget you just read "The Lion's Game" and get in the mood for in-country musings and meanderings, you just may enjoy the trip. After all, the man can still write.

On a nitpicking level, his two main characters are always smiling. They say things followed by: "He smiled." or "She smiled." Smiled, smiled, smiled... but then they're in love, or are they just good enemies? It got a bit old, but that's just personal taste because the author is doing it deliberately. And I noticed that "none" is too often used with a plural verb, as in "None of them are going...."

I like Nelson DeMille and I look forward to his books. And he's certainly allowed to change the pace. But in this case, forwarned would have been forearmed.

So that you can gauge my taste in "DeMilles," I've read "The Charm School" three times, "The Lion's Game" twice, "Word of Honor" twice and enjoyed the "The General's Daughter." Even in a foxhole with nothing else at hand, however, I wouldn't reread "Plum Island" or "Spencerville." "Gold Coast" is somewhere in the middle, now joined by "Up Country."

Rating:
Summary: A good novel and a good read, if not Demille's best.
Review: Nelson DeMille is my favorite novelist, bar none, and I have read every single one of his books, and enjoyed them all. "Up Country" is a good solid read, although it is not his best novel, in my opinion.

In "Up Country" our old friend Chief Warrant Officer Paul Brenner (from "The General's Daughter") comes out of retirement from the Army Criminal Investigation Division to handle an investigation of a 25+ year-old murder. The catch: the murder occurred in Vietnam, at the height of the Tet offensive. This requires Brenner to return to postwar Vietnam, resulting in a nostalgic series of flashbacks as Brenner pursues his investigation while reliving the fighting in the war in which he participated. The ending packs a notable punch, causing this to be a successful novel.

Critics of this novel by and large have noted that it is a lot longer than it needs to be in order to sustain the plot. I agree with this criticism. This novel is almost an excuse for DeMille to tell the stories of the Tet offensive, the Khe Sahn standoff, and other big battles of the Vietnam War. DeMille is a veteran of that war himself, as all of his devoted fans are aware, and Brenner's reliving of various aspects of the conflicts have a stark authenticity that adds a great deal to the novel. Fellow vets will doubtless be intrigued, the rest of us at least interested and entertained. However, it is a fact that this book moves at a very slow pace, without the usual rapidity of most of DeMille's other novels. For DeMille lovers (myself included) this is a plus, for most of us cannot get enough of DeMille's writing. Others may find that the storyline drags in portions of the novel, and lacks the focus and pace that characterizes the best novels (including most of DeMille's).

Brenner is the same wise, sarcastic, and very bright character that we all loved in "The General's Daughter" and this vivid characterization, a DeMille trademark, gets the reader through the slow parts of the story. Overall, "Up Country" does three things. It spins a good yarn, does an excellent job revisiting some aspects of the Vietnam War, and acquaints the reader with certain aspects of the modern Vietnamese nation. Overall a good book, if not necessarily DeMille's best.

Rating:
Summary: I'm already having Nelson DeMille withdrawal.
Review: Every time I read one of Nelson DeMille's books (and I've read every one of his novels, in order, starting with MayDay), I feel like I'm sitting in a movie theatre and a classroom all at the same time. I'm entertained and educated simultaneously; certainly a tribute to the way he integrates his research and life-experience into a work of fiction. DeMille's writing style is wonderful, his characters are witty and Up Country is no exception.

I am grateful for the knowledge of DeMille's time in Vietnam that he imparts to his readers through Paul Brenner's return as a "tourist" to his old battlefields. Brenner's companion in the book, Susan Weber, makes things very interesting for him and us as we travel with them on each stage of their information gathering journey in hopes of solving a 30-year old murder mystery.

This book is well worth the time it takes to read the 700+ pages. I had to restrain myself from reading when I was working and I savored every page when I was lucky enough to carve out some time to read. It was over too soon for me. I will look forward to his next novel.

Rating:
Summary: A Meaningful Experience
Review: It's true, this is not a typical Nelson Demille thriller packed with intrigue, espionage and murder, but it is a fascinating story and obviously a topic that means a great deal to him. Paul Brenner, from The General's Daughter, is back and is called out of retirement to go back to Vietnam to perform a vaguely described mission for his former bosses at CID. As a veteran, Vietnam is the last place in the world he wants to go, however curiosity eventually overcomes his misgivings and he agrees to the mission.

Starting at Saigon, Brenner proceeds to accomplish two missions, one official and the other personal. He makes contact with Susan Weber who is more than she appears. He also relives many moments from the days during the war, exorcising some old demons along the way. From Saigon he heads north, up country, visiting old battlegrounds and lending great insight to us, the reader, into what life was like as an American GI in Vietnam.

I found this book to be a fascinating and informative adventure story. With so much travelling done by Brenner, there is no time for it to become slow and boring. The actual reason for his mission to Vietnam eventually becomes of secondary importance as I got caught up in the country and it's meaning to Brenner. By the end, it really made no difference to me what the final outcome was, I was satisfied by the journey however it turned out.

