Rating: Summary: A ripping good read Review: Delightful, ripping fun. I was quite taken by the action, a lovely bit of potboiler fun. The rippingest thriller read since Craig Furnas's THE SHAPE; and THE PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER caused me to miss part of the World Cup, lovelies! But I wanted to finish the chapter I was on. Bloody amazing, I say.
Rating: Summary: Easy read, good action, sub-par for Higgins Review: As you'll see below, many of us Higgins fans feel disappointed with this one. It doesn't seem like he spent much time writing the story. It is a quick read with plenty of action, if that's all you want. Thin on substance in several areas. Important ones. For instance, you want to savor the villain getting his just reward after all the build-up. Instead, it's, "Boom. Gone. Next?" As always, his yarn has good elements. A president with character and grit, who goes beyond the "politically correct". (Aren't we sick of what's "politically correct"?) Higgins has a lot of novels out there. So, you'll get the odd sub-standard one. If you're new to Jack Higgins stuff, read "The Eagle Has Landed" and go from there. It's a benchmark story and why we stick with him.
Rating: Summary: Sloppy, silly, juvenile. H. was just going thru the motions. Review: Hard to believe Jack Higgins wrote this book. Plot thin, character development all but nil (and implausible where it does happen), story lines started and stopped. And the dialogue! So banal. Lots of cliches (Higgins was on a tight deadline?). And there was one character whose presence - and actions - made no sense whatsoever. More research wouldn't have hurt, either. Doesn't come close to what Higgins can do.
Rating: Summary: Fluffy & linear Review: Not for anyone who likes a lot of "meat" to their thrillers. It's a nice, predictable, quick read for a dull afternoon.
Rating: Summary: Very disappointing from Higgins Review: Higgins books are usually a lot of fun. They are usually believable. I usually finish them in a night.This one is 0 for 3 of the above. Not to reveal the plot, but I found the whole story quite implausible. I have a problem with books that depend on large conspiracies: THe larger a conspiracy, the less likely it will hold.
Rating: Summary: Sloppy and lazy research Review: Higgins is normally a quick, light read. This book starts with an incredible number of sloppy errors. He has the (to be) President of the United States flying in a helicopter in the Mekong Delta (Vietnam) in 1969 at 1,000 feet. Didn't happen unless you wanted to get shot down rather quickly. He has the same guy leave Harvard (who was there in quest of a doctorate degree in law??? which is something you don't get (an SJD) unless you want to teach because you get a professional doctorate (J.D) which you don't refer to as getting a doctorate) and leaving there and 18 months later is in Vietnam one halfway through his second tour. This means he spent 18 months in Vietnam. He managed to get jump and special forces qualified and spend his first day in the Army in Vietnam. Plus what the Medivac ship does is stupid and it would not have worked anything like the way he did it. Higgins needs to talk with someone who knows something about how it works in real life. It's one thing to willingly suspend disbelief but another to write and just not know what you're writing about. Higgins has got to be just plain lazy.
Rating: Summary: Mediocre Higgins...somewhat less than you'd expect Review: As virtually all of the reviews here will attest, this is not one of Jack Higgins' best efforts. While Higgins writes in a very easy-to-read, approachable style, there isn't a lot of meat on this particular bone. If you feel like reading one of his newer works, try Flight of Eagles, which is plotted better and has a more interesting premise.
Rating: Summary: Non-stop action from the first page Review: From the first page Jack Higgins weaves a masterful, exciting tale. His characters quickly become real people and his villans are truly original. However the plot pacing is a little too fast and could have used a few more twists and turns.
Rating: Summary: Mediocre Potboiler, alas! Review: Higgins is an excellent writer, and as a tale, The President's Daughter reads fast. But it is not up to the standard one has come to think of as good, innovative Higgins stuff. He uses the same characters from earlier books, and weaves them into the story in the most artificial, forced way. Consequently, one who has read some of the earlier books, especially those with an IRA theme, will find oneself wondering what a world of coincidence we live in! But, the characters are thin and don't ring true to me. The story is a bit amateurish, coming from a pro like Higgins. And, I think his portrayal of the Israelis, although perhaps justified in some ways, is half hearted criticism. If he does not like Israeli policy towards the Arabs, and evidently he doesn't, then let him come out more frankly and more precisely. Sorry Jack, but this one is clearly a pot boiler. I hope your next one is a lot better.
Rating: Summary: Disappointing - did Higgins really write this lightweight? Review: From about chapter two, the style was so childish, that I almost put it down, but it's a good yarn. I finished it in two days, which is quick, since there was no challenge to the read, nothing technical to worry about (except what organisation is the 'KBG' found early on). It felt like a beginner had written it.
|