sgrabb's review
3.0
Where's Cotton? Not in this novel. I love Steve Berry, but this was not one of his better novels.
marinalong's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cgonya1's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
sneakyawe's review against another edition
3.0
First of all, I learned an incredible amount from this book. Yes, much of it is speculation and quite a bit is just plain fiction, but I honestly had no idea about Jamaicas history or how insanely wide spread Jewish persecution was.
Besides the incredibly interesting history lessons I found that this book didn't really live up to my hype. It had an awesome plot, but so much extra stuff seemed thrown in that it was rather distracting. It also didn't help much that I was horribly unimpressed with both Tom and Alle, and found everything they did to be both boring and aggravating. But I was a total fan of Béne! Of course, that may have to do with his character being a gateway to Jamaican history, but I still enjoyed him.
It seemed like everything about Columbus was just there to move the plot along, while the main focus was on the Tainos, Maroons, and Jewish history. (Which I liked, but the title made me think this would be much more about Columbus...)
Besides the incredibly interesting history lessons I found that this book didn't really live up to my hype. It had an awesome plot, but so much extra stuff seemed thrown in that it was rather distracting. It also didn't help much that I was horribly unimpressed with both Tom and Alle, and found everything they did to be both boring and aggravating. But I was a total fan of Béne! Of course, that may have to do with his character being a gateway to Jamaican history, but I still enjoyed him.
It seemed like everything about Columbus was just there to move the plot along, while the main focus was on the Tainos, Maroons, and Jewish history. (Which I liked, but the title made me think this would be much more about Columbus...)
tuomosuominen's review against another edition
4.0
The Columbus Affair is an excellent Steve Berry thriller, and not a Cotton Malone story for a change - although The Magellan Billet and Stephanie Nelle feature quite prominently in this one, too. Quite a fantastic plot around the treasure of the Jerusalem Temple, the fate of Jews in Europe prior to 1492 and the background of Columbus the person and the real purpose of his journey to the New World. Berry has once again constructed a fantastic thriller where historical themes (fact or fiction) affect the book's characters' lives in the present day. Highly recommended, especially if familiar with the Cotton Malone series.
elentikvah's review against another edition
4.0
It has been some time since I read a Steve Berry story, but my distant recollection is one of an intriging historical nugget that sets that stage for all the adventure to follow.
In The Columbus Affair, I found all the things that I have loved about his books. Some of the reviews here mention too many didactic sections, but I do not agree as I found those areas necessary for clarifying the context of the the story that he was telling. Some reviewers commented on the rapid scene changes, which I did find a bit distracting at times - especially as this can be a huge issue in audiobooks if the narrator is not immaculately clear each and every time (that said, Scott Brick is an EXCELLENT narrator, so any distraction was because I was not paying close attention, not poor narration!)
It was certainly interesting to hear Berry's take on Columbus' ethnicity. While it is not the first time that I have heard this theory, it is the first time time enough historical context was given to allow independent review (my first exposure to this idea was from a revisionist history book, Light and the Glory back in the 1980's, so trust in this source material was quite suspect!)
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook.
Rating 4/5 stars "really liked it"
In The Columbus Affair, I found all the things that I have loved about his books. Some of the reviews here mention too many didactic sections, but I do not agree as I found those areas necessary for clarifying the context of the the story that he was telling. Some reviewers commented on the rapid scene changes, which I did find a bit distracting at times - especially as this can be a huge issue in audiobooks if the narrator is not immaculately clear each and every time (that said, Scott Brick is an EXCELLENT narrator, so any distraction was because I was not paying close attention, not poor narration!)
It was certainly interesting to hear Berry's take on Columbus' ethnicity. While it is not the first time that I have heard this theory, it is the first time time enough historical context was given to allow independent review (my first exposure to this idea was from a revisionist history book, Light and the Glory back in the 1980's, so trust in this source material was quite suspect!)
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook.
Rating 4/5 stars "really liked it"
nnowels's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this book, and I did eventually... but it took me a LONG time to get into it. Lot's of history, both real and imagined.
ljjohnson8's review against another edition
3.0
A stand-alone from Berry; not part of the Cotton Malone series. I enjoyed the history in this one immensely; the modern part not quite as well. A disgraced Pulitzer-prize winning reporter, estranged from his family, framed for fraud, is about to take his own life when he finds out his adult daughter has been kidnapped and he must follow the instructions of a mysterious stranger (is there any other kind?) to save her. Thus begins a fast-paced struggle to stay one step ahead of the bad guys, save his daughter, perhaps regain his good name AND solve centuries-old mysteries about both Christopher Columbus and the lost treasures of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem. Great secondary characters in both the villain and especially the (depending on how you look at it) faulty hero/heroic bad guy Bene Rowe of Jamaica. My biggest problem with the book was the absolutely idiotic daughter. I found her so annoying and ridiculously dense and biased that I could never root for her wellbeing and that hampered my enjoyment of the book.
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting book based on the theory that Christopher Columbus was secretly a Jew and hid sacred Jewish relics in the new world. Very entertaining.