Rating: 
Summary: up county
Review: I hav read many Nesion Demille novels and I have enjoyed them. However, after reading this novel I quite frankly felt he should be sending me a psyic fee for reading/listening to his drama of Viet Nam. Prior to this novel I would buy anything with his name attached to it/ after Up county I will at least read the first chapter before making my decison of purchase. . All I can say is Nelson get over it and get a Life. I really don't want to hear about your past life and your ego. Who do you think you are St Woods?- I quite frank ly feel think you shoud send me a check for my wasted time - I contined to read the novel hoping it would deveolp into something worthwide but it did not. I would not recommend this novel to anyone- except those with little brain cells
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic!
Review: This book was terrific! As several reviewers have noted, the jacket indicates this is a murder mystery; it isn't, not predominantly. It is more of a suspense/espionage thriller, with less action and more betrayal than typical. More even than that, the book explains the Vietnam experience in a realistic, non-preachy way, while staying more than interesting enough for those of us young enough not to be able to appreciate the Vietnam experience to still find compelling. Mr. Demille still has to improve upon grammatical errors (none calls for a singular, not plural, verb; a few split infinitives), but the story is fantastic. Some reviewers have complained that it is slow going at times, that Demille strolls down memory lane too often, but it is almost always done in an effort to give the reader some context for the emotions of the protagonist. I'm not sure I'd want to read this book if I had served in Vietnam, but having been fortunate enough to have avoided that war, I enjoyed this book enormously.
Rating:
Summary: Addendum to Don Ellis' review
Review: Don Ellis' review of Jan 31, 2002 is so right on, I think I'll merely post comments in addition to his. I highly encourage you to read his review of this book. I just finished the paperback version, around 850 pages. Contrary to Ellis, but similar to his conclusions, I would guess we have a 300 page plot with 550 pages of travelogue and personal reminiscence about the Vietnam War. However, I still found the book fascinating, plus the side benefit of learning a lot about the Vietnam War. I never served there, because of a high draft number and college, so over the years a lot of the war history (and place names) I simply forgot about. The plot is basically a thin shell for the dialogue and travelogue of Vietnam with personal commentary of the war. A letter has been discovered, written by a North Vietnamese soldier, telling his Vietnamese brother about a murder he witnessed during the war. The CID wants Paul Brenner, whom you'll remember from The General's Daughter (John Travolta played him in the movie version), now a retired investigator, to go to the communist country undercover, just vacation and travel around a week in case the government is following him, then go to a village they'll give him after he's been there a week and see if he can determine if this soldier is still alive or dead. If dead, provide proof (such as a picture of a cemetary marker), but if alive, get any souvenirs of the deceased soldier he might have, and possibly assassinate him. So given this scanty information, Paul surmises there's more to it than this, but out of boredom, patriotic duty, or whatever, he decides to get involved. You won't learn a whole lot more than this, except for the name and location of the village he might find this witness, until page 696 of the paperback. However, as thin as this plot is the book is certainly not boring. If you like DeMille's witty and cynical dialogue in his other books (I do), there's plenty of it here. And as Don Ellis wrote about his DeMille credentials: my favorite DeMille book is Charm School. I also loved Plum Island and The Lion's Game. Didn't much care for Spencerville and was somewhat mixed in my opinion about Gold Coast. This one I liked a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Long, Tedious, Unbelievable and Boring
Review: This book is over 800 pages of turgid prose and a boring yet unbelievable plot. Absolutely one of the worst books I have ever read. Don't waste your time or money on this one.
Rating:
Summary: The musings of a smart aleck
Review: I just started reading Nelson DeMille several months ago and started with "Up Country." Strictly on a lark - probably based on someone's review. I am always looking for entertainment that will give me a break from the tensions of everyday life, and like many people of my generation (Nelson DeMille is about my age), I still find great enjoyment in a good read. Let me put it this way: "Up Country" was so entertaining that I ended up buying everyone of DeMille's books - just finished reading "Mayday" - and read them in reverse chronological order. "Up Country" re-introduces Chief Warrant Officer Paul Brenner, one of my favorite characters in the mystery/ adventure genre. To be sure, I have a hard time deciding which of DeMille's major characters, US Army CID Chief Warrant Officer Paul Brenner, Attorney John Sutter, or NYPD homicide cop John Corey is the most likely to be true to DeMille's persona, maybe a bit of each, but I find them all utterly delightful. Their musings sound like DeMille's self-talk -- there is no way he could be making this stuff up -- and are funny, insightful, and give the novels a polish that I have not seen in a while. It is rare for me to crack-up while reading a mystery novel, but with DeMille's Brenner, Sutter, and Corey, I find myself howling with laughter. Whether you identify with Vietnam era issues or not, "Up Country" will teach you, will entertain you, and will take you on a trip unlike any other you ever taken before. Having read all DeMille's books recently, I can see this marvelous writer's evolution both in terms of style and depth. I don't usually rave about books, but "Up Country" is one of the best things I have read in the genre in a long, long time. My only complaint: I have no more new Nelson DeMille books to read. Together with millions of fans, I am waiting with anticipation the new Corey novel DeMille promised us for the Spring of 2004.
