Reviews

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

jackobotts's review

dark mysterious 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

3.75

jollymo9's review against another edition

4.0

I like this book. I truly do. I listened to it on audible, which at some points was hard because it has mystery thriller aspects and I know that if I was reading it hard copy I would have finished it much quicker, and honestly I just wanted to speed through it so I could find out what happened! Another thing that made it slow going was that there were so many men in this novel that I disliked with the whole of my being. So many people with so many agendas and so many prejudices. It made it hard to read at points. I really did like Scott the main character, and the way that he was written seemed very real. I think that the author got the way a situation like this would play out very well. In the sense that the media and the investigation really intruded on the healing process of the victims. It was realistic. This is a good read. I throughly recommend it. And even though it was slow going on audible I think that listening to the audio book had its perks as I feel connected to the characters and I understand the whole novel. Overall a good read!

ndenitto's review against another edition

5.0

A scathing attack on modern news outlets and a tight mystery make this an essential read. When a media billionaires private jet crashes under mysterious circumstances, questions arise as to what caused the crash and how the only adult survivor was a penniless artist that was invited on the flight last minute. In one of the most thrilling openings to a book I've ever read, Scott Burroughs survives a plane crashing into the middle of the ocean, finds the moguls four-year-old son alive in the wreckage, and swims for miles to shore with only one good arm. As numerous agencies try to uncover the truth behind the crash with evidence, author Noah Hawley intersplices chapters dedicated to each passenger on the plane. These chapters provide important backstory that only we get access to, and assist in illuminating the full portrait of the crash. Scott is without a doubt a hero, but antagonizing him is the face of the moguls' news network, Bill Cunningham. Cunningham is a slimy asshole that wire taps peoples phones and invades their emails to find information to back up his sensational opinions. Naturally, he has a massive viewership. He brands the crash a terrorist attack and sets out to place blame on Scott by discrediting him with the most unreliable "evidence" he can find, but saying it confidently so it sounds like it's fact.

This is a remarkable book that is very difficult to put down, especially in the first and final thirds. Because the first third is so intense, you might get a little burned out by the time you hit the middle. It's well worth pushing through that, as Hawley is a master storyteller. Each chapter is it's own story, and it's clear Hawley knows the value of set-ups and pay-offs.

mlsteven426's review

4.0

Listened to this as an audio book. The narrator did a great job and the story was interesting.

bethgee's review against another edition

4.0

Part thriller, part mystery, part 'triumph of the human spirit.' It was relatively satisfying, and I enjoyed the unusual narrative structure, which consisted of character profiles, flashbacks, and present-day investigation of the plane crash that is central to the novel. There were a few unanswered questions, though, and more red herrings than necessary. Also, I wanted to know a little more about some of the characters, particularly Maggie and Rachel. But all in all, a good read by the showrunner of fX's Fargo. I'd give it 3.5 stars if able.

sbillings2's review against another edition

4.0

The blend of past and present kept me intrigued and engaged in this story until the end. Well done.

bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition

3.0

Huh. Not what I was expecting. More satire than thriller. The Bill O'Reilly type was excruciating. A case of sloppy book selection on my part. Perhaps I'm missing something vital here, as most people seem to have enjoyed it. After all, I was listening to the audiobook version in the middle of a heatwave, so my brain was likely only half functioning. Look forward to reading reviews from GR friends.

halcyon_rising's review against another edition

3.0

I spent the last week reading Noah Hawley's Before the Fall, and while I didn't think it was a bad book, I noticed that I was getting distracted by other things along the way, and that means the book didn't manage to grab my full attention the way it was supposed to to get a higher score.

I do think this story is worth the read, the people who praise this book aren't wrong, but I've read quite a few books this year, and I just enjoyed them better. Maybe I've been reading too much lately, and am in a little bit of a dip. Who knows.

jfr_wi's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed both "Before the Fall" and "The Good Father" by Noah Hawley. They both had the perfect amount of 'thrill' for me. They have enough suspense and mystery to keep me turning pages, but are not too intense for me, unlike many books in the thriller/suspense novel genre.

scoutlovesbooks's review against another edition

2.0

Chapters upon chapters of background info about characters that are unnecessary to the plot. The actual story itself was interesting (I was pretty intrigued by the plane crash and survivor stories) but the other 80% of this book is backstories on very minor characters that have no relevance to the initial story!!
Also the author for some reason loved to mention how people tighten their buttholes when they’re stressed... like what lol