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Sep 17, 2009

Seth rated it:

I loved the movie and heard that I the book was comparatively awesome. And it was.

The thing is: I haven't the faintest idea how the movie came out of the book. Beyond the premise of a man fished from the sea with no memory but incredible ingrained abilities and talents that make it look like he's really probably and assassin with no amnesia, and the fact that the first act after the prologue occurs in Zürich and deals with a Swiss bank, nothing is the same.

Sure, there's a More...

5 comments like (27 people liked it)

Feb 10, 2008

Matt rated it:

The first book of the Bourne trilogy series, The Bourne Identity begins the tale of Jason Bourne, one of the US government's greatest assassin creations, rescued by fishermen off the French coast. The only problem is that the incident that put him adrift in the water, bullet-ridden and unconscious, had resulted in amnesia. He does not know his name nor his profession. He only knows what his body has been trained to do. The adventure starts, and can only start, with the only piece of informat More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Mar 17, 2009

woody rated it:

Sorry if you loved this book, I HATED it. Maybe it was above my reading level. There were just too many "alpha, bravo,cain, delta...Cain is for Charlie, Delta is for Cain!" This book put me to sleep so many nights it is surprising that I finished it. I just kept hoping that jason bourne would die...Good thing it only cost 50 cents!

4 comments like (12 people liked it)

Jun 09, 2008

Victoria rated it:

This book was so different from the movie ! ( But then again when are they ever the same ? ) I really enjoyed the story , I now wish the movie had kept a few more things in it. I thought marie was a much better character. I love the way it ended.
HOWEVER : There is a TON of swearing ! And I do mean a TON !
That was very disapointing . :( but, I now have a fully edited book if someone wants to swap/sell with me. :)
I just got a black pin coverd the words. I would have given this s More...

5 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2011

Duckie rated it:

I don't remember how this ended because I had to buy myself a Jack-and-Coke to get through the last chapter. Ludlum belongs in a very small, elite group of authors who don't know what words mean. To illustrate this, here are some passages from the book followed by the first image that came to mind when I read them:

"'If I scream, Monsieur?' The powdered mask was cracked with lines of venom now, the bright red lipstick defining the snarl of an aging, cornered rodent."
More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Mar 04, 2008

Brian rated it:

Usually it makes sense to compare books to other books, and even then it can be a case of comparing apples to oranges. But given the popularity of the movie trilogy, it makes better sense to compare this novel with the films that likely introduced Jason Bourne to readers well before they get to the book's opening sentence. Apples to pomegranates? Maybe.

Anyway, on to the source material.

The book isn't nearly as fast-paced as the movie, and that's a bad thing. Though Ludlom More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 03, 2008

Martine rated it:

As spy novels come, this one is pretty good. It has an intriguing premise, interesting characters and enough creepy details, action and plot twists to make you want to find out what happens next. In short, it's a definite page turner, and that, I believe, is the main prerequisite in this genre, with which I'm not terribly familiar.

The story, for those of you who haven't seen the rather loose film adaptation, is as follows. A youngish, bullet-riddled man is found more dead than alive More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Aug 07, 2010

Danaja rated it:

This book was my introduction to spy novels and its still the best I've read in that area. Incredibly detailed and full of suspense. My favorite spy and one of my favorite villains rolled in to one in to exhilarating package with fast pace action.If you like authentic tooch in what you read you'll love this! Must note that the movie is completely different from the book. In my opinion the book is a much better experience.

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 18, 2009

Dan rated it:

I read this book because I thoroughly enjoyed the movies and wanted to see how the author had originally tailored his tale. I think that Mat Damon has done a good job in following the gist of the plot. However, Damon has definitely changed the details.

The story is about a man with extraordinary talents who loses his memory. Although he loses hi identity, he finds that he has an uncanny ability to recognize and react to dangerous situations. He finds that he has knowledge of martial ar More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 30, 2007

Christian rated it:

Not like the movie -- well, maybe a LITTLE like the movie. But it was set in a different time with different politics and different technology. I still recommend it. I've never been much of a thriller reader, but I loved the Bourne movies, so I decided to give the books a try. Very good story, with lots of action and some nice twists. I do think Ludlum could do a better job with dialogue, though. Some things the characters say (or even think) just don't feel natural. Yeah, I know. It's j More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 12, 2011

Diannemason rated it:

Man, the movie was SO MUCH BETTER than the book. Of course, I want the first movie to be my life (I'm Marie) and then I want the second and third movie to not happen, so I'm a bit biased. But the story was kind of rambling and he kept chanting these half-memories to himself and there was all this buildup but no real conclusion*. It was kind of frustrating, as the book had been suspenseful and thrilling and exciting up until the confusing non-end.
*Perhaps these stories need to be read as a More...

