Carly's review
The Innocent
by Harlan Coben
Surely the test of a good book is how compelling it is to read? A book is like a lover - sometimes you like it, sometimes you tell yourself that you hate it but you don't want to put it down. Pacing can only hold your attention if you genuinely want to know what happens next. And if the book makes you want to do that, then it's a good book.
Sorry, dude, but I don't buy it. If my lover is a mediocre person at the core but really entertaining at parties and when I'm kind of bored, I'm not going to marry him just because he has a few skillz. You can quote that to Harlan Coben, too. ;)
Do you judge a person by what he SAYS or what he DOES? You SAID it was a mediocre book. But what you DID was read it all the way through to the end! You didn't stop reading it and you even admitted that "I never really WANTED to stop reading it...all those 500+ pages."
Books are written to be READ. You READ it - and not out of a sense of duty to anyone else but because the content and style of the book forced you to keep reading.
To use the lover analogy again, if you SAY that your lover is mediocre but keep going back to him, what does that really mean... reading between the lines?
It probably means that your lover is abusive.
And by analogy, I suppose, the book abused you by being "mediocre" on the one hand yet "a page turner" on the other? ;-)
Well, YEAH. I mean gosh, how dare you try to win a debate like this with logic, anyway? Some people.... BTW, are we friends? Because if not, you should friend me so that we can have lots more arguments about books in the future.
I've sent you a friend request.
BTW one thing I've noticed about Harlan Coben's books, although they're very compelling they have very little aftertaste. Two weeks after reading one I can only vaguely remember what it was about.
I'm also a published author although my books are now out of print. I'm trying to break back into publishing with a new book written in the style of...
Harlan Coben...
David, you hypocrite. You didn't even list this book in your list of books you've read. PLUS, you've given every book you rated so far 5 stars. No wonder you think Harlan Coben is a literary genius. ;)
But I guess the facts that you are British and a published author make up for your hypocrisy... MAYBE. I'm an author, too. I would be happy to read your Harlan-Coben-ish book and tear it to shreds, if you'd like.
I only joined a few days ago and I haven't had time. I 5 rated some of my favourite books. I will go into more detail later.
I'd love to read some of your writing and would be happy to send you some of mine. In a hurry now (have to be in court for a friend). Will write back later.
Looking forward to being torn to shreds!¬ ;-)
And one of your friends is a criminal... the plot thickens! Sounds like you could be Harlan Coben better than Harlan Coben.
Do you mean the infamous Mr Stagg...
("Oi never trusted 'im Inspector... 'is eyes are too close togevver!")
Carly's review
The Innocent by Harlan Coben
Carly's review
rating:
bookshelves:
alreadyread--adultbooks
recommended for: fans of the Da Vinci Code
I bought this book by Harlan Coben after spotting it in a used bookstore and literally not being able to put it down during the ten minutes I was in there. I was with someone who clearly wanted to leave, and I didn't want to leave the book, so I bought it. I usually hate adult books and this really wasn't much of an exception.
It has a really gripping opening and Coben maintains that pace for the entirety of the book, so it's truly a page-turner and I never really wanted to stop reading it, but through all those 500+ pages I was asking myself why. Why can I not put the book down? Why is it so great? The answer is that it's not. I thought it was a very mediocre book-- but, much like The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, the pacing is such that you just never want to stop reading. It has some good lines, and Coben is clearly a great writer for the commercial...more
It has a really gripping opening and Coben maintains that pace for the entirety of the book, so it's truly a page-turner and I never really wanted to stop reading it, but through all those 500+ pages I was asking myself why. Why can I not put the book down? Why is it so great? The answer is that it's not. I thought it was a very mediocre book-- but, much like The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, the pacing is such that you just never want to stop reading. It has some good lines, and Coben is clearly a great writer for the commercial...more
Surely the test of a good book is how compelling it is to read? A book is like a lover - sometimes you like it, sometimes you tell yourself that you hate it but you don't want to put it down. Pacing can only hold your attention if you genuinely want to know what happens next. And if the book makes you want to do that, then it's a good book.
Sorry, dude, but I don't buy it. If my lover is a mediocre person at the core but really entertaining at parties and when I'm kind of bored, I'm not going to marry him just because he has a few skillz. You can quote that to Harlan Coben, too. ;)
Do you judge a person by what he SAYS or what he DOES? You SAID it was a mediocre book. But what you DID was read it all the way through to the end! You didn't stop reading it and you even admitted that "I never really WANTED to stop reading it...all those 500+ pages."Books are written to be READ. You READ it - and not out of a sense of duty to anyone else but because the content and style of the book forced you to keep reading.
To use the lover analogy again, if you SAY that your lover is mediocre but keep going back to him, what does that really mean... reading between the lines?
It probably means that your lover is abusive.
And by analogy, I suppose, the book abused you by being "mediocre" on the one hand yet "a page turner" on the other? ;-)
Well, YEAH. I mean gosh, how dare you try to win a debate like this with logic, anyway? Some people.... BTW, are we friends? Because if not, you should friend me so that we can have lots more arguments about books in the future.
I've sent you a friend request.BTW one thing I've noticed about Harlan Coben's books, although they're very compelling they have very little aftertaste. Two weeks after reading one I can only vaguely remember what it was about.
I'm also a published author although my books are now out of print. I'm trying to break back into publishing with a new book written in the style of...
Harlan Coben...
David, you hypocrite. You didn't even list this book in your list of books you've read. PLUS, you've given every book you rated so far 5 stars. No wonder you think Harlan Coben is a literary genius. ;)But I guess the facts that you are British and a published author make up for your hypocrisy... MAYBE. I'm an author, too. I would be happy to read your Harlan-Coben-ish book and tear it to shreds, if you'd like.
I only joined a few days ago and I haven't had time. I 5 rated some of my favourite books. I will go into more detail later.I'd love to read some of your writing and would be happy to send you some of mine. In a hurry now (have to be in court for a friend). Will write back later.
Looking forward to being torn to shreds!¬ ;-)
And one of your friends is a criminal... the plot thickens! Sounds like you could be Harlan Coben better than Harlan Coben.
Do you mean the infamous Mr Stagg...("Oi never trusted 'im Inspector... 'is eyes are too close togevver!")