The Road to Gandolfo

Rating:
Summary: A sensational read!
Review: My late father had given me a paperback copy of this book once he'd read it and told me that I'd enjoy it. It sat for TWENTY YEARS and I finally picked it up and started reading it about a week ago -- Dear God, I so wish that I'd read it when he was alive, it's HYSTERICALLY funny and moves as fast as any book I've ever read, it's tremendous fun, manic action and really tight writing. I understand his other books are a bit stuffy, but this is an absolute delight, I can't wait to read "The Road to Omaha," which I just ordered! How is it that this book has never been made into a movie?

Rating:
Summary: Extremely entertaining if you like something different!
Review: Originally published under the pseudonym MICHAEL SHEPHERD until Robert Ludlum became well-known, this story concerns a disgraced general Mackenzie Hawkins, aka THE HAWK, who is kicked out of the Army for defacing a national monument in Peking, and also exercising his bodily functions in an inappropriate location! I won't say any more . . . Anyway, he sets up a business and hatches an audacious plan to kidnap the Pope and hold him to ransom - for a dollar from every Catholic in the world! Not only that, his adversary Sam Devereaux is on his tail - and the Hawk's ex-wives are after Sam across Europe, America and Africa! And when the kidnap goes wrong, the results are hilarious. I won't say any more but you just have got to read this, you will not be disappointed! Intrigue and action combine oddly and well with satire, wit and farcical humour.

Rating:
Summary: Road to Gandolfo paved with un-Ludlumesque laughs
Review: Robert Ludlum may be known for hard-hitting espionage and national-security thrillers, but when he hit The Road to Gandolfo, something must have tickled his funny bone. Honestly, this is one of the best books I've ever read. And the scary thing is, if things had been tweaked the other way, this would have been a classic Ludlum thriller. A tight plot, wonderfully developed characters--especially Hawkins' Harem--and raw unpredictability will make you ask "who is this guy and what did he do with Robert Ludlum?"

Rating:
Summary: A different side of Ludlum
Review: Robert Ludlum takes a stab at comedy and comes away successful. The Hawk is a wildly entertaining character. This is a quick and quality read. The ending is a little lame, but most Ludlum endings are far fetched, so this is par for the course.

Rating:
Summary: This book had me sobbing with laughter!
Review: The sheer audacity of Hawk's plot to kidnap the Pope (with Sam's reluctant assistance) leaves you breathless with laughter. Don't read this one in public - people look at you strangely!

Rating:
Summary: an all time favorite
Review: This book is one of my all time favorites. It is humorous from the beginning to the end. I had read it back in the 80's when it was published under his pen name, and just recently picked it up again. It's just way too funny! Anyone who enjoys Ludlum should read this, as it shows another side to the writer.

Rating:
Summary: A terrific parody!
Review: This book is one of my favorite depression relievers and a laugh riot from start to finish. For all Ludlum fans, if you are hooked on his customary fare of high voltage suspense and international shenanigans, with events moving at blinding speed, then this book may not be for you. The Road to Gandolfo was written by him before his thrillers became a class of their own and is as different from them as apples from oranges. Yes, there are international goings-on and plenty of war-gaming, strategy and tactics in pursuit of an incredible objective - the kidnapping of the Pope himself!. Yet this is no espionage thriller; rather this book is a terrific parody of the genre. From the fast paced beginning to the charming almost pastoral close, Ludlum spares nobody: the Army, the bureaucrats, the Mafia, the corporate world, lawyers, terrorists, all feel the bite of his wit. The characters too are well drawn: the autocratic Hawk, his four incredible wives, the bumbling Sam Deveraux and a wonderfully human Pope reminiscent of John XXIII all come to full life. A great fun read for the vacations or whenever you want to relax with a light read. A most enjoyable book!

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: This book was a pleasant diversion for a quiet weekend. Completely entertaining and completely different from the other Robert Ludlum books I've read.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and enjoyable
Review: This book was a very pleasant surprise. It's not the usual Robert Ludlum but instead a light entertaining read. The characters are funny but lean towards unrealistic. It is very difficult to believe that the characters can maintain the same forceful personalities throughout the entire book throughout all circumstances. It ended nicely without a rushed feeling and also avoiding seeming like all the ends got tied up in the last chapter. A very readable book even though it lacked the fast pace and did not have the level of suspense of other Ludlum books.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and enjoyable
Review: This book was a very pleasant surprise. It's not the usual Robert Ludlum but instead a light entertaining read. The characters are funny but lean towards unrealistic. It is very difficult to believe that the characters can maintain the same forceful personalities throughout the entire book throughout all circumstances. It ended nicely without a rushed feeling and also avoiding seeming like all the ends got tied up in the last chapter. A very readable book even though it lacked the fast pace and did not have the level of suspense of other Ludlum books.