Rating: 
Summary: Don't start reading the book if you intend to stop.
Review: If you intend to take breaks while reading a book, don't read this one! It takes your breath away and wont give it back until your totaly through. Mr. Levin knows how to write a good book. This is the only book that I have actually sat down and read it all the way through.
Rating: 
Summary: Overall Good Book
Review: In the area of World War Two, Hitler historical fiction this is an interesting story. The author created a plot that is getting close to possible with today's technology. A lot of the historical facts introduced in the book are accurate and the author uses these facts to build a complete story. From a wiring point of view the book is above average, but not an edge of your seat thriller. The story is complete, the plot is a good one and there is adequate character development. It is a good book that is worth investing the time.
Rating:
Summary: Overall Good Book
Review: In the area of World War Two, Hitler historical fiction this is an interesting story. The author created a plot that is getting close to possible with today's technology. A lot of the historical facts introduced in the book are accurate and the author uses these facts to build a complete story. From a wiring point of view the book is above average, but not an edge of your seat thriller. The story is complete, the plot is a good one and there is adequate character development. It is a good book that is worth investing the time.
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Summary: This book was so suspensful I could not put the book down.
Review: Ira Levin is a true genius when he writes. This story is appealing to anyone who reads it because it is so real! The Boys From Brazil is a wonderful book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good story, but the characters seem like cartoons
Review: Ira Levin's mid-70's thriller about a Nazi plan to repopulate the world through cloning and assassination certainly keeps the reader's interest. The story is well-paced, and the thought of such a plan is chilling. But many of Levin's characters seems cartoonish, including the Simon Wiesenthal-ish hero. A good story that needs richer, more drawn-out characters.
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Summary: Breezy Mystery for fans of Levin & Nazi intrigue
Review: Like a fictionalized "Sacred Blood," this is a disturbingly fanciful mystery about what could have happened if the evil Dr. Mengele's bizarre experiments had worked out to the Third Reich's advantage. Simply told, it is reminiscent of his storytelling in THE STEPFORD WIVES and is an enjoyable read, especially if you haven't yet seen the movie version.
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Summary: Caution!
Review: Normally, I like reviews that give a short outline of the plot of a book or movie, because without that, you don't know whether you'd like to spend the time. However, unless you're really wavering, I would strongly advise that you to read the book before looking at the reviews below -- Ira Levin is THE MASTER of suspense -- like Stephen King says, his plots work like intricate timepieces -- and for maximum enjoyment you should know as little as possible about the book before you start.Odds are, however, that you already know it's about cloning and Nazis, so I'll go ahead and say this: I put off reading the book for years because I wasn't interested in either of those subjects. But "The Boys" is not what you'd expect at all, and superlatives can't describe Levin's skill. "Couldn't put it down" doesn't touch it. Plus, any gore or references to sex and violence are only what is necessary for the sake of the plot, which is important as far as I'm concerned. And, just like with his other books, this is more than just a roller coaster ride that you walk off of and forget. There's satisfying poetic justice, interesting moral contrast, and important ethical questions raised -- not just the usual pronouncements about weren't-the-Nazis-terrible or isn't-cloning-awfully-dangerous, either. It's one of those books you love to discuss with a friend.
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Summary: Eerily Prophetic
Review: Not only is this book a fantastic cliffhanger, it is ahead of its time in its treatment of the subject matter of cloning (and its ethical considerations/horrors). The plot is so imaginative and creative, and could serve as the perfect hypothetical case to attend discussion of human cloning (e.g., as was the rage when Dolly was cloned a few years ago). Dr. Mengele was realistically portrayed as a fictional character, eliciting the kind of hatred that he does in real life. I suppose the best thing I can say about this book is that I read it once a few years back, and therefore knew how the story ended, yet during a recent re-read still found it a page-turner that I couldn't put down.
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Summary: Fabulous thriller
Review: Still seems to haunt us, given the more recent clonings of things, not only sheep.
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Summary: A tale for two reading sessions
Review: The Boys From Brazil does seem a little dated well more than a quarter century after it s publication. But the book remains a tightly constructed and fast-paced story, interesting without being complicated. Basically, classic pulp fiction. Admittedly, advances in cloning in recent years make the characters who never heard of the subject seem a bit dim by modern standards. And the old-fashioned communications methods (e.g., having an operator call you back in order to place an international call, or misunderstanding things because connections are so bad) seem almost contrived. Even the Cold War-type mentality can at first seem cartoonish. But remember that this is taking place in 1974-75 ... that's the way it was. I first read the book around 20 years ago and I remembered enjoying it well enough. Recently, I picked it up again when I wanted something easy to read on train journey, and it was just what I needed: absorbing without the thought that would require me to resent the porter when he came by to check my ticket. In the end, I read it in two long reading sessions. If you are looking for something along those lines, then I'll say you can do a lot worse than The Boys From Brazil.
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