0 comments like

Jan 05, 2011

Brian rated it:

7/30/2004 - 7/10

The Bourne Identity is a decent spy thriller about a man who loses his memory and tries to figure out who he is and why everyone wants him dead. It has a very tight plot that keeps you guessing and is a lot more winding than the recent movie. The plotting falls apart some towards the end with some holes, and the ending is pretty unsatisfying. The characters are not written very well, especially the romance which is rather nauseatingly over the top. It is still worthwhile thou More...

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Mar 04, 2009

Margaret rated it:

This book is not like the movie. There are a few similarities but Hollywood seems to think they have the right to change the story lines drastically when they make it into a movie. I did enjoy this book. I’m embarrassed to say that it took me two months to read. (Life has become very busy with a four month old). But every time I would pick it up after not reading for a week, I had the hardest time trying to remember what was happening and who all of the different characters were. I felt c More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 03, 2011

Harmonybites rated it:

Wow, by the end of chapter one I was already thinking this was one of the most ludicrous novels I've ever read. And given that I've been reading through a suspense novel recommendation list, with such doozies as Vince Flynn's Term Limits, Brad Thor's The Lions of Lucerne and Matthew Reilly's Ice Station that means Ludlum is setting a really low, low.

OK, there weren't any giant mutant seals at least, but right in the first pages our hero, later to be known as Jason Bourne, is shot mult More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 18, 2011

Louise rated it:

the original novel, by ludlum, upon which the films are based was published in 1980. it is the story of a man found, shot in the head, in the meditteranean sea. he is nursed back to health by an alcoholic ex-doctor but has lost his memory. certain place names hold special significance to him: zurich & the bank account engrained on a chip on his body and paris: he must find his way to paris. he makes his way to the bank and there he finds not only $5million but also his name: jason bourne. j More...

0 comments like

Jul 23, 2011

Erlyn rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Jun 11, 2011

Manugw rated it:

VERY TWISTED WITH A LOT OF ACTION AND A GREAT CHARACTER

Though I do not include Robert Ludlum among my favorite authors I have chosen to read The Bourne Identity since it was listed as a "must read" in a list compiled by fellow thriller authors and also had a good rating by readers from Amazon

The plot very long and convoluted with many storylines and associated subplots becomes a maze, forcing the reader to wonder many times and sometimes to read some pages more More...

0 comments like

Feb 22, 2011

Mumbo rated it:

Just now discovering the world of Jason Bourne. A fabulous book which has already led me to begin reading the second in the trilogy (actually written by Robert Ludlum).

I was a bit skeptical when I first began the book when I learned it was going to be an "assassin gets amnesia" story. I got over my skepticism quickly. Ludlum has a minimalist writing style that doesn't bog the read down in description. The writing is driving and exciting and at times ends one scene so abrupt More...

0 comments like

Feb 08, 2011

Kelanth, in tenebris lux tua rated it:

Lessi questo libro tanti e tanti anni fa, prima che questo primo volume tornò alla ribalta (e alla ristampa) per via dei film interpretati dal bravissimo Matt Damon. Il libro con il film (peraltro molto bello) ha a che fare come una formica con un elefante, ma in questo caso l'elefante lo fa il libro. Se il film è pieno di azione, il libro è adrenalinico, se il film ha alla base la cospirazione (Ludlum era soprannominato Mr. Plot [Signor Complotto]) il libro ne è così intriso da potervi far dubi More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 04, 2011

lconnor rated it:

The Bourne Identity is a 1980 spy fiction thriller novel by Robert Ludlum about a retrograde amnesiac who must discover who he is and why several groups, including an assassin and the CIA, are trying to kill him. It is the first of the original Bourne Trilogy by Ludlum. Reading Ludlum novels is like a roller coaster ride in that the ride is exciting all the way to the end. Of course, as soon as the Borne Supremacy was published, 1986, I had to read it. I waited in line to get the Bourne Ultim More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 26, 2011

Lisa rated it:

Sebenarnya buku ini sudah lamaaaa sekali ada di rak buku. Dibeli bersamaan dengan beredarnya filmnya. Hanya saja sayangnya, waktu itu baru beberapa lembar membaca sudah menonton filmnya. Dan kesanku terhadap filmnya sangat membosankan! (Maaf yaa kepada para penggemar film ini.... hehehe... hanya masalah selera kok..). Jadi malas dah meneruskan membaca bukunya.

