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<![CDATA[new comment from jzhunagev]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/243246-books-and-movies
jzhunagev made a comment in the Filipinos group:
Kaya kasi nacancel kasi hindi nyo ko kasama!
So that's why you bought the book of Lovey Bones... I've also been hunting for that book...
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<![CDATA[new comment from jzhunagev]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/136836-answer-with-a-question
jzhunagev made a comment in the Filipinos group:
It doesn't seem so, Beng; why?
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<![CDATA[new comment from jzhunagev]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/213450-filipino-group-shout-outs
jzhunagev made a comment in the Filipinos group:
What is that book under Teacher Man? Is it World Without End by ken Follett?
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<![CDATA[new comment from jzhunagev]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/236698-november-mystery-the-shadow-of-the-wind-by-carlos-ruiz-zafon-spoiler-f
jzhunagev made a comment in the Filipinos group:
This is for Lynai. I've read your review of The Lucky One. You seem to be a tad disappointed of the book. Well you really wanna cry buckets of tears then why don't you try to hunt and find this book.
The book's biggest twist will certainly make you crestfallen and depressed for days. This book is a serious look at solitude. Just try and read this one for yourself.
I'll guarantee you'll love this one!
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<![CDATA[new comment from jzhunagev]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/246352-what-was-the-first-stephen-king-book-you-read
jzhunagev made a comment in the Stephen King Fans group:
I'm just starting to read Uncle Stevie's works. So that means I'm a newly initiated Constant(though the term is not that yet applicable to me) Reader. Right now I'm starting to read The Dead Zone. This is also the first King movie I've watched and that took much of the excitement reading the book now. I plan to read Uncle Stevie's enormous bibliography chronologically, but as The Dead Zone is one of his early novels that I have now, I have to make do with it. But I've been dying to read The Shining.
Right now I'm collecting all of his books in its hardcover first trade edition...
So please wish me luck that I will complete this endeavor...
This gripping spy story centers on the secret preparations of the Allies during the World War II for the invasion of Normandy (now remembered as the D-Day), notably the deceptive build up of forces in the Southeast England to trick Germans into thinking that the Allies would invade via the Pas de Calais. The storyline takes us through the exploits of Henry Faber, a dangerous and very effective German spy planted in the England before the war, who discovers the Allies’ big secret and runs out of the British Isles in order to personally deliver this vital information to Germany. This follows a thrilling and exciting chase as British MI5 agents, Percival Godliman and Frederick Bloggs, are hot for the trail to capture Faber—by hook or by crook—as the novel plunges to its dramatic climax in a storm battered island inhabited by the couples David and Lucy Rose where the final chapters take place. Follett’s spy novel has been celebrated for its exciting action and interesting characters which had sold millions of copy since it was first published and continues to be regarded as a classic in World War II literature of suspense and adventure.
On Faber and Follett’s Terrific Character Development
History being the broad canvass, what makes this novel all the more compelling is what’s in the canvass—the characters that people Eye of the Needle.
Follett gives no non-sense when he introduces Henry Faber in the first chapter as a thoroughly professional spy. Faber’s dangerous dimension of his character is revealed in a sudden burst of violence he unleashes on his unsuspecting landlady, Ms. Garden, when she stumbles upon him sending a coded message, shocking the hell out of the reader by Faber’s quick and deadly force and his cold vicious dedication to his mission. Right away the reader is confronted with the scene establishing who the reader is dealing with and what’s at stake.
For me Faber exhibits all the kick-ass traits that the thriller genre demands of a spy. For one, he is sophisticated and knowledgeable about minor aspects of his job. At the same time he is quick to respond to surprises and emergencies with cunning and effectiveness. Faber is regarded by some of his superiors as the best spy in the field, yet he has contempt for authority that seems to arise from his own sense of importance; he is noted among his peers for taking every occasion to insult and deride his senior officers. And this in my opinion makes this fine novel unique—making the enemy spy the protagonist, which makes the story all the more intriguing. Seemingly, Faber could be the spy the reader wants to win, but the author distances him at arms length—lest the reader dare come too close and be impaled by his deadly stiletto. While the novel follows Faber throughout, it maintains a delicate balance between presentation of his skills, intelligence, daring and dedication and recognition to the serious danger he poises.
