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167th out of 330 books
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Master of the Game
WHO IS KATE BLACKWELL? She is the symbol of success, the beautiful woman who parlayed her inheritance into an international conglomerate. Winner of a unique position among the wealthy and world-renowned. And she's a survivor, indomitable as her father, the man who returned from the edge of death to wrench a fortune in diamonds from the bleak South African earth. Now, celeb...more
Mass Market Paperback, 496 pages
Published
July 2nd 1988
by Warner Books
(first published August 28th 1982)
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This is a saga of a millionaire family spanning five generations during the XX century from the beginning of times in South Africa where a recent arrived Scottish penny less cunning and ambitious immigrant, Jamie Blackwell pushed his luck to make the beginning of a huge fortune in the diamond business, all the way to the end of the century where his daughter Kate almost ninety years old get desperate to find her successor to run the family now multi million dollar conglome...more
This is a saga of a millionaire family spanning five generations during the XX century from the beginning of times in South Africa where a recent arrived Scottish penny less cunning and ambitious immigrant, Jamie Blackwell pushed his luck to make the beginning of a huge fortune in the diamond business, all the way to the end of the century where his daughter Kate almost ninety years old get desperate to find her successor to run the family now multi million dollar conglome...more
Sheldon's story of big business, lust, greed, and revenge spans four generations, starting with Jamie McGregor, who leaves Scotland in 1850 to strike it rich in the diamond fields of South Africa. He overcomes many hardships, becomes a millionaire, and starts the Kruger-Brent company.
His daughter, Kate, pushes the company until it becomes a world-wide conglomerate, and moves her headquarters to America. To her chagrin, her son Tony wants to be a painter, not a businessman. His twin ...more
His daughter, Kate, pushes the company until it becomes a world-wide conglomerate, and moves her headquarters to America. To her chagrin, her son Tony wants to be a painter, not a businessman. His twin ...more
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Over the top. Melodrama. Those words are fair. So are page turning, brilliantly plotted, and attention-grabbing.
How I came to read it: In what feels like another lifetime, I dated a gentleman who was fixing up a '71 Mustang, and pre-internet, the only way to acquire the right parts was to personally cruise junkyards looking for them.
He would pop the hoods of each derelict, and I'd pop the trunks looking for abandoned treasures. I found a copy of this book in one of those trun...more
How I came to read it: In what feels like another lifetime, I dated a gentleman who was fixing up a '71 Mustang, and pre-internet, the only way to acquire the right parts was to personally cruise junkyards looking for them.
He would pop the hoods of each derelict, and I'd pop the trunks looking for abandoned treasures. I found a copy of this book in one of those trun...more
I've started this book a little bit late, and I was yawning through the story of Jamie in the first place. When he hit the jackpot, the plot seemed a bit interesting. And then, the plot continued with Kate's story, followed Tony, and the twins, Eve and Alexandria.
The story maybe fast paced, but in certain areas it seemed subtle in certain places. For example, how Kate is portrayed as a woman who gets anything that she wanted, including how she tricked her husband and her own son. Bu...more
The story maybe fast paced, but in certain areas it seemed subtle in certain places. For example, how Kate is portrayed as a woman who gets anything that she wanted, including how she tricked her husband and her own son. Bu...more
A close friend's stepfather insisted me to read this novel "Master of the Game" by Sidney Sheldon telling me that it was one of his all-time favorite novels. He even felt obliged to lend me his copy. Well, what could I say? I looked at the paperback book and it's nearly 500 pages long. I finished the book anyway. It is about four generations of McGregor family. So, it's more like an epic story. My only favorite part was the captivating story about Jamie McGregor's adventures and how he...more
From the Back of the Book:
Kate Blackwell is the symbol of success, the beautiful woman who parlayed her inheritance into an international conglomerate. Winner of unique position among the wealthy and world-renowned, she's also a survivor as indomitable as her father, who returned from the edge of death to wrench a fortune in diamonds from the hard South African soil. Now, celebrating her ninetieth birthday, Kate surveys the family she has manipulated, dominated, and loved: the fair and th...more
Kate Blackwell is the symbol of success, the beautiful woman who parlayed her inheritance into an international conglomerate. Winner of unique position among the wealthy and world-renowned, she's also a survivor as indomitable as her father, who returned from the edge of death to wrench a fortune in diamonds from the hard South African soil. Now, celebrating her ninetieth birthday, Kate surveys the family she has manipulated, dominated, and loved: the fair and th...more
i got this book and mutant message down under back when i was 15 or so from a friend. i traded her 'the stand' and another book for these two.
