Reviews

Marathon Man by William Goldman

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jimmypat's review against another edition

4.0

This was an excellent example of a blistering page turner - tautly written, no wasted words, not insulting to the reader, and with enough depth to give it some heft. This is also a good example of a book that you can reread and pick up on some of the clues and subterfuge Goldman employs to keep some of the mysteries hidden to only blossom later on. The only drawback to the novel was that parts of the ending seemed a bit off, with characters making some strange choices that didn't fully resonate with my expectations. Nevertheless, a great diversion that will keep you glued to the pages, desperate to know what happens.

nabergel's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5/5.00 stars.
My dad recommended this book to me when I was having a bad toothache and needed emergency dental surgery and while the association is funny I’m still SO GLAD he got it for me. This was such an exciting fun read. Once i started it i breezed through it in one sitting. So action packed and thrilling. I LOVED hearing the main characters thoughts as he’s going through and processing everything. The ending was so phenomenal and i just wish I knew what happened next.

sibertooth's review against another edition

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emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Two notes.

One, this is a better book than the movie for the same reason 2001: A Space Odyssey is as good a book as the movie: It puts a solid foundation under those striking voices and images. Even very good acting and directing have trouble being precise and thorough when it comes to background information and internal thoughts. Prose is the right medium for these things.

(Also, I like the book's ending better. It's less preposterous and less drawn-out.)

Two, I normally can't stand the kind of book where people have intense, complicated relationships with their adult siblings and feel inappropriately responsible for their parents dying and struggle to be happy in relationships because of their low self-esteem etc. etc. I don't go for the so-called emotional reads; that kind of emotion just isn't what I read for.

But this book is a gorgeous, triumphant exception. It isn't just that it's a good enough thriller that I can excuse the aforementioned emotional baggage; Babe's inner life, in all its wounded tearjerkitude, is what makes the whole thing work. And I don't know how. Alchemy, I guess.

Content Warnings