Reviews

American Romantic by Ward Just

cwurst's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

ben_r's review against another edition

5.0

Unfortunately, Ward Just is no longer with us. Just was a war correspondent, most notably for the Washington Post covering the Vietnam War. But he was also a first rate novelist. American Romantic, his penultimate novel, is one of his best.

hoboken's review against another edition

3.0

I think Ward Just is the American romantic. Writing is good, and his understanding of American diplomatic life makes great reading, but his hero's essentially romantic view of his relationships with the other two main characters lead him to make decisions that are in fact copouts for the author b/c they allow him to get away with not dealing with the whole truth. (Sorry to be cryptic--trying not to give any spoilers). Maybe that's how romantics live, but that's not what a novel's supposed to settle for. A couple of coincidences are a bit too pat. Several good character portraits. Recommended for what it is--a good read.

bernrr's review

1.0

One star because a) I finished it (despite many moments when I wanted to abandon); and b) for a lively section in part one that set up the rest of the book and held my attention. The problem for me was a matter of pacing. After the relatively fast-paced set-up, which was a page-turner, the book moved into a contemplative low-gear and stayed there, giving me plenty of time to wonder what the actual story was, and why it was worth writing. Just got many details of diplomatic life correct, but only grazed the complexities, and name-dropped the most obvious political figures to let us readers know what decade he was in.