i remembered mmdu and thought of it as a book that opened up my ideas of life and fell back on the idea of that book as a building block for my future. whatever the hell that means.
but, i couldnt recall this book. and i thought that this book changed me in a similar way. fast forward about 13 years and i find that lady again via...more
i remembered mmdu and thought of it as a book that opened up my ideas of life and fell back on the idea of that book as a building block for my future. whatever the hell that means.
but, i couldnt recall this book. and i thought that this book changed me in a similar way. fast forward about 13 years and i find that lady again via...more
WOW! This book is truly a wow. A great break from the classic lit I've been consuming. IT's a page-turning story of mystery, courage, sex, money and power.
It is set up as a biography. Of the life of 'Kate Blackwell' and her company 'Kruger-Brent ltd'. Even though it could be looked at as a biography it quickly turns into a page-turning suspenseful adventure story, a murder mystery, and a tragedy.
Read as the life of Kate Blackwell and tells the story of the family throug...more
It is set up as a biography. Of the life of 'Kate Blackwell' and her company 'Kruger-Brent ltd'. Even though it could be looked at as a biography it quickly turns into a page-turning suspenseful adventure story, a murder mystery, and a tragedy.
Read as the life of Kate Blackwell and tells the story of the family throug...more
I know what you're thinking. "How can you possibly rate this soap opera of a novel as highly as The Bell Jar?! You have lost all credibility now that you've included pseudo-romance novels on your goodreads list!"
All I can say is, this book is the literary equivalent of crack.
Sidney Sheldon is a surprisingly talented writer, and the plot twists are many and dramatic. You might throw your copy against a wall in frustration over a character's actions. You wi...more
All I can say is, this book is the literary equivalent of crack.
Sidney Sheldon is a surprisingly talented writer, and the plot twists are many and dramatic. You might throw your copy against a wall in frustration over a character's actions. You wi...more
its my third book from sidney sheldon. i started it last night and even though today is a work day, i've already read more than 200 pages! im losing my sleep for "just one more page" and god knows i'm gonna read all of his books now! definately a good one but it drove me nuts at some points! but till now, its like so good!
ok change of review after reading the book!
its my third book from sidney sheldon. and i finihed it in like 2 days. loved it in the beginning b...more
ok change of review after reading the book!
its my third book from sidney sheldon. and i finihed it in like 2 days. loved it in the beginning b...more
Sidney Sheldon in his book Master of the Game , describes the unique story of Kate Blackwell, the protagonist of the novel – through the journey of a girl and her metamorphosis into a woman. A trip down the dynamic memory lanes from her early teens to her old age. The novel portrays four generations captured into one book - all of them striking in their own way. The novel is not only mind blowing but also awe inspiring.
The whole plot revolves around Kate Blackwell. The novel begins with he...more
The whole plot revolves around Kate Blackwell. The novel begins with he...more
I first read this book 24 years ago in the summer after 7th grade. I was burned out from required reading and couldn't settle on anything new to read. My mom suggested this title, and I devoured it; it reminded me that reading can be fun, and I loved that my mother trusted me to handle the ::ahem:: "adult" material.
Fast forward to three days ago. I had purchased a copy of the book at a used book sale a few weeks back for old-times' sake (and because it was only 50 cents)...more
Fast forward to three days ago. I had purchased a copy of the book at a used book sale a few weeks back for old-times' sake (and because it was only 50 cents)...more
My first Sidney Sheldon book, I started out with him too late.A good book! Not great or bad...just a good book! There were times in this book when I felt that this book was a bunch of crap! There is lot of betrayals, dirty sex and lies. I got confused by the different generations of evil! I got fed up of Kate's and Eve's bitch-itudes! The whole empire was built upon lies! Well, another thing about this book is that I didn't have to wait till the end to know who did what! The betrayal and the per...more
About ten pages into this book I was reminded of a time when the book publishing world was full of these kinds of sprawling, multi-generational sagas that were just begging to be made into television mini-series events. I had read some of those books, but I'd never read any by Sidney Sheldon. This book was compulsively readable, especially the first half, with its descriptions of diamond-fever in South Africa, and its larger-than-life characters. By the second half, I was usually a step ahead...more
AWESOME!!!! book
once you start reading you can never stop
Book 1
chapter 1: the last sentence( when his mule dies) really caught me by surprise.
chapter 2-3-4 and 5 are good.