Rating:
Summary: Thumbs Up
Review: Up Country is the product of one of the best professional fiction writers of our time. The prose is flawless. The research is overwhelming. The characters are full and compelling. All the required plot elements are there. This is a 5-star slam dunk. But will you enjoy it? Retired chief warrant officer Paul Brenner (of The General's Daughter fame) is lured back to active duty by his former commanding officer in the Army's Criminal Investigation Division to crack a 30-year-old murder case. During the Vietnam War, a letter written by a North Vietnamese soldier describing the murder of an American lieutenant by a captain is found on the dead body of the addressee, the Vietnamese soldier's brother, killed in action. Brenner is given only dribbles of information about why the letter only now comes forward and who the suspect captain is. His assignment is purportedly only to locate the letter's author in Vietnam--if alive--and gather what information is available. It is clear, however, that national security is at risk, requiring Brenner's special talents. Upon entering communist Vietnam, Brenner immediately comes under the scrutiny of one Colonel Mang, a wily and worthy adversary. Brenner joins forces with expatriate Susan Weber, a predictably luscious businesswoman, and heads "up country" to locate the letter's author in a remote village and solve the mystery. Mang is, rightfully, suspicious and makes the going tough for the American pair and their (of course) blossoming romance. Naturally, there is more to virtually every aspect of the story than at first glance. Who is Susan Weber, and why is she so ' accommodating? Who is the murderer, why doesn't the army know his identity, and why is the case reopening now? What does Mang know or suspect? What is Brenner's true objective--and will he like it when he figures it out? DeMille's "Up Country" quickly evolves from a standard mystery novel to a sophisticated and well-written international spy thriller that includes one of the best and most thorough descriptions of a foreign country in fiction I've ever read. Despite all this, the book may fail to entertain. The underlying plot--though excellently rendered--is rather pedestrian. Correct assumptions can easily be made early in the book about the murderer, Weber's role, and the case's sudden reemergence. Also, once up country, the story takes a hard turn away from plot development. DeMille devotes hundred of pages to a Michener-like essay on the history, culture, and present status of Vietnam. Vietnam vet Brenner's visit is meant to be a cathartic event, but is so overdone with what I'd oxymoronically call "gratuitous professionalism" that it becomes clear to the reader that the author himself is exorcising his own war demons. This is done so well, that I imagine most Vietnam vets will find "Up Country" to be the best book they've ever read. For others less interested in Vietnam, suspension of disbelief is interrupted and the geography lesson gets a bit long. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Big Ice
Rating: 
Summary: Unconventional Mystery
Review: My last encounter with DeMille was with The Lion's Game, a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat type of work that left me trying to catch my breath by the end. Up Country is a very different type of book, and it is very evident that DeMille has actively put himself in the shoes of Paul Brenner. The result is a tale that is personal and has an unusually intense focus on the two main characters: Brenner and the mysterious Susan Weber. In fact, the vast majority of the book--including the 500-some pages between the first and second encounter between Brenner and the persistent Colonel Mang--consists almost purely of travel commentary with very little to do with actually solving the crime at hand. As someone who is too young to have been around for the Vietnam War, this travelogue was interesting, although at times I wished DeMille would just get on with it. A further departure from the typical elements of the genre was the ending, which was fairly ambiguous and left it up to the reader to create an ending. The absence of a "happily ever after" ending was a nice change from the norm and sets up interesting possibilities for some kind of sequel. Overall, Up Country was a very enjoyable book even if it was slightly unconventional. Plodding and methodical at times, but the periods of action and confrontation were unforgettable. The realities of war and lingering feelings in a country halfway around the world are subjects relevant now more than ever.
Rating:
Summary: Journey through Vietnam
Review: I love the 1st person narrative style of this book and the two main characters are awesome. We take this journey right along with Brenner, and there is never a dull moment. Nelson Demille is a great writer and this is one his best books.
Rating:
Summary: Demille just gets better
Review: Nelson DeMille gets better as he goes along. By now I have read most of his books and I have not been disappointed. Sure, some of his stories are better written than others, and I prefer his first person narrative to the omnipresent third person he has used in some of his novels. "Up Country" is a great book with a lead character of my own age who is self-deprecating and fully conscious of his own limitations. Although I am a Brit who didn't serve in Vietnam, I can fully appreciate what was going through Paul Brenner's mind as he was fulfilling his quest "Up Country". The book is a thick book of over 800 pages, but I don't feel that Demille is padding his story. Infact it could have been even longer and I would have still enjoyed the book. The story concerns Warrant Officer Paul Brenner's quest to find the observer of a murder that took place 30 years earlier, during the Tet offensive. To help him along, Brenner is aided by Susan Weber, a beautiful, but flawed character, in her own right. The outcome is an interesting indictment of this day and age. The key to Demille's works are his strong characters who are not burdened by perfection, and a plausible plot. If a movie comes out based on this book, with John Travolta reprising his role as Paul Brenner (from The General's Daughter), I will be one of the first to see it. Invest the twelve hours it takes to read this book. You will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: This Took Me Back
Review: This is my first Nelson Demille book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Frankly, I've read stronger plots and story lines but I must say that, having been there as a young soldier many years ago, I could see the places that Paul Brenner was visiting, Cu Chi, Saigon, Bong Son, Hue, the A Shau Valley and Khe Sanh. He was walking on the remnants of my boot prints. Excellent reading and a must if you have seen the elephant In Country. Thank you, Nelson. Sua Sponte.
| 
