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shychipmunk's review against another edition
3.0
I gave up after the first section because I couldn't stand the manipulation and emotional bullshit. But then after reading the synopsis on Wikipedia to see how it turned out, I thought the later part sounded interesting, so I jumped ahead to the third section and read the rest of the book (and later went back and read the second half of the second section).
The half of the book that's about unraveling the tapestry of deception is much more up my alley, but there's plenty of books that do that without spending as much time having the protagonist suffer at the hands of an unlikeable asshole, so I can't really recommend this one.
It doesn't help matters any that I'm still not sure whether I've read this before, or just a different corporate espionage book of Chrichton's that I didn't like either.
The half of the book that's about unraveling the tapestry of deception is much more up my alley, but there's plenty of books that do that without spending as much time having the protagonist suffer at the hands of an unlikeable asshole, so I can't really recommend this one.
It doesn't help matters any that I'm still not sure whether I've read this before, or just a different corporate espionage book of Chrichton's that I didn't like either.
adcarva's review against another edition
3.0
A good book.
I picked three stars, not because I found it lacking on its own merits, but because at the end of the day you have to gage the quality of a book to other books out there. I have decided to compare Disclosure to other Crichton novels. And it is hard to say that it should rise to the level of Jurassic Park or Timeline.
I picked three stars, not because I found it lacking on its own merits, but because at the end of the day you have to gage the quality of a book to other books out there. I have decided to compare Disclosure to other Crichton novels. And it is hard to say that it should rise to the level of Jurassic Park or Timeline.
emilymalonzo's review against another edition
3.0
Decent thriller but I was not thrilled with the way women are represented and discussed.
pio_near's review against another edition
4.0
An a-political, neutral review...
I first read this book over a quarter century ago when I was a mid-teen, when I regarded the world with a fairly cavalier attitude.
However, I feel like this may be one of the most important books of this generation. A quick note on Micheal Crichton. Mr. Crichton has long been a personal favorite of mine, and has a long history of being held high in public esteem in both his literary works and film adaptations. This is mainly because he poses a question... mostly one that is techno-philisophical, and is able to build a compelling storyline to maybe not answer the issue, but certainly prove it out by human experience.
Disclosure is certainly a profound example of this. Back in the early 1990's Crichton tackled the prickly issue of sexual discrimination from a reverse perspective. Quickly adapted into a movie that hyper-sensatiinalized the storyline, Disosure is a book that really speaks to inequality in all senses. Racial, Sexisit, Religion or Political, it shows that targeting any 'ism' is just a road to discrimination.
Again, this is an a-political, neutral review.
But I think it is safe to say that in 2008 we lost one of the most important Fiction writers of our day. I shudder to think of a what he would make of the state of the world today, but revel to imagine what his brilliant mind would have thought up for our future.
Probably a 4.5 for me, this is the pinnacle of literature taking political views and humanizing them. Before you 'protest', read this book.
I first read this book over a quarter century ago when I was a mid-teen, when I regarded the world with a fairly cavalier attitude.
However, I feel like this may be one of the most important books of this generation. A quick note on Micheal Crichton. Mr. Crichton has long been a personal favorite of mine, and has a long history of being held high in public esteem in both his literary works and film adaptations. This is mainly because he poses a question... mostly one that is techno-philisophical, and is able to build a compelling storyline to maybe not answer the issue, but certainly prove it out by human experience.
Disclosure is certainly a profound example of this. Back in the early 1990's Crichton tackled the prickly issue of sexual discrimination from a reverse perspective. Quickly adapted into a movie that hyper-sensatiinalized the storyline, Disosure is a book that really speaks to inequality in all senses. Racial, Sexisit, Religion or Political, it shows that targeting any 'ism' is just a road to discrimination.
Again, this is an a-political, neutral review.
But I think it is safe to say that in 2008 we lost one of the most important Fiction writers of our day. I shudder to think of a what he would make of the state of the world today, but revel to imagine what his brilliant mind would have thought up for our future.
Probably a 4.5 for me, this is the pinnacle of literature taking political views and humanizing them. Before you 'protest', read this book.
temporaryhouseplant's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
puppywaffle's review against another edition
Too painful to read about such a dysfunctional relationship
trash_reader_'s review against another edition
I wanted to DNF this at page 7, but I was unfortunately stuck at work with nothing else to read so I was forced to read this until I got home. I should have just suffered with nothing to read.
At first, it was just boring. I don't want to waste time reading a book I'm not enjoying. And then I kept reading, and I went from just bored to bored and slowly growing more angry with every page. I didn't even hate Game of Thrones this much, and my review for that disgrace of a book is basically an essay.
The misogyny was disgusting. I'm aware the book is 30 years old and its obvious because it did not age well at all, but you don't have to have every single male character bitching about women in the workforce on every page. And that's ignoring the sexist "jokes" and comments (that were just as abundant as the bitching) and also the racist "jokes" and comments that were peppered throughout as well.