chapter 7 was like a drug once you start it is so suspenseful you have to continue.
chapter 9 the last sentence of this chapter brought me in to tears
chapter 10 its a shame to find out that Jamie kept running away from his responsibilities as a father and was treating his wife like some sort of...more
once you start reading you can never stop
Book 1
chapter 1: the last sentence( when his mule dies) really caught me by surprise.
chapter 2-3-4 and 5 are good.
chapter 7 was like a drug once you start it is so suspenseful you have to continue.
chapter 9 the last sentence of this chapter brought me in to tears
chapter 10 its a shame to find out that Jamie kept running away from his responsibilities as a father and was treating his wife like some sort of...more
When I put this book down, I only had one thought. I want to read that again. This is by far hands down my favorite book and probably one of the best imo. You get taken on this adventure into the life a kid trying to make it for himself. By using sheer wits and ingenuity he pulls of the impossible and succeeds of course there were many hardships he faced some which will make you frustrated and others cry. And just when you couldn't imagine it getting better he has twins. We follow the life of on...more
This book is one of my most coveted books. I stumbled upon this book at a trift store about a year ago. It was a very lucky accident. I love that this covers not just one generation of trials and tribulations but rather two. It was written beautifully and only a true master of literature could have accomplished such a literary feat. Today was the day I found out that the author is Sidney Sheldon for the name had been scratched off my copy. I love the way everything is dramatic and spicy yet ther...more
This is one of my all time favourites! I read it after I saw the mini series on TV and was absorbed into it. On some levels the book was better but I remember being awed by Dianne Cannon's acting. She played herself from a young teenage girl through to an aging grandmother and did it with finesse. I will have to get it out of the book shelf and re-read it a bit to finish this review but the story starts with her dad and how he became a wealthy businessman. How she learnt business with flying col...more
Well i really didn't see much of the difference between this and "Starts shine Down". Yes the story is more gripping with more twists but the topic is nearly same...taking on the world even if u start from nothing.
Some of the escape sequences in the novel are great...especially the Jamie's escape...
The way tony was treated wasn't great...i mean kate did a really big mistake by doing such a thing to a talented artist...
in the end i thought the plot of eve and alexandra...more
Some of the escape sequences in the novel are great...especially the Jamie's escape...
The way tony was treated wasn't great...i mean kate did a really big mistake by doing such a thing to a talented artist...
in the end i thought the plot of eve and alexandra...more
Whenever I wanna read a mystery or thriller book; I go to Sheldon.
The master of the game was recommended by myu aunt who likes Sheldon too. This was the second Sheldon book that I have read and this is really amazing and jaw-dropping.
It's a story about the MacGregor/Blackwell family and how they became successful in business.
The story starts with the 90th birthday of Kate Blackwell and she goes into flashbacks of how Jamie MacGregor goes to Africa to find diam...more
The master of the game was recommended by myu aunt who likes Sheldon too. This was the second Sheldon book that I have read and this is really amazing and jaw-dropping.
It's a story about the MacGregor/Blackwell family and how they became successful in business.
The story starts with the 90th birthday of Kate Blackwell and she goes into flashbacks of how Jamie MacGregor goes to Africa to find diam...more
Buku paling aku suka dalam banyak2 buku tulisan Sidney Sheldon. TERBAIK! mengisahkan pengembaraan seorang pencari berlian, Ewan Mcgregor to be precise. dia bermula di Afrika Selatan, kemudian dalam pencarian dia kena tipu, hampir terbunuh kemudian bangkit menjadi kaya raya. Jalan cerita nya panjang sangat tapi itu yang buat aku puas baca sebab cerita sangat kompleks tapi detail. Berlapis generasi sampailah cerita pasal Kate Blackwell, mogul kepada sebuah empire super gah Amerika zaman Industrial...more
Second book I've read by Mr. Sheldon. It's an amazing, sweeping family saga that pulls you in from the beginning and holds you until the end. You both love and hate and cry for the characters throughout the novel.
It starts with diamonds in South Africa and a young Scot determined to make a fortune. Then vegence takes over, twisting him into a leader of a powerful clan.
Violent, twisty, filled with love, hate, and everything in between, this is a novel you won't soon forget. If anyone is the 'Mast...more
It starts with diamonds in South Africa and a young Scot determined to make a fortune. Then vegence takes over, twisting him into a leader of a powerful clan.
