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24th out of 110 books
—
36 voters
Wheels
All the human emotion. High stakes adventure and hidden secrets of America's #1 industry...brought to life from the superb novel by America's #1 storyteller.
Once again, Arthur Hailey captures a world between the covers of a book...
Wheels roars through the authentic action and intrigue of America's richest business - automobiles.
Wheels ignites with the passions of men and w...more
Once again, Arthur Hailey captures a world between the covers of a book...
Wheels roars through the authentic action and intrigue of America's richest business - automobiles.
Wheels ignites with the passions of men and w...more
Paperback, 501 pages
Published
1971
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OK, it's a 40-year-old book. One that even hardcore Arthur Hailey fans, if such a thing exists, have forgotten that he wrote. But it isn't very good.
If you'd asked me to rate it when I was about halfway through, I'd have said it was an 8 on a scale of 1–10. Flat, two-dimensional characters and so-so dialogue, but it seemed to make a sincere stab at capturing the zeitgeist of the American auto industry in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Cheesy fun, but a page turner.
Then something went wrong. I can'...more
If you'd asked me to rate it when I was about halfway through, I'd have said it was an 8 on a scale of 1–10. Flat, two-dimensional characters and so-so dialogue, but it seemed to make a sincere stab at capturing the zeitgeist of the American auto industry in the late 1960s/early 1970s. Cheesy fun, but a page turner.
Then something went wrong. I can'...more
I read this book when i was doing my BE(Mech), this books make u to know when a production house is,, how thing work in there, the hierarchy, the R & D, product development, politics involved, passing the leisure time, & many more things,,,
After reading this book i decided never ever to join a Production house in my life, ha ha ha,, However i started my career in a production house.
After reading this book i decided never ever to join a Production house in my life, ha ha ha,, However i started my career in a production house.
Fun book to read, if you're as in to details as much as I am (or cars, I suppose, which I'm not at all). Read this years ago when it was sitting around the house. The main thing I remember was his description of the new model-year process - that the car makers *always* need to shoot down the first set of designs, and often the second set as well, just because they can. But the designers can't help themselves but put their best ideas out there first... so basically for decades we had mediocre des...more
Obviously, this book was way over my head when I initially read it at the ripe old age of 15! I am surprised I didn't recall more details... And. It's a darned good thing my mother didn't know what I was reading! I would have been grounded and the"righteous" lectures would have never ceased! Oh, wait! Those lectures were always "playing" anyway! :)
Seriously, this is such an accurate reflection of the times. Though I'm uncertain the auto industry was "advancing" quite as fast as Hailey states; w...more
Seriously, this is such an accurate reflection of the times. Though I'm uncertain the auto industry was "advancing" quite as fast as Hailey states; w...more
I am a lifelong "Car Guy". Author Arthur Hailey captures the American Auto Industry in the late 60s, early 70s in the hustle and blue collar town of Detroit, Michigan. All the nuiances, drama, of disigning a car, bringing it into production, approval from the auto company's "fat cats", is all here. This book is well written. My Hailey brings all of the characters to life in "WHEELS", many you will never forget. A true old fashioned "page turner", while teaching you just what the auto indistry wa...more
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As usual by the author, Arthur Hailey, this book is a combination of perfect research, lots of details and a gripping story on automobile industry. He has not written too many books but whatever he has written can provide you inside out information about a particular industry. “Wheels” as the name suggests does the same for automobile industry specifically dealing with the mass production of cars and how it affects the industry as well as people who live in these c...more
As usual by the author, Arthur Hailey, this book is a combination of perfect research, lots of details and a gripping story on automobile industry. He has not written too many books but whatever he has written can provide you inside out information about a particular industry. “Wheels” as the name suggests does the same for automobile industry specifically dealing with the mass production of cars and how it affects the industry as well as people who live in these c...more
When I started reading the book I thought I was going to give it only 3 stars. Well, it seemed decently written and all that. However, I am not much of a car person, and I thought it was going to be one of those impersonal stories that involved some corporate espionage kind of thing. However, I was in for a surprise.
