herbert cohen
asked:
Why in the world would the author sully a work of fiction with his personal anti-Trump propaganda? I have been a fan of Mr. Silva for many years but will no longer buy any future works of his.
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Edward
Actually, I think his views pretty moderate. I've always admired the way he handles the Palestinian-Israeli conflict without fanaticism. Alon is protecting his nation, but recognizes the complexity of the history that brought about the terrorism he fights.
Earlier novels were quite subtle about the Trump affect on the international scene, but he is obviously shaken, as does virtually any well informed person who treasures democracy, by the emergence of a tribal authoritarian segment of our nation, which Trump exploited.
The pervasiveness of the delusional, epistemically disabled, views regarding Trump and the election are evident in other comments.
Earlier novels were quite subtle about the Trump affect on the international scene, but he is obviously shaken, as does virtually any well informed person who treasures democracy, by the emergence of a tribal authoritarian segment of our nation, which Trump exploited.
The pervasiveness of the delusional, epistemically disabled, views regarding Trump and the election are evident in other comments.
Jenny
Why in the world would you think the majority of people in the world think Trump is a good guy? He lost. Get over it.
Regina Kane
I agree with most of the negative reviews I just read on Goodreads after finishing this book. I've loved the Gabriel Allon character for so long, but he has become Daniel Silva's mouthpiece for expressing his political/social views. Last year it was Catholics, this year is Donald Trump, who will be on the cutting block next year? Daniel Silva probably doesn't care anymore if he offends fans, he has made a killing on this series and can afford to lose a few fans. I only wish he could see how one sided his views were in this book. He had Saint Martin as a character, he might as well have had Saint (fill in the names) Democrats as they are obviously the good guys with the purest of intentions and the only patriots (NOT).
JC McGowan
I agree. I hope he includes the current President and situations such as massive illegal boarder crossings, Afganistan, BLM and Antifia riots, burning, looting and deaths in his next book. Like you, I won't read another of his books as much as I love Gabriel Allon.
Ellyn
Because Silva is a man of integrity. Your loss.
JB Chimene
Silva's books are always set historically in the time period for those events. That is what makes these books so interesting. Current events always play a key role. Between the pandemic and the insurrection, surely you figured those would play a role in this book. Whitewashing history does not solve the issue.
James Bloch
I'm done with Mr. Silva after having read most of the Gabriel Allon series. Why would Mr. Silva now become so political, the stuff he states belongs on his wife's TV network, or in Hollywood, not in what has been a wonderful compelling series of books, wonderful characters and intrigue. This book reached our for a new low, which i did not expect. His message here was not what Allon was doing, it was to send out an anti Trump message. More than disappointed.
Herzog
I refer you to the author's note at the end of the book. Also, why are you not equally outraged at his references to Vladimir Vladimorovich?
Melissa
Oh dear. You're only hurting yourself by no longer reading his work. Poor you.
Barbara
And his dissing of Trump was the highlight of the book for me. Nothing he said wasn't true, accurate or without factual history. Thank goodness he writes what he feels.
Judy
I just read the book. I am totally disappointed. I agree with you. I am not interested in an author's political views.
Nancy Ellis
I am also sick of the political dreck some of these writers are spewing. I don't care who you like or hate. I've had it with this author. By the end of the book, I almost felt more sympathetic towards the Russians. Disgusting Facebook material.
Rob Nankin
Boo hoo, “I won’t read any more of Silva’s books” Trump has set this country back many years. He’s a racist, a rapist, an anti semite, and about the only thing he does right is manipulate the media. If you’re such a fan boy for Trump, I’m not surprised you still support this traitor. To borrow a chant from Trump fans, Lock him up!
Wdmoor
I was surprised and disappointed too. It was such a good book, vintage Silva...and then he had to pander to the Trump haters. And it was so unnecessary. He vented his spleen all over Catholics his last book. Now he's alienating the 74 million Trump voters. Who's next?
Ron
The truth couldn't be any plainer. Obviously you belong to Qanon, a fascist party, and where were you on January 6th?
You would have been supporting the British in 1776, no Democracy. What is wrong with you people?
You would have been supporting the British in 1776, no Democracy. What is wrong with you people?
Jaybehar
I agree and after awhile i skipped paragraphs. Shamefully and turned me off
Joe Santoni
Garbage from a good author... as for get over it... he lost... Can you believe how he is FAKING the outcome of the STATEWIDE AUDITS in AZ et al? :P
Bill Webb
With everything that was known, has come out, and continues to come out about Hillary and her law firm creating the false Trump Russia conspiracy you would have to think that the famed Israeli intelligence network represented in the book is BlueAnon! Silva seems to rely on CNN and looks a fool. People can dislike Trump, partly his own fault but a LOT due to the media and people like Silva, but this is over the top crapola from Silva. The not so veiled suggestion that Trump would call his Russian "buddy" to get a woman killed is SICK!
Bruce Jackson
I’ve read 15+ books from Daniel Silva and enjoyed every one. However this book is shockingly littered with numerous references to the “January 6, 2021 Insurrection Hoax” eleven separate incidences of bashing our former President’s character and propping up his wife Jaime Gangell’s clueless race-baiting employer, CNN every chance he gets.
Shame on Daniel Silva. I never signed up to hear his politically regressive, Marxist, BLM ideology. No more. I’m done.
Shame on Daniel Silva. I never signed up to hear his politically regressive, Marxist, BLM ideology. No more. I’m done.
Intoxicating Pages
Fans of Trump read?
Ty B
I couldn’t finish the last book and thought I would quit Daniel Silva. Now I’m finishing the Cellist. It was barely ok. I gave it 2 stars.
I really am disappointed when an author gets political.