We also were given an extremely old man who's just oh-so eccentric and quirky. He's so smart he talks in circles and riddles and thinks it's funny to get under people's skin instead of just answering their questions. Oh and let's not forget about his disgustingly sexist and misogynistic comments and actions towards women "because he's just such an old man, what do you expect."
The characters weren't even the only ones being misogynistic. The author decided that every woman he gives a few lines of dialogue to is stereotypically so intense about her career that nothing else - NOT EVEN A CANCER DIAGNOSIS??? - matters to them. Not a single day taken off of work for cancer? And magically it's gone now? Shut the fuck up. And if the women weren't "hard as ice," they were just a pretty face for the receptionist.
Along with every single man complaining about women in the workforce, you have the same women who are so intense about their careers they'll never take a day off work for a medical crisis bitching and complaining about misogyny and accusing everyone of being sexist and misogynistic and throwing a fit over fucking pinup posters? Again, shut the fuck up. It's so dramatic for absolutely no reason.
The only woman who wasn't so intense about her job was Meredith, and that's only because the lovely author decided that SHE would be the only person in the book with a career to have slept around in order to get her position. Which then led into an ALMOST SIX PAGE rape scene? Why do we need 6 pages for that? I read the first two and had to skip the rest because it was disgusting, pointlessly long, and so overdramatic that it was almost laughable.
And then the author had the audacity to not have Tom get mad because he was being sexually assaulted, oh no. It was "male fury." Because "men can't be pinned down and dominated by a mere woman, oh that's so disgraceful, I must get angry and dominate." And then he proceeds ro take it out on his wife and scream about how she isnt oppressed because she doesn't sweep the floor? Shut the fuck up.
I want to rip this book to pieces and burn them.
At first, it was just boring. I don't want to waste time reading a book I'm not enjoying. And then I kept reading, and I went from just bored to bored and slowly growing more angry with every page. I didn't even hate Game of Thrones this much, and my review for that disgrace of a book is basically an essay.
The misogyny was disgusting. I'm aware the book is 30 years old and its obvious because it did not age well at all, but you don't have to have every single male character bitching about women in the workforce on every page. And that's ignoring the sexist "jokes" and comments (that were just as abundant as the bitching) and also the racist "jokes" and comments that were peppered throughout as well.
We also were given an extremely old man who's just oh-so eccentric and quirky. He's so smart he talks in circles and riddles and thinks it's funny to get under people's skin instead of just answering their questions. Oh and let's not forget about his disgustingly sexist and misogynistic comments and actions towards women "because he's just such an old man, what do you expect."
The characters weren't even the only ones being misogynistic. The author decided that every woman he gives a few lines of dialogue to is stereotypically so intense about her career that nothing else - NOT EVEN A CANCER DIAGNOSIS??? - matters to them. Not a single day taken off of work for cancer? And magically it's gone now? Shut the fuck up. And if the women weren't "hard as ice," they were just a pretty face for the receptionist.
Along with every single man complaining about women in the workforce, you have the same women who are so intense about their careers they'll never take a day off work for a medical crisis bitching and complaining about misogyny and accusing everyone of being sexist and misogynistic and throwing a fit over fucking pinup posters? Again, shut the fuck up. It's so dramatic for absolutely no reason.
The only woman who wasn't so intense about her job was Meredith, and that's only because the lovely author decided that SHE would be the only person in the book with a career to have slept around in order to get her position. Which then led into an ALMOST SIX PAGE rape scene? Why do we need 6 pages for that? I read the first two and had to skip the rest because it was disgusting, pointlessly long, and so overdramatic that it was almost laughable.
And then the author had the audacity to not have Tom get mad because he was being sexually assaulted, oh no. It was "male fury." Because "men can't be pinned down and dominated by a mere woman, oh that's so disgraceful, I must get angry and dominate." And then he proceeds ro take it out on his wife and scream about how she isnt oppressed because she doesn't sweep the floor? Shut the fuck up.
I want to rip this book to pieces and burn them.
benbert's review
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jamesrose's review against another edition
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
annkitsch's review against another edition
4.0
okay I have many many thoughts on this book and some of the reviews it has received
“the women in this book are one dimensional and all seemingly painted with bad light”
- I sort of disagree with this. There are men and women acting equally monstrous in this book. Some of the women who stood out for being helpful and intelligent were Stephenie Kaplan, Louisa Fernandez, Mary Anne, Cindy and Betsy. So when I see this opinion, I feel it’s coming from a place that is because they just disagree with these women for supporting the male protagonist in the sexual harassment suit. Louisa was the first woman to actually fully believe and see where Tom was coming from. Kaplan was practically the most intelligent and the one who had been saving him all along.
They also have the argument that Meredith was portrayed too terribly and honestly, I don’t know what’s so hard to believe about that. She’s a white woman in a place of power who thinks empowerment is acting as bad as a man, duh.
