The Sapphire Sea

Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as did my wife. The storyline is captivating and unique. Robinson also has a great writing style. I look forward to reading his next book.

Rating:
Summary: Madagascar comes Alive!!!
Review: I've never been to Africa, let alone Madagascar, but after reading the Sapphire Sea, I feel like I've been. John Robinson obviously is writing from first hand knowledge and does what all great writers do -- tansports me to another place. From his depiction of the corrupt poltical system in Madagascar to his understanding of the gem business, I was amazed by the depth of detail in Mr. Rodinson's book. And learning about these new worlds through such interesting and exciting lead character as Loney, made the Sapphire Sea a truly enjoyable read.

Rating:
Summary: New adventure novel a well-plotted winner.
Review: If you like adventure and want to learn about the soft underbelly of Madascar, you've come to the right book! This action packed novel will bring comparisons to Romancing the Stone and Indiana Jones, but is based on the author's real knowledge gained while living in Madagascar for two years. Lonny Cushman is a member of a gem dealing family in New York, and discovers a huge, perfect sapphire, which he must get off the island. Will he make it? Will he escape with his life and the stone, or neither? A fast paced novel you'll really enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: An Auspicious First Novel!
Review: Mr. Robinson has hit the ground running hard with an intriguing principal character who is riding with the throttle wide open for all 250+ pages. Its the sort of book that draws you in almost immediately and keeps you turning the pages with dedication. In the end the story left me satisfied, ready for a break and very curious to discover where Lonny's next adventure will take him. The characters are all well-crafted and set with gifted prose in the lurid scene of Madagascar's political intrigue and corruption and social disorder and chaos.

Most telling of this author's readiness for primetime is his ability to develop a character so nuanced that you feel as if you are reading about a person you have known for years. Throughout the well-timed and tightly woven mayhem and adventure, the elements driving the author's not-yet-ready-for-redemption main character, Lonny, are greater than his mere survival. He has the yearning of a great hero who is driven by desires that are common to us all: resolution of his issues with a parent, reconnection with an estranged daughter and contrition for the errors of his ways. The author brings this character to the edge several times in the story and keeps the reader vacillating, never quite sure what unlikely fate best suits Lonny.

All in all a real treat that will appeal to adventure lovers, readers who enjoy political intrigue, travel readers and just anybody who likes a good book with many of the hasllmarks of a great writer. I definitely plan to keep a sharp lookout for the next offering Mr. Robinson crafts for us. There may good stuff to look forward to in the theater as well because it won't be long before someone translates this vibrant tale to the big screen.

This book reminded me of the following other fine titles: The Quiet American, A Burnt-Out Case, Travels with My Aunt, Fletch, Carioca Fletch, The Firm, The Crossing, Blood Meridian

Rating:
Summary: An Auspicious First Novel!
Review: Mr. Robinson has hit the ground running hard with an intriguing principal character who is riding with the throttle wide open for all 250+ pages. Its the sort of book that draws you in almost immediately and keeps you turning the pages with dedication. In the end the story left me satisfied, ready for a break and very curious to discover where Lonny's next adventure will take him. The characters are all well-crafted and set with gifted prose in the lurid scene of Madagascar's political intrigue and corruption and social disorder and chaos.

Most telling of this author's readiness for primetime is his ability to develop a character so nuanced that you feel as if you are reading about a person you have known for years. Throughout the well-timed and tightly woven mayhem and adventure, the elements driving the author's not-yet-ready-for-redemption main character, Lonny, are greater than his mere survival. He has the yearning of a great hero who is driven by desires that are common to us all: resolution of his issues with a parent, reconnection with an estranged daughter and contrition for the errors of his ways. The author brings this character to the edge several times in the story and keeps the reader vacillating, never quite sure what unlikely fate best suits Lonny.

All in all a real treat that will appeal to adventure lovers, readers who enjoy political intrigue, travel readers and just anybody who likes a good book with many of the hasllmarks of a great writer. I definitely plan to keep a sharp lookout for the next offering Mr. Robinson crafts for us. There may good stuff to look forward to in the theater as well because it won't be long before someone translates this vibrant tale to the big screen.

This book reminded me of the following other fine titles: The Quiet American, A Burnt-Out Case, Travels with My Aunt, Fletch, Carioca Fletch, The Firm, The Crossing, Blood Meridian

Rating:
Summary: NYC vs. Madagascar
Review: On one level, Sapphire Sea is a compellingly fast-paced tale of a rich man in a poor man's world. But there is much more going on in this novel. That Globalisation/Technology now permits a rapid reveral of power structures (a la 9/11) is now a truism. Unsurprisingly, 'literary' novelists have largely missed the boat on this one. This novel is not perfect and suffers from hurried editing, but its' central vision of a rich new yorker crouching in the shrub to evade a mob that would burn him alive is chillingly relavent in today's world. That the New Yorker may well deserve that fate makes the novel that much more intriguing.

Rating:
Summary: A Scintillating Adventure Story
Review: Reminiscent of H. Rider Haggard and Graham Greene, The Sapphire Sea takes off like a rocket on page one and keeps on flying to the very last word. Gem trader Lonny Cushman finds himself with the world's most valuable sapphire in his hands, and soon half of Madagascar knows it-and will do anything to wrest the stone away from him . Resourceful, multi-lingual Lonny dodges dozens of pitfalls in a desperate attempt to escape from the island alive with the gem still in his possession. Author Robinson makes the exotic locale pulsate with danger, sex and treachery. A great read that would make a great movie!

Rating:
Summary: A whirlwind adventure
Review: The Sapphire Sea is a true adventure story. The setting is Madagascar, where gemstones, superstitions and a hodgepodge of military types dominate and no one is truly safe. Most expatriates know the risks but are willing to continue taking them, either for the thrill, the money or the anonymity. This third-world country is home to a motherlode of sapphires, and the discovery of a particulary large and perfect stone by a young American gem dealer triggers a wild ride through the country's mores, government and slums. During the ride, Robinson gives readers a knowing glimpse into the underside of gemstone dealing, the politics of a region little understood by Americans and the soul of a man on the brink of the most important decision of his life.

Rating:
Summary: Graham Greene Fans
Review: The Sapphire Sea is simply an excellent read and is hard to put down. Besides the fact that it is an interesting adventure into a world most of us know very little about, it is also an interesting study of human nature. If you like Hemingway, you'll like this book.