Jackdaws

Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: Not nearly "Pillars of the Earth" but then again, few books are. A good but and worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: The Dirty Dozen meets The Steel Magnolias
Review: Not Ken Follet's best effort. This book is basically a feminine reincarnation of The Dirty Dozen updated for political correctness. It's a triple dip: strong woman versus evil man, politicians who are bigots and liars, and the drag queen with inner strength and beauty. Then, throw in some romantic tension...boy and girl, that girl and her husband, her husband and another girl, girl and girl, and the Nazi and the sweet hooker. There are enough gays, lesbians and affairs in this book to keep Jerry Springer in material for a month. I'm a Ken Follet fan but this one just doesn't measure up. I felt as though the author was being condescending.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I really looked forward to getting this book. I waited till my library had the unabridged audiobook and listened to it as soon as I checked it out. What a disappointment. I've enjoyed a lot of Follett's novels but not this one, I think because I didn't like any of the main characters. The shallow romance and detailed torture scenes weren't enjoyable for me at all. I enjoyed the descriptions of the Jackdaws but guess what happened to most of them. I guess I don't really enjoy reading such stark reality--I get enough of that on the news.

Rating:
Summary: What a great book!
Review: Although it is not the best one I read by FOllett, I must give 4.5 stars. Some reviewers say that you know from the start what the ending is like, i must disagree. You may know from the beginning what the mission is going to be, but you will certainly be surprised by the twists in the story, and you will not go to sleep until you finish it.

Rating:
Summary: Would 'a, Could 'a, Should 'a
Review: Sometimes actors just lend their name to a project. I'm certain you've shared that experience where you are watching someone on the screen just "go through the motions" and you say, 'he/she 's just "mailing it in."

That's what Mr. Follett does in this novel. He just mails it in. His dialogue, normally witty and insightful, is boring and superficial. The emotions make no sense. Speaking of the six women in "Jackdaws," Follett writes "the giggling stopped as they remembered the danger they would face." The giggling?

Here's another. Follett describes one of the Nazi, Gestapo, SS Field Grade officers, formerly painted as virtually the devil incarnate, as replying 'grumpily' to a question. The Nazi officer in charge of torturing civilians was grumpy?

This has all the earmarks of a movie made with a minimal budget starring all of the actors from the '60's.

I like the plot. I like the 'one man [or one woman] might get through' premise.' Us against them. Horatio at the bridge. What I don't understand is the need to force feed political correctness down our throats at every level. It's 1944! The world literally hung in the balance. Yet Mr. Follett lectures us that 'transvestites can be brave,' 'fat, older women can be sabotuers,' and 'love between lesbians is, well, cool.'

All of this is true, I guess. I just can't imagine why Mr. Follett uses the platform of the French Resistance on the eve of the invasion of Normandy to remind us. No. Bombard us. We're in the "drama" section of the bookstore. Diversity; Self-Help; Emotional conflict resolution. They're in the other part of the store. I'm not putting those issues down or making light of them. I'm just asking, what are you writing about?

Finally, all of this would be more palatable if this were an early effort. But if you read "Eye of the Needle" or "The Man from St. Petersburg," you're going to be sorely disappointed. If you read "Pillars of the Earth," one of the best novels written in the last 25 years on anyone's list, you're going to be out and out angry.

Come on Ken, we made you what you are today. We deserve better than Jackdaws.

Rating:
Summary: Follett Alive Again
Review: You will not put this book down. The book ranks right up there with his other great books; not all his books are in the top tier, but this one is. If you like Follett then you will like this book. The plot is as stated by all the other reviews so I will not restate the plot, but the read is as good as it gets.

Rating:
Summary: enjoy reading about the resistance
Review: as usual Ken Follett delivers a great story. I especially enjoyed the fact that women played a great part this time--and not the barbie, bimbo, or subservant wife types.

Rating:
Summary: Jackdaws
Review: Normally I adore a thriller set in France in World War II, but so much of the dialog and the actions in which the characters engage is inappropriate for the era. It feels like this should have been set in the last thirty years rather than sixty years ago. There is more focus on sexual tension than necessary to advance the plot, and the graphic description of sexual sadism is nauseating. I cannot recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Making The Most Of A Second Chance.
Review: After participating in one failed operation, Major Felicite Clairet of the Special Operations Executive returns to France to blow up a heavily-guarded telephone exchange just before the allied invasion in June, 1944. The team she leads will impersonate a crew of cleaning ladies in order to gain access to the building.

It is possible to view the story as being about a duel between the strong-willed Felicity and a cruel, fanatical German Army officer named Major Dieter Franck. Even though we know the British wonder woman will probably defeat the German superman, there is still enough suspense to keep us interested until the outcome is certain.

Follett is a trained journalist who is an excellent writer. He is also a skilled storyteller and he seems to be at his best when spinning yarns about World War II.

The book was supposedly inspired by the example of Pearl Witherington, a British courier who was recommended for a Military Cross for her wartime exploits.

Rating:
Summary: Like his other books, only more so
Review: Follett is no wordsmith, but he is a talented storyteller. The major characters show modest character development, but the reader can empathize with them quite easily. If you liked "Eye of the Needle" this is definitely worth the read. The book is suspenseful in the same fashion, but the key difference: instead of the good guy chasing the bad guy to prevent a horrible incident, it's the bad guy chasing the good guy. The book is a breeze to read and was very enjoyable. If you are not familiar w/ Follett, he writes in the fashion of Grisham and Crichton - an action screenplay loosely disguised as a novel. As for the "sex" in the book, it did not disrupt the plot, and was not out of the ordinary for this type of "bestseller." The Modigliani Scandal, by Follett, was more graphic, and that book was written over 15 years ago.