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109th out of 115 books
—
67 voters
Blood of Paradise: A Novel
by
David Corbett (Goodreads Author)
El Salvador: America’s great Cold War success story and the model for Iraq’s fledgling democracy–if one ignores the grinding poverty, the corruption, the spiraling crime, and a murder rate ranked near the top in the hemisphere. This is where Jude McManus works as an executive protection specialist, currently assigned to an American engineer working for a U.S. consortium.
T...more
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
March 6th 2007
by Ballantine Books
(first published 2007)
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Aug 08, 2007
RJ McGill
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
those who enjoy serious, complex novels
Shelves:
reviewed
[http://www.davidcorbett.com]
Inspired by the eloquent, yet deeply disturbing Greek tragedies of long ago, Blood of Paradise, is a dark novel, penned by one of today’s most passionate writers. David Corbett’s third novel, shines an unflinching and unapologetic light into the backrooms and back-alleys, corporate boardrooms and finally, the lofty and corrupt offices of the politicians sworn to serve and protect.
Whether defined or haunted by, his late father’s choices, Jude McManus left Chicago and...more
Inspired by the eloquent, yet deeply disturbing Greek tragedies of long ago, Blood of Paradise, is a dark novel, penned by one of today’s most passionate writers. David Corbett’s third novel, shines an unflinching and unapologetic light into the backrooms and back-alleys, corporate boardrooms and finally, the lofty and corrupt offices of the politicians sworn to serve and protect.
Whether defined or haunted by, his late father’s choices, Jude McManus left Chicago and...more
The trajectory of writer David Corbett's novel writing career is pretty breathtaking. If he'd been content to write pulpish crime novels like his first effort, The Devil's Redhead, (which is very good) he would have carved a niche, probably not unlike James Ellroy's. Violent, edgy, contemporary, great dialogue, "Redhead" had it all. But his second novel, Done on a Dime, you saw the writer stretching himself. It's an uneven read, due to plotting more than anything else. But what stands out in Cor...more
3 likes · like · see review
RATING: 3.5
There are times in everyone's life when events of the past take over life in the present. Jude McManus is an unfulfilled young man whose life is defined by his father's history. His father was a former Chicago cop, and he got involved in some shady doings that ended his career and his life. Jude escaped by joining the military, and now he's a bodyguard in El Salvador. You can only imagine how he feels when he meets up with one of the two men that went down with his father. Is it coinc...more
There are times in everyone's life when events of the past take over life in the present. Jude McManus is an unfulfilled young man whose life is defined by his father's history. His father was a former Chicago cop, and he got involved in some shady doings that ended his career and his life. Jude escaped by joining the military, and now he's a bodyguard in El Salvador. You can only imagine how he feels when he meets up with one of the two men that went down with his father. Is it coinc...more
I liked this book. Probably a big part of that was the setting and the politics of it. It takes place mostly in El Salvador in the post 9/11 world. The plot, in large part, revolves around the fallout of the Salvadoran civil war - death squads, gangs with US roots, corruption, ARENA and the FMLN, US political influence. The lead character is a young American army vet who is now a body guard. His love interest is a left leaning anthropologist. The guy is not as political, and the plot of the nove...more
4.5 For my money, Corbett's walked among the elite of living crime writers since his debut. Sure, I lived in the non-fictionalized version of his Vallejo and knew him (in passing) at the time, but his work since has only reinforced the opinion. His portrayal of violent, gritty reality moves into El Salvador with this one, where meta-issues of US foreign policy are addressed on the ground and any lingering notions of good vs. evil in his characters are pretty much wholesale replaced with shades o...more
This one started off really well, but then just died in the middle. A little too much research on the author's part. Almost ruined the story. In fact, for much of the middle, there wasn't much of a story. It rebounded a bit in the end, which gets it 3 stars. For a while it was heading for 2.
I loved the Salvadoran slang and the descriptions. I really got the flavor
(not so sweet) of the murky political stew in El Salvador. David Corbett is a funny speaker and I'd have enjoyed some more of his edgy humor. Maybe in the next book?
(not so sweet) of the murky political stew in El Salvador. David Corbett is a funny speaker and I'd have enjoyed some more of his edgy humor. Maybe in the next book?
The Blood of Tropics despite its obvious seeming title (from a Wallace Stevens poem) is a mostly successful mix of political disgust and horrifying reportage with a sometimes meandering thriller and Greek tragedy. Overall it works and its sense of tragic breaks your heart. This may suffer compared to, say Robert Stone’s Flag for Sunrise (what doesn’t?) there may be more recognizable humanity in Corbett’s characters. Jude, Strock , and Malvosio (I love the play on Shakespeare’s impotent, frustrat...more
I loved this book when I first read it back in 2010 - a 2012 re-read + review.
Sep 02, 2012
Jasmine
added it
Page 39. I just can't seem to get into this book.
I simply could not get into the flow of this story. Too many characters to keep track of, the story didn't flow well and no matter how much I tried to finish, I simply had to stop before ending.
Doesn't quite hit the mark, but enjoyed reading about the unique challenges that El Salvador faces, in action-packed fiction form.
really good story, if you can follow all the complexities of Salvadoran underground politics
My favorite kind of book: lots of story, lots of political history
He's a friend, but that's not why I like it.
Mar 05, 2013
Carmelo
marked it as to-read
Mar 02, 2013
Jocelyn
marked it as to-read
Feb 23, 2013
Jmgurgeh
marked it as to-read
Jan 21, 2013
Chris
added it
Jan 13, 2013
Dan Schindel
marked it as to-read
Dec 29, 2012
Yinzadi
marked it as to-read
Nov 20, 2012
Tracy
marked it as to-read
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David Corbett is the author of four novels: The Devil’s Redhead, Done for a Dime (a New York Times Notable Book), Blood of Paradise (nominated for numerous awards, including the Edgar), and Do They Know I’m Running (Spinetingler Award, Best Novel—Rising Star Category 2011).
David’s short fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, with two stories selected for Best Amer...more
More about David Corbett...
David’s short fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous magazines and anthologies, with two stories selected for Best Amer...more
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Oct 24, 2010 06:23am