Violent, twisty, filled with love, hate, and everything in between, this is a novel you won't soon forget. If anyone is the 'Mast...more
This book was absolutely terrific. It begins with Jamie McGregor setting out to find his fortune in the S. Aftrcan diamond mines in 1850. He becomes a millionaire and starts a company,Kruger-Brent. The company is left to his daughter, Kate,who turns the company into a multi-national conglomerate. Her son decides to persue art instead of business so Kate must run the company until her twin granddaughters come of age. The girls are as different as night and day and one will do anything to get con...more
This genre isn't usually to my taste, but I have to admit that I enjoyed this when I read it (years and YEARS ago, so I've probably forgotten many of the plot points). It's trashy and silly, and as one person below comments, there aren't any truly likeable characters in the lot. Everyone is either conniving and evil, or they're (mostly) a saintly, clueless victim. But it's fun to watch the various stories spin out of control, and to see some of the worst (but not THE worst, in my opinion) get wh...more
I was really thinking about giving this book 3 stars. But I guess I really enjoyed reading it. The book is a classic thriller. Always keeping you guessing. There are some not-so-required sex scenes here and there which were a real put-off. Otherwise the research on the subject or the imagination was really superb.
As usual, Sheldon's characters were strong. Things happened at the last moment.
The ending could've been better. After reading the whole novel, I wanted it to end with a BA...more
As usual, Sheldon's characters were strong. Things happened at the last moment.
The ending could've been better. After reading the whole novel, I wanted it to end with a BA...more
First Novel I ever read as far as I can recall and I was still in my grade school reading a very adult themed book and I was hooked into reading pretty much by then. My neighbor let me browse thru with her collection and decided to start reading up and it was just that she had all Sheldon's in her book case at that time and I really had no choice but to read Sheldons then. I like Sheldon books because of its straight forwardness. Almost like watching a hollywood movie in my head and that's a goo...more
This is one of my favorites. It is an epoch tale that spans four generations. I starts with a young man leaving his poor family as a teen and moving to Africa to dig for diamonds. It's an awesome adventure and the book follows his life through his daughter, grandson, and twin great granddaughters. The grandson and his daughters were raised wealthy and spoiled. They had no idea how hard it was for the young man at the beginning to leave his family or how he had to struggle to obtain and to k...more
Actually I got this book from my Aunt, she loves reading Sidney Sheldon novels and the book itself is old, hmm I love those old books.. So, I decided to give it a try. . It's been a week that I haven't continue this.. Whole week for exams and tons to study. The story here is per generation.. Starting with Jamie McGregor, then her daughter Kate Blackwell,then her son Tony, and lastly Kate's two granddaughters Eve and Alexandra.
the Main Characters, Kate Blackwell is manipulative. She ...more
the Main Characters, Kate Blackwell is manipulative. She ...more
it is a beautiful tale about revenge, deception, power, lust and money . the author handled the plot in an ingenious style !
The story begins with Kate Blackwell's 90th birthday. That day when she was surounded by family and friends who not only look up to her but have no clue of what her true life had been like. to kate it was a party filled with gohsts of her past. when her great grandson Robbie begins to play the piano we are taken back to the origin of the family's fortune with kate's f...more
The story begins with Kate Blackwell's 90th birthday. That day when she was surounded by family and friends who not only look up to her but have no clue of what her true life had been like. to kate it was a party filled with gohsts of her past. when her great grandson Robbie begins to play the piano we are taken back to the origin of the family's fortune with kate's f...more
I'm debating between one or two stars for this book because parts of it are interesting, but I'm a book-a-day gal and this was not a page-turner. I planned to really like this book, but it wouldn't let me.
The first few chapters are like those in a horror movie, where the dumb girl is walking through the not-so-empty house and hears something and decides to go up there empty handed to see what it was instead of calling the cops. It's the case of the reader knowing the guy is about to be...more
The first few chapters are like those in a horror movie, where the dumb girl is walking through the not-so-empty house and hears something and decides to go up there empty handed to see what it was instead of calling the cops. It's the case of the reader knowing the guy is about to be...more
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Was an American writer who won awards in three careers—a Broadway playwright, a Hollywood TV and movie screenwriter, and a best-selling novelist. His TV works spanned a 20-year period during which he created I Dream of Jeannie (1965-70), Hart to Hart (1979-84), and The Patty Duke Show (1963-66), but it was not until after he turned 50 and began writing best-selling novels such as Master of the Gam...more
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“I'm a woman. I have a right to change my mind.”
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“Business is a game, played for fantastic stakes, and you're in competition with experts. If you want to win, you have to learn to be a master of the game.”
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