I must give to Arthur Hailey. Not only did he cover the working of auto industry - which was interesting - but also revealed how it affected the lives the people involved in the indu...more
I must give to Arthur Hailey. Not only did he cover the working of auto industry - which was interesting - but also revealed how it affected the lives the people involved in the indu...more
Even though this book was written back in the late 60's/early 70's it is amazing how much of the issues with the car industry still exist today. Pollution and safety are still forefront on all consumers' minds as they purchase that beautiful gas hog. Even the new 'ugly is beautiful' can still be seen throughout the parking lots in America. It does make you wonder if we have progressed at all. I say that we have. Our vehicles are more fuel efficient and we now have people waiting in line for hybr...more
This is the strangest of reads for me. I started to read it a couple of years ago. Then abandoned it. Took it up again and then abandoned again...Each time I take it up again, I have zero clues of what I have already read. So each time I have to start it from the beginning. This battle will go on.. Hope to finish it this year if time allows. Me vs Dis strange book.. :)
Superb narration! First time I read about the automobile industry - I believe it was well researched. However, since I know next to nothing about cars and the industry, I would consider it as a sort of bible, since the problems and issues in the Detroit industry is spelled out very well.
This is about the US automobile industry in the '70s. I must have read the book soon after it was published.
All aspects of a large automobile manufacturing company from the design of a new model to the assembly line are neatly packaged into a fictional novel.
Hats off to Arthur Hailey.
All aspects of a large automobile manufacturing company from the design of a new model to the assembly line are neatly packaged into a fictional novel.
Hats off to Arthur Hailey.
This book is from the early 1970s, but somehow doesn't seem as dated as I expected. Obviously many (most?) things about the auto-manufacturing industry have changed in 40 years, but I would imagine many things about working in the industry (including management politics, factory-floor issues, etc.) have remained largely the same.
Most of the characters in the story are somewhat "cliche to the times." By this I mean that were this book written today, I think they would have more depth, but since i...more
Most of the characters in the story are somewhat "cliche to the times." By this I mean that were this book written today, I think they would have more depth, but since i...more
A surprisingly exciting novel about the manufacture of cars that involves treachery, shady deals, fake advertising, secret design studios, auto racing, even crime, involving those who work in and around the auto industry in Detroit.
Dec 01, 2007
Jim
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Those who like fiction mixing facts and relationships
This was my first Arthur Hailey novel, one that was lying around the house when I was 15. It was not among the first grown up novels that I read, but it was one of the relatively few not set in the distant past. It has interesting characters for the most part, and you learn a lot about how a car is developed. Even 30 years later it still has relevance.
The thing about Hailey is that all of his novels are readable, which sounds a bit trite I know, but it fits. There's not a bad or mediocre one in...more
The thing about Hailey is that all of his novels are readable, which sounds a bit trite I know, but it fits. There's not a bad or mediocre one in...more
Arthur Hailey draws a fine line between a fiction and reality, and makes us realize, yet again, that an organisation is lot more than the some of its employees.
Много добро представяне на американският модел за управление на прозводството!
Jan 09, 2012
Shelley Olivier
added it
quick read on holiday, thoroughly enjoyed it. Was first published in 1971 so dated in technology but enjoyed that aspect too.
All the cars, sex, racism, sex, car sales, unions, sex, and sex you could ask for.
At the time, I thought I was really learning so much about the auto industry!
Fairly interesting story. Very dated now.
Wonderful . Loved it
not bad...
All the human emotion. High stakes adventure and hidden secrets of America's #1 industry...brought to life from the superb novel by America's #1 storyteller.
Once again, Arthur Hailey captures a world between the covers of a book...
Wheels roars through the authentic action and intrigue of America's richest business - automobiles.
Wheels ignites with the passions of men and women caught up in the world's fiercest power game.
Wheels - by the author of Hotel and Airport.
Once again, Arthur Hailey captures a world between the covers of a book...
Wheels roars through the authentic action and intrigue of America's richest business - automobiles.
Wheels ignites with the passions of men and women caught up in the world's fiercest power game.
Wheels - by the author of Hotel and Airport.
Poor Ollie.
With a jacket that must have 10 exclamation points, how can it NOT be a good book?!?!?!
Curious about the auto industry?...in 1971?...well, I guess you could do worse.
Curious about the auto industry?...in 1971?...well, I guess you could do worse.
Jun 11, 2010
Ruchi
added it
Great book, interesting insights into the auto industry including the various departments.. However, there was not as much of an adrenalin rush as in the other Hailey books.
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Arthur Hailey was a British/Canadian novelist. After working at a number of jobs and writing part-time, he became a writer full-time during 1956, encouraged by the success of the CBC television drama, Flight into Danger (in print as
Runway Zero Eight
). Following the success of Hotel in 1965, he moved to California; followed by a permanent move to the Bahamas in 1969.
Each of his novels has a diffe...more
More about Arthur Hailey...
Each of his novels has a diffe...more
Dec 14, 2012 11:58am