Pikir2 lagi... seharusnya ingat bahwa film TIDAK selalu sama dengan bukunya. Bahwa seringkali buku LEBIH menarik dari filmnya. More...

0 comments like

Nov 07, 2010

Hannah rated it:

Whilst this is very old news for some, as it was my first time to touch a Ludlum book I was astonished that the storyline in this was utterly different to that in the film. Regardless, both storylines are excellent and in actual fact it gave me a whole new experience as I had no idea what would happen next.

The first paragraph threw me off a little, I didn't enjoy the description in it and was concerned for the rest of the book. However it rapidly improved and I enjoyed the general More...

0 comments like

Aug 18, 2010

Bagtree rated it:

This book caused me pain. Intense boredom, odd moments of indignation, and pain. It's poorly-paced. The prose is a clunky, redundant, pointlessly vague affront to all that is good in the English language. The dialogue is stilted and horrid. The characters are so robotic I begin to question whether Ludlum ever met a human being, and the "romance" is not only horribly oversold BUT PREDICATED ON BOURNE USING HIS LOVE INTEREST AS A HUMAN SHIELD. I don't care how many rapists a man rescues More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jul 23, 2010

Noor rated it:

Whilst Robert Ludlum isn't on my reading list, I managed to download this book for free on the Android version of the Laputa Book Reader. Obviously, I was interested in the book because of the fantastic Bourne films. I've read quite a number of books that have been made into films, but for some reason I was surprised at how different this book is from the film adaptation. Surprised in a good way. It is much more substantial in plot.

The Jason Bourne of the books is a much more sympath More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 28, 2010

Andreas rated it:

I admitted to have been very late reading this book. The motion picture was #1 New York Bestseller in 2002 (almost 8 years). However, as another Ludlum's novel, I quite enjoy the highly complex plot. The novel starts with a man that lost his memory to zero. He even did not remember his name. Yet, he possessed fantastic skills in weaponry, martial arts, first-state negotiation, five-star geo-political knowledge, three-foreign lingustics mastery, as well as having a tactical mind.
It mazed an More...

0 comments like

Jan 10, 2010

Sahil rated it:

First of all, I would like to let people know that this book is surprisingly different from the movie "rendition" by the same name. While they keep all the same names and many of the same locations, I would say there is a solid 75% of the book's plot that is totally not in the movie.

That being out of the way, I liked this book a lot. I went into reading the book with certain preconceived notions about it (e.g., I thought I knew the plot) and was pleasantly surprised to find More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 31, 2009

Patrick rated it:

Good book. I was very wary coming in, but for this genre, the profanity and sex was low. But there is definitely profanity if you're thinking of reading this.

The action is fun and for the most part the characters are interesting. The main antagonist, very different than the movie, is a little unbelievable--even in an action book full of unbelievable sequences--in that one individual sets up a network so extensive and pervasive with no government involvement and without anyone k More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 26, 2009

White rated it:

This book is smart intrigue. Recommended by my brother, Mike, I read through it, totally mesmerized by its circumstance. I was taken into every page and focused the entire time. This book was as real as life. The mystery was brilliant as the main character battled with a memory that abandoned him and the environment around him threatening his life at every turn. The author never divulged the secrets until he was ready for you to face them. That's what gives this book its power. I subseque More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 10, 2009

Mrs_M rated it:

This book is smart intrigue. Recommended by my brother, Mike, I read through it, totally mesmerized by its circumstance. I was taken into every page and focused the entire time. This book was as real as life. The mystery was brilliant as the main character battled with a memory that abandoned him and the environment around him threatening his life at every turn. The author never divulged the secrets until he was ready for you to face them. That's what gives this book its power. I subseque More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 04, 2009

Liang rated it:

Although many people only know of The Bourne Identity as one of Matt Damon’s better roles, it is also a book written by Robert Ludlum in the 1980’s. The spy-themed novel was once a #1 New York Times Bestseller that grabbed the attention of the public during the era where a military’s best weapon was an individual who could uncover top-secret military information from the opposing forces.
It begins with a man barely clinging to life when he is discovered by fishermen, nearly frozen More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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