anneduff's review against another edition
5.0
What a pleasure to find a book that completely absorbs you. This was pure escapism for me. No matter where my physical body was, I was with Pilgrim - watching him, traveling alongside him, listening to and looking out for him. I was utterly INVOLVED in this book. It's a very long book and, initially, I was concerned there might be a lot of padding but I didn't find a single extraneous page. I've added the author's next book to my wishlist and will be purchasing it when it's available.
isabellarobinson7's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3 stars
When I Am Pilgrim started, I seriously doubted that it would be any good. First of all, it was in first person, to which I vastly prefer third person, especially in a thriller. Second, Terry Hayes’ writing didn’t really impress me at all. It wasn’t particularly terrible in any way, but it certainly wasn’t anything special. And thirdly, the narrator on the audiobook I was listening to was talking seriously slow. I probably would have quit pretty early if I hadn't been able to increase the speed of the recording. Yet, despite all the red flags this book presented, I loved it!
I really enjoyed the narrative voice of Scott/Jude/Pilgrim/whatever and how it added to the whole feel of the story. I liked the angles it presented on working for the government, and the effects on a person's personal life.
The real highlight of I Am Pilgrim for me was the plot, the pacing and the action. The execution of the pacing was expertly done: it was slower in parts, but it never go so slow that it felt like it was dragging, and it sped up without feeling rushed. The timeline of the plot really benefited from this pacing, and lifted the quality of the rest of the novel.
That being said, the skeleton of the storyline was well planned out to begin with, so its quality was by no means completely reliant on its pacing. There was just the right amount of twists and turns to intrigue me, but not so much that it felt forced and unnatural. The premise was thrilling and worth being told, in all those hundreds of pages (or hours in terms of the audiobook). The bottom line being the plot didn't bore me (which is something I appreciate about any book; keeping me entertained for long periods of time is an epic feat in itself).
The action in I Am Pilgrim was exactly what I wanted. All too often I come across so-called "thriller" novels where the protagonist throws a few kicks and punches and calls it a day. That or the author needlessly puts characters in danger. The events Hayes created fell into this perfect place where they were not too out there so they were unbelievable to the reader, but were just different and abnormal enough that the reader stays entertained. The storyline of I Am Pilgrim is completely plausible, but not very likely.
All in all, I Am Pilgrim is a great book that deserves all the hype it receives. Highly recommend.
When I Am Pilgrim started, I seriously doubted that it would be any good. First of all, it was in first person, to which I vastly prefer third person, especially in a thriller. Second, Terry Hayes’ writing didn’t really impress me at all. It wasn’t particularly terrible in any way, but it certainly wasn’t anything special. And thirdly, the narrator on the audiobook I was listening to was talking seriously slow. I probably would have quit pretty early if I hadn't been able to increase the speed of the recording. Yet, despite all the red flags this book presented, I loved it!
I really enjoyed the narrative voice of Scott/Jude/Pilgrim/whatever and how it added to the whole feel of the story. I liked the angles it presented on working for the government, and the effects on a person's personal life.
The real highlight of I Am Pilgrim for me was the plot, the pacing and the action. The execution of the pacing was expertly done: it was slower in parts, but it never go so slow that it felt like it was dragging, and it sped up without feeling rushed. The timeline of the plot really benefited from this pacing, and lifted the quality of the rest of the novel.
That being said, the skeleton of the storyline was well planned out to begin with, so its quality was by no means completely reliant on its pacing. There was just the right amount of twists and turns to intrigue me, but not so much that it felt forced and unnatural. The premise was thrilling and worth being told, in all those hundreds of pages (or hours in terms of the audiobook). The bottom line being the plot didn't bore me (which is something I appreciate about any book; keeping me entertained for long periods of time is an epic feat in itself).
The action in I Am Pilgrim was exactly what I wanted. All too often I come across so-called "thriller" novels where the protagonist throws a few kicks and punches and calls it a day. That or the author needlessly puts characters in danger. The events Hayes created fell into this perfect place where they were not too out there so they were unbelievable to the reader, but were just different and abnormal enough that the reader stays entertained. The storyline of I Am Pilgrim is completely plausible, but not very likely.
All in all, I Am Pilgrim is a great book that deserves all the hype it receives. Highly recommend.
anniespx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hiltzmoore's review against another edition
5.0
Such a well done action/spy book. I loved the background story and suspense. I haven't read a book in this genre in a while and this kept my attention the entire time. I look forward to more books by this author and could picture this book being a movie.
coffey1134's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I never got bored and it was an exciting read. Highly recommend this book.
cancocom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ellastorey's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
glitterbomb47's review against another edition
3.0
Could have used serious editing. The foreshadowing was heavy handed and obvious and the hindsight hints were distracting and obnoxiously frequent.
afox98's review against another edition
5.0
An epic story that crosses time periods and parts of the world, this 600+ page book is a suspenseful page turner. Despite the length I was never bored. A murder in New York City, a beheading in Saudi Arabia, an operation in Turkey...all of it is linked and the events have one thing in common - a highly trained intelligence agent called Pilgrim. Extremely well-written story and great characters. Can't wait to read the next one.