Percival Godliman, Faber’s chief opponent, is a historian and an expert on the Middle Ages. In the second chapter of the book the reader certainly feels that he is to play the part of the reluctant hero. With this, Godliman is contrasted with Faber because he is the one who was pressed into service by the demands of the situation—making him the amateur in this “game” of wild goose chase. Though he possesses the tools for intelligence work, he can only apply it on questions regarding history. Although Godliman’s character does no change during the course of the novel, one thing he learned was to pay more attention to the world around him. He learns as well to depend on others and value their experiences and perceptions in important matters. Godliman and Faber are two parallel characters, but what makes the former exceed the latter is his ability to learn from and respond to other people. Faber has no chance to open up to other people—and when he did change his usual reserve, it proved fatal and lead to his downfall.
Frederic Bloggs has been an investigator for the Scotland Yard before joining the ranks of MI5. He in many ways complements Godliman’s strength. His is a practical and direct intelligence. Godliman’s role is extended through him as he is the one who will scour through reports and do other mundane and difficult tasks necessary to catch the spy. Bloggs is the epitome of a good solid English citizen who is dedicated, honest, and loving—especially to his wife Christine, a brave ambulance driver during the Biltz.
The last central characters are David and Lucy Rose a young married couple during the war—two ordinary people who want a piece of what true happiness can offer amidst a grief-stricken world. Yet by a sudden twist of fate, it’s not war that will bring them apart, but an accident that will slowly ruin their marriage. Later in the novel, David and Lucy returns as they begin life anew on a windswept island: a retreat to the world owing to David’s lost of his legs due to the crash. David became bitter and emotionally scarred by his loss and unwilling to carry on further intimate relationship with Lucy. Lucy is presented as a strong and mature character making her endear to the reader as she resolves to be strong enough to survive on the island with her bitter husband and infant son.
Plot Structure
Eye of the Needle’s plot is fast moving and action packed. Follett deserves my respect, ‘cause for his first bestseller he knows how to build action and suspense and meld them so well. Although the plot is actually following four story line—that of Faber, the Rose family, the British Secret Service, and the German Intelligence Department—the plot never becomes confused as the separate story lines come together very slickly.
I mapped out her what each part of the book is for to give an over-all outline how brilliantly Follett outlined this novel. Part One introduces the main players in what will be an extraordinary chase. Part Two sets up the specific chase that will dominate the rest of the novel. Part Three lays down the first phase of the actual chase. Part Four offers a curious balance of the increased frenzy of the chase with the strange pause and peace of the cottage life when Faber got stuck in Storm Island. Part Five gets down to the business of the consequences of deception and the beginnings of the final struggle. Part Six of the novel opens up with the definition of the final stage of the pursuit and of the novel’s conclusion.
In hindsight, I realized that the novel contain six parts, each with six chapters (except the last which has seven). Each part has the same symmetry wherein the first chapter always deals with the current status of the spy, the second with the spy catchers, and so until the sixth which always tell of the international military consequences of what has gone before.
Readers may not notice the structure because the opening parts lay out the elements of the plot so well that the repetition of the pattern in the subsequent parts takes on a familiar and comfortable feel. As the vents of the novel move quickly through a variety of settings and situations, the structure ensures that the focus stays on the central characters while the plot continues to develop. Hence, the novel is character-driven.
Themes
By setting this novel during World War II, Follett underscores the main theme of the novel: the defense of democratic traditions against Nazi aggression which also happens to be the common theme in literature in that period. In large and small ways the British people exemplified the spirit of resistance and commitment to democratic values. Characters need not spend too much time evaluating the merits of the struggle; it’s given that fighting for democracy is their primary task.
Consequently, another theme that the novel illustrates is that of patriotism in the actions of its characters. The novel’s focus on the commitment people make to the values that under gird their lives counter any tendency toward cynicism about war efforts that might otherwise arise in the novel about spies and their pursuers.
The value of individual intelligence and instinct over the unthinking imperatives of large organizations is another theme that the novel represents.
The novel repeatedly reminds the reader how much any democratic society operates through trust and a sense of security. In the encounters between Faber and the British people, the novel argues for trust and openness as central characteristics of a free, democratic society.
Why the Title?
The novel’s title alludes both to the statement in the New Testament by Christ that “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for someone who is rich to enter the Kingdom of the God” (Mark 10:25) and the conventional wisdom about the difficulty of finding a needle in a haystack. This needle is dangerous because it is the stiletto that he carries and uses often, of course, but also because he acts as a spy, that is, his “eye” poses a threat.
Conclusion If you are into chase books or movies, this book turned out to be extremely good and got better and better as it progressed. It was thrilling and all-around bone-chilling. The Eye of the Needle didn’t cease to amaze me for one second. Although very violent, it’s addictive. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in a good spy novel.