In contradiction, it was mostly men who were unsympathetic to Tom. Most of them couldn’t even believe he’d reject s*x from a beautiful woman just like that. One even yelled at him for complaining about his harassment to the attorneys because it jeopardised a merger. One tells him straightaway he isn’t even a victim.
Okay, that is one thing I wanted to address.
My overall review of this book was that it was intriguing and thrilling. I finished it in practically two days, but it was more like a silent three day read— because initially, I was bored of the corporate jargon in the beginning. So if you’re someone who absolutely hates stories dealing with the corporate, this book might not be for you.
Another thing I want to say is while I’m happy a book like this exists and confronts the topic of a man’s right to also refuse s*x, it still lacks a more humane touch. Crichton clearly wanted to make this a good and engaging corporate thriller while also addressing the idea that men can be victims too.
The problem is the book loses itself so much to the idea of corporate discussions and betrayals that it essentially leaves out Tom from forming solidarity with anyone who’s a victim like him. Crichton could have ended the book with a more emotion based ending of Tom realising what most victims— whether they’re a woman or a man— go through in such tricky and capitalist areas of hierarchy.
Instead, the book sort of champions the idea that the world is too sensitive to see the places of grey. I agree to it some extent, but it really doesn’t do anything to have an epiphany in the story. Tom could’ve easily had a moment of reckoning and empathy for so many more people but all he feels is relief that it’s over in the end. It’s not necessarily adding onto the discussion of workplace harassment, more like deflecting it with the whole “oh woe to the political correctness of people these days!”
But I like Louisa’s monologue at the end of the novel. She’s a very balanced woman with great critical thinking skills.
The long and short of it— it’s an interesting story that’s hard to put down. The only thing I would change is the ending and by making Tom a lot more emotive outside of frustration and anger. I think if that ending was put less on the idea of arguing with women spreading awareness about harassment, a lot many people would feel okay to read this book. But otherwise, it’s pretty advanced for the time it comes from about the whole “men need immunity too from workplace harassment and male victims should be included in that discussion too”. If this book was written today, maybe it would’ve had Tom in the end supporting the MeToo movement and unifying with others.
“the women in this book are one dimensional and all seemingly painted with bad light”
- I sort of disagree with this. There are men and women acting equally monstrous in this book. Some of the women who stood out for being helpful and intelligent were Stephenie Kaplan, Louisa Fernandez, Mary Anne, Cindy and Betsy. So when I see this opinion, I feel it’s coming from a place that is because they just disagree with these women for supporting the male protagonist in the sexual harassment suit. Louisa was the first woman to actually fully believe and see where Tom was coming from. Kaplan was practically the most intelligent and the one who had been saving him all along.
They also have the argument that Meredith was portrayed too terribly and honestly, I don’t know what’s so hard to believe about that. She’s a white woman in a place of power who thinks empowerment is acting as bad as a man, duh.
In contradiction, it was mostly men who were unsympathetic to Tom. Most of them couldn’t even believe he’d reject s*x from a beautiful woman just like that. One even yelled at him for complaining about his harassment to the attorneys because it jeopardised a merger. One tells him straightaway he isn’t even a victim.
Okay, that is one thing I wanted to address.
My overall review of this book was that it was intriguing and thrilling. I finished it in practically two days, but it was more like a silent three day read— because initially, I was bored of the corporate jargon in the beginning. So if you’re someone who absolutely hates stories dealing with the corporate, this book might not be for you.
Another thing I want to say is while I’m happy a book like this exists and confronts the topic of a man’s right to also refuse s*x, it still lacks a more humane touch. Crichton clearly wanted to make this a good and engaging corporate thriller while also addressing the idea that men can be victims too.
The problem is the book loses itself so much to the idea of corporate discussions and betrayals that it essentially leaves out Tom from forming solidarity with anyone who’s a victim like him. Crichton could have ended the book with a more emotion based ending of Tom realising what most victims— whether they’re a woman or a man— go through in such tricky and capitalist areas of hierarchy.
Instead, the book sort of champions the idea that the world is too sensitive to see the places of grey. I agree to it some extent, but it really doesn’t do anything to have an epiphany in the story. Tom could’ve easily had a moment of reckoning and empathy for so many more people but all he feels is relief that it’s over in the end. It’s not necessarily adding onto the discussion of workplace harassment, more like deflecting it with the whole “oh woe to the political correctness of people these days!”
But I like Louisa’s monologue at the end of the novel. She’s a very balanced woman with great critical thinking skills.
The long and short of it— it’s an interesting story that’s hard to put down. The only thing I would change is the ending and by making Tom a lot more emotive outside of frustration and anger. I think if that ending was put less on the idea of arguing with women spreading awareness about harassment, a lot many people would feel okay to read this book. But otherwise, it’s pretty advanced for the time it comes from about the whole “men need immunity too from workplace harassment and male victims should be included in that discussion too”. If this book was written today, maybe it would’ve had Tom in the end supporting the MeToo movement and unifying with others.