This book is obviously of special importance to Demille and feels as though it's a kind of homage to Vietnam and the people of both sides who fought there. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, appreciated the humour in which it was told and respect the emotion that it evokes. I fell richer for the experience of having read it.

Rating:
Summary: A good novel and a good read, if not Demille's best.
Review: Nelson DeMille is my favorite novelist, bar none, and I have read every single one of his books, and enjoyed them all. "Up Country" is a good solid read, although it is not his best novel, in my opinion.

In "Up Country" our old friend Chief Warrant Officer Paul Brenner (from "The General's Daughter") comes out of retirement from the Army Criminal Investigation Division to handle an investigation of a 25+ year-old murder. The catch: the murder occurred in Vietnam, at the height of the Tet offensive. This requires Brenner to return to postwar Vietnam, resulting in a nostalgic series of flashbacks as Brenner pursues his investigation while reliving the fighting in the war in which he participated. The ending packs a notable punch, causing this to be a successful novel.

Critics of this novel by and large have noted that it is a lot longer than it needs to be in order to sustain the plot. I agree with this criticism. This novel is almost an excuse for DeMille to tell the stories of the Tet offensive, the Khe Sahn standoff, and other big battles of the Vietnam War. DeMille is a veteran of that war himself, as all of his devoted fans are aware, and Brenner's reliving of various aspects of the conflicts have a stark authenticity that adds a great deal to the novel. Fellow vets will doubtless be intrigued, the rest of us at least interested and entertained. However, it is a fact that this book moves at a very slow pace, without the usual rapidity of most of DeMille's other novels. For DeMille lovers (myself included) this is a plus, for most of us cannot get enough of DeMille's writing. Others may find that the storyline drags in portions of the novel, and lacks the focus and pace that characterizes the best novels (including most of DeMille's).

Brenner is the same wise, sarcastic, and very bright character that we all loved in "The General's Daughter" and this vivid characterization, a DeMille trademark, gets the reader through the slow parts of the story. Overall, "Up Country" does three things. It spins a good yarn, does an excellent job revisiting some aspects of the Vietnam War, and acquaints the reader with certain aspects of the modern Vietnamese nation. Overall a good book, if not necessarily DeMille's best.

Rating:
Summary: 33 Beer and Lao Cai
Review: Won't bother with the aspects of the book that have been reviewed already by other reviewers much more facile than I. What impressed me was that reality of his impression of Vietnam. I have been there twice in recent years and have been in many of the places he describes - he has caught the essence of both urban and rural Vietnam.

And, in contrast to many witers of popular fiction, he gets virtually all of his facts right. The only mistaken factoid is when he calls the Vietnamese beer by the wrong name. The beer is really "33", ba muoi ba (sp?) and is famous for the horrendous hangovers one gets. This has been ascribed to the brewers, lacking satisfactory pasteurizing techniques actually adding some formaldehyde to the beer.

One small cavil. DeMille understates the absolute horror of Lao Cai, the small town that is the railroad terminus on the Vietnam-Chinese border. Lao Cai is the worst crap hole I have ever been in, making Tijuana look like a garden spot. The railroad station is not new (as DeMille says) but a relic of colonial days with the 'Europeans only' waiting room converted to 'International Travellers only'

This book is not a substitute for a trip but is a real impression of the country.

Rating:
Summary: I'd give it 6 stars if I could. Maybe 7.
Review: I've been a longtime fan of Mr DeMille's, and pretty much a new book from him is always a happy time. I'll hit 46 this year, and am old enough to remember Viet Nam, and friends that didn't come back, or came back in pieces. This book hit home in as many ways as it could for someone who isn't a veteran, but remembers the war and the times. Lots of new thoughts, old emotions which haven't surfaced or reared their heads in years, and damned fine writing as always. A total package, new perspectives regardless of age. Dig in, and get overwhelmed.

Rating:
Summary: Up Country
Review: Excellent book. Shows real life politics within both the US Military and US Politics. (Don't EVER turn your back!!). Excellent plot and character development. As a navy Vietnam Vet (kindof!), I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Eagerly await the next!! Bob KNOTTS, PHCM, USN, Ret.

Rating:
Summary: Nonstop intrigue
Review: There is something for everyone in this book. From the exotic locale of Vietnam to the richly woven plot supported by outstanding character development, readers will find they don't want to put this book down. It simply grabs you, and won't let you go.
DeMille is able to strike a balance between the facinating story of Vietnam today, and yesterday, and of the lives and ways of life, that were destroyed by thirty years of war, and the interactions of his primary characters, Paul Brenner and Susan Weber. As a returning Vietnam vet on a criminal investigation mission, he meets the sensual Ms. Weber in Saigon (oops...Ho Chi Minh City), and one might as well be lighting a match to kerosene.....
As they attempt to unravel a mystery of more than 30 years, they must also try to unravel their own pasts, present, and future. And that isn't easy when, as Paul Brenner notes, they are prone to "lover's fights when one person wants to kill someone and the other doesn't". That sums up their relationship rather nicely, I think.
Get this book and read it. You won't be disappointed.