I see a lot of the folks here getting hot and bothered when someone like me says something bad about an author getting political. Shows how divided we are as a nation. That being said the dividers are these same liberals getting nasty because someone says they don’t like how their author is getting political. People, grow a brain, your liberal leanings is fine but so are the right leanings. Your far left over Covid fearing political leanings are actually changing the very fabric of America. For the worst! Look at California. Look at crime, Russia and Ukrainian, the border, economy, Afghanistan. Open your eyes. Nobody would like what’s happening.
Anyway, the book was better then the last but for a long time he’s been sucking. I’ve read every one as I’m a voracious reader. Ol’ Daniel hasn’t been great ever and now he just sucks.
I really am disappointed when an author gets political.
I see a lot of the folks here getting hot and bothered when someone like me says something bad about an author getting political. Shows how divided we are as a nation. That being said the dividers are these same liberals getting nasty because someone says they don’t like how their author is getting political. People, grow a brain, your liberal leanings is fine but so are the right leanings. Your far left over Covid fearing political leanings are actually changing the very fabric of America. For the worst! Look at California. Look at crime, Russia and Ukrainian, the border, economy, Afghanistan. Open your eyes. Nobody would like what’s happening.
Anyway, the book was better then the last but for a long time he’s been sucking. I’ve read every one as I’m a voracious reader. Ol’ Daniel hasn’t been great ever and now he just sucks.
Diane
Seems to be the norm with writers lately....maybe this is their platform instead of all the other social media ways to voice their opinion....personally, I don't find it adds to the story, but it won't stop me from reading their books.
Pamela Buckner
Great. You don’t deserve him.
Karen
It's contemporary foreign intrigue, so of course it's going to be political.
The fact that Silva places the story in the real events that we know and experience makes it even better. If you want alternative facts to support your novels, you'll need to look elsewhere.
The fact that Silva places the story in the real events that we know and experience makes it even better. If you want alternative facts to support your novels, you'll need to look elsewhere.
Patt
Considering the world situation in Feb/March 2022, the political observations are pretty spot on.
Pete Skurla
I was repulsed by how Silva spewed his political biases with his personal spin on the Trump presidency. He didn't make any attempt to mask his version of the story. His fictional writing extended into his false portrayal of the Trump presidency.
Last Silva book I will read. He really spoiled a string of good fictional books.
Last Silva book I will read. He really spoiled a string of good fictional books.
Bill
Silva has become as sad and old as Gabriel and it's time for them both to retire. Both the characters and the author have become so bored that they have to offend 50% of the American public to generate some sort of interest. Silva seemed to be slipping further left in his writings, but I guess I'll never understand why a supporter of Israel could support the left. I read that 63% of Israelis support Trump, so go figure. To each his own!
Ken Brown
This answer contains spoilers…
(view spoiler)
Martin
Regardless of how angry Trumps four years make most of us, an espionage thriller is not the place for political posturing. I share Mr Silva’s feelings but would rather enjoy his books without the propaganda.
Gr
Four years later, having watched a weaponized DOJ, and listened to mainstream media, Hollywood elites, and congressional leadership all try to convince us they know better than us, we are now learning more and more about what was hidden from the public about Jan 6th. Things were not so black and white as many including mainstream media and Mr. Silva would like to claim, Mistakes were made by many, however, Machiavelli could not have manipulated the public better than the media and congressional leadership. Whether Mr. Silva was complicit in spreading propaganda or fell for it, his false portrayal of Trump in a fictional book has led to the loss of my respect, and while he probably does not care, he has lost a reader.
Terry
That’s a great recommendation! Thank you, now I’ll definitely read it!
Janet Harris
His work isn't just anti-Trump. Over the series, every country is exposed to his reflections. I do wish, however, that with the recent turn of affairs he could write a novel which is about Israel ignoring the one state solution - and the recent consequences.
Joshua Wilson
His pro Biden anti-Trump rant hasn't aged well. Here it is 2024 and Bidens incompetent handling of domestic and international affairs makes anyone of intellectual integrity long for the Trump years. How many terrorists have infiltrated Bidens porous border? At least Bidens incompetence makes for great future plotlines...if the author has a shred of intellectual integrity.
Tony Fryer
. . . finally finished reading "The Cellist" . . . quite honestly the final chapter, and then his "explaining" in his own words in the credits portion were no better, in fact "word for word" ( bad habits from Joe Biden perhaps ), of the likes of MSNBC, CNN, New York Times, WashPo . . . goodness, I opened this book to take me into a creative artist / author's mind in their writing . . . AND Daniel ruined that . . . back to having finished this book, honestly, the final pages took longer to read than the first half of the book . . . another something that WARNED me something was not right with Daniel's writing in this book, his OVER EMPHASIZING the vaccine, booster and masking behavior of COVID 19 - which presently is being critically questioned as to how "UN SCIENTIFIC" these actions truly were . . . and yet Daniel wove that narrative throughout this book . . . give your political opinions a rest, don't infect your Gabriel Allon character & adventures with your opinion INSTEAD write an essay or editorial in the NYT or WaPo for heavens sake . . . just my opinion . . .
Connie Foster
Hello?? Is it possible that Alon's viewpoint might be that Trump is vile and dishonest and a risk to world security? Alon goes out and risks his life and his family's life to contribute to Israeli and US intelligence. And Trump started his presidency with a complete lack of respect for intelligence by sharing it with the Russian ambassador. ALON's point of view to Trump's needlessly endangering lives would be extremely negative. Silva's books are about politics and world relations and set in current times. Yeah, a negative view of Trump could happen. And the people who think Silva is writing about his own point of view--maybe Silva and Alon line up in a lot of ways. And, it is possible to be a supporter of Israel while not supporting Trump or Republicans.
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