Airframe

Rating:
Summary: never really got good
Review: It grabbed my attention at first, only to become kind of boring. I constantly expected something neater.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Leave Home Without It
Review: This was a great audio-book. Michael Crichton has done it again.

Being one who spends alot of time in the car commuting to/from the office I listen to many audio-books. This was the first book that has ever kept me so riveted that I didn't want to get out of the car once I arrived at my destination. In fact, I spent a portion of my lunch time sitting in my car in the parking garage of my building listening to this book.

Ms. Brown took Crichton's colorful characters and truly brought them to life. The mental images Mr. Crichton/Ms. Brown created were extremely vivid. At times it was like actually watching TV or being in a very real dream-like state.

This book will also start the wheels turning in your mind about the airline industry and aircraft manufacturers (e.g. What really goes on in their board rooms). After reading or listening to this book you will definately look at the air industry in a different light.

Mr. Crichton obviously spent many hours researching material for this book. He had the majority of his facts together.

Please, if you are looking for a great read for this summer make it Airframe. If you commute and are looking for something other then the same hum-drum radio to listen to, again, make it this audio-book. I'm sure you won't be sorry.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful
Review: As shown in the title of this review, this audio book was wonderful.

Being someone who commutes to work in a heavy traffic congested area, I found this book to be captivating. So much that I had to find a stopping point and force myself to get out of my car once I arrived at my office or home. This audio book captured your attention just a few minutes into it.

Ms. Brown did such a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life that the mental pictures were so clear it was like actually being in the seen. The one I remember most is when Casey is walking in the hanger and looking at the planes being constructed. I felt as if I was standing right next to her.

I found absolutely nothing about this audio book that I didn't like which is obvious by the title of this review.

If you commute, listen to books and are tired of the same hum drum stuff on the radio, then try listening to this book. You won't be sorry.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: This was one of the best books I have listened to. It grabs holf from just a few minutes into it and never lets go.

Blair Brown did an exceptional job reading this book. She truly brought the characters to life.

This was one of the few books that I have listened to that made me feel as if I were in the book and not someone looking in.

My only complaint regarding this book on tape were the breaks. I found it difficult to get out of my car and go into my office.

I would highly recommend this book on tape to anyone who commutes and gets tired of the radio.

Rating:
Summary: You won't be able to put it down
Review: True to form, Michael Crichton writes yet another novel about a topical issue - this time the issue of public airline safety in the new deregulated environment we find ourselves in.

There's something about Michael's novels that seems to capture me, but I just can't seem to put any of his books down once I start. The characters are plausible, and you often feel like you've learnt something after reading any of his novels.

Airframe is no exception. In presenting the troubles of a fictional airline manufacturer that competes with Boeing and Airbus Industries, Crichton exquisitely illustrates the motivations and the vested interests of everyone in the industry, from the manufacturer to the airlines to the media and the public.

It's an incredibly thought provoking read!

Rating:
Summary: Well researched, informative, disappointing ending
Review: This is my first venture into Crichton's work, and it was engrossing. Mind you, in January of this year, my nephew, 30 yrs. old, died on board Alaska Airlines flight 261. The book was lent to me by a co-worker who heard me speaking of my experiences in the wake of the 261 crash. While parts of the book were difficult to endure emotionally, I found it extremely informative about the airline industry and many facets that we as travellers take for granted: the relationships between the airline manufacturers, the carriers and the FAA. I have first-hand knowledge of attending the many meetings the NTSB coordinates in the aftermath of such an air disaster. Reading this book was like being right back in those briefings. And Crichton's portrayal of the media desparation in search of a story is as accurate as his reference to the G-forces acting on passengers. Crichton well describes the "universe" of modern air travel, but in the end the resolution seemed weak and disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: Underrated
Review: I read several poor customer reviews for this book, but I finished it last night, and I feel it deserves praise. The book was not overly technical. Like all M. C.'s books, I felt I learned a fair amount about the subject matter. If you felt overwhelmed by the technical information in this book, you'd better go back to your romance novels. My only criticism is the sprinkling of union violence. First of all, it seems like it was added as an afterthought to provide some action. Second, as a labor lawyer, it was totally unbelievable. Overall, however, I would strongly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: "Just One More Page..."
Review: I love this book! Michael Crichton writes his books in such a way that they are near impossible to put down. This is accomplished primarily by the fact that the story never gets boring, and he usually ends chapters on a cliffhanger note, thus nearly forcing you to turn the page. This applies not only to Airframe, but all of Crichton's book.

Also, his documentary approach to the novel of suspsense (complete with a very posh looking intro) will leaving you wondering whether or not the story really happened, such is the level of detail. It's a shame that this wasn't made into a movie as it seems more fit to be one than some of the other Crichton ones that they've made into movies (Rising Sun, Eaters of The Dead (13th Warrior).

I can gurantee one thing, after reading this book you'll either never worry about riding an airplane again, as the safety measures of them are recounted in this book so painstakingly detailed, or you'll never fly in one again!

Rating:
Summary: crash and burn.
Review: I have read other Crichton novels, but this is the first one I had to abandon after only 40 pages. The 'info-dumping' was painful, the characterisation was crass ( a redhead with a fiery temper? How does he think of these things?) and the subject, for a thriller, was mundane. But it was the casual racism which pushed this reviewer over the edge. Crichtons' insights into the minds of the Vietnamese Americans ("Quiet, self-contained..hard-working")or Chinese("great attention to detail") made me wonder about the rest of his legendary research skills. If you can't trust a writer to describe things you know with any realism, then you can't trust him when it comes to imparting esoteric knowlege about aircraft engineering, for example. Crichton is a fantastically successful writer. He does not need to write for a living any more. The biggest mystery about 'Airframe' is, why did he bother? Michael, baby, take a break.

Rating:
Summary: Tou Lee's Review
Review: Like many Crichton books, Airframe has a a good story. This book will keep the reader glued to his seat, like for me, it was a one-sit reading.