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trin's review against another edition
3.0
I read this thriller because [a:Laura Miller|183852|Laura Miller|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1252031376p2/183852.jpg] recommended it on her Twitter; it was entertaining, and even makes some overtures toward deeper political meaning, but reading it, I was never able to forget that I was, in fact, reading a silly thriller. It’s an airport book that failed to let me forget that it’s an airport book. So much Action! and so many Twists!—I kept wanting to reach for the popcorn, or keep my eye out for Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman, in case they should choose to wander on. Not that there’s anything wrong with that—I like a good thriller—but I was never able to lose myself in this book, and that’s less good.
Interesting to compare this with another violently yellow book, [b:The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo|2429135|The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)|Stieg Larsson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293975922s/2429135.jpg|1708725]. The latter certainly has its silly thriller moments, but unlike The Good Son, its world utterly convinced me, its politics seemed less pasted on, and it completely swept me away. This may be a character thing: Gruber’s people are all very, very clever and very, very cold. And maybe that’s why I was never able to shake that cold, anonymous airport feeling.
Interesting to compare this with another violently yellow book, [b:The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo|2429135|The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1)|Stieg Larsson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293975922s/2429135.jpg|1708725]. The latter certainly has its silly thriller moments, but unlike The Good Son, its world utterly convinced me, its politics seemed less pasted on, and it completely swept me away. This may be a character thing: Gruber’s people are all very, very clever and very, very cold. And maybe that’s why I was never able to shake that cold, anonymous airport feeling.
thukpa's review against another edition
3.0
A lot of good ideas contained within, though I didn't like the ending much.
carriethis's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to this on audiobook, and it actually took me two attempts to finish it. That’s really atypical for me with a Michael Gruber book. His Jimmy Paz books are some of my favorite reads ever. He’s brilliant. This was a difficult book to settle into because I really struggle to comprehend international politics, and to me, The Good Son is heavy for a political thriller. Throw in some torture and executions, an ending that’s wrapped up too quickly, and some of Gruber’s less impressive character development (too unbelievable), and even though I learned quite a bit, I can only give this one 3 stars. The narration was good, especially with several accents required, but still could have used some extra oomph. All the characters sounded drowsy. I got drowsy listening.
moreyceyer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
leafdmcg's review against another edition
4.0
Imagine a latte sipping, Volvo driving, arugula munching Vince Flynn, with an quite solid ear for prose. This book suffers from about 20% too much speechifying, but it is well written and sometimes surprisingly effective.
branch_c's review against another edition
5.0
Gruber is a hugely impressive writer, so even though I still hope for a return to the brilliant contemporary fantasy of the Jimmy Paz series, I still enjoyed this one quite a bit.
The characters of Sonia and Theo are amazingly complex, their back stories full enough to be separate novels in their own right - in fact, these stories are expertly told in much the same way as the Asian and African experiences of the female protagonist in Tropic of Night.
Only occasionally does this seem like info dumping, more so in Theo's case near the beginning. Theo's back story is also a bit harder to swallow. As bizarre as Sonia's history is, Theo's transformation from child warrior to adult soldier is somehow less believable. He says as much toward the end: "...my American self sort of dribbled away." - but much of the book is first person, Theo's POV, and he's such a sharp and eloquent and clearly western narrator that his Pashtun self is also less than completely believable. Anyway, I can overlook these and other minor complaints, given the well structured and powerfully told story.
One of the most interesting and satisfying aspects of the book is Sonia's use of her knowledge of Islam to quote the Koran back to her militant captors and shoot down the logic of their jihad using their own religion as ammunition. Her fellow captive Ashton similarly recites the jihadists' entire cultural history to them better than they could explain it themselves, inevitably concluding that their grand scheme is pathetic, misguided and doomed to failure. If only this could happen in real life!
The strange thing of course is Sonia's insistence that her belief in Islam is sincere, just as her belief in Catholicism is also sincere, as incompatible as these beliefs would seem to be. As much as I disagree with this absurd logic, I have to admit that it makes her a more compelling character than if she'd acknowledged that she was putting on an act to manipulate the terrorists.
The bottom line is that everything about this book drips with confident authenticity, from Pashtun culture to American military and CIA operations. In the commentary at the end where Gruber discusses his research, he claims not to have really become an expert on all this, but he's certainly got this reader fooled. A brilliantly written story, completely compelling.
I had thought about giving this book four stars because come on, it's about Islamic terrorism - who wants to read about such a depressing subject for enjoyment? And in fact, I do end up questioning the key point, as explored in the book and stated explicitly by Gruber in the commentary: that we in Western society are cultural imperialists, as shown by our incorrect assumption that all rational people aspire to live in a society like ours, and that the only reason they don't is due to some factor like lack of education or malign leadership. He asks us to see things through the eyes of the other, and recognize that there are those who genuinely want a different kind of society - in this case one based on "submission to the will of God, as expressed in the Qur'an" - and are "willing to fight and die for it." This view is at least worth thinking about, but is ultimately problematic, and in fact I find evidence against it in the book itself.
But I appreciate Gruber's eloquent exploration of these subjects, and the book absolutely deserves five stars.
The characters of Sonia and Theo are amazingly complex, their back stories full enough to be separate novels in their own right - in fact, these stories are expertly told in much the same way as the Asian and African experiences of the female protagonist in Tropic of Night.
Only occasionally does this seem like info dumping, more so in Theo's case near the beginning. Theo's back story is also a bit harder to swallow. As bizarre as Sonia's history is, Theo's transformation from child warrior to adult soldier is somehow less believable. He says as much toward the end: "...my American self sort of dribbled away." - but much of the book is first person, Theo's POV, and he's such a sharp and eloquent and clearly western narrator that his Pashtun self is also less than completely believable. Anyway, I can overlook these and other minor complaints, given the well structured and powerfully told story.
One of the most interesting and satisfying aspects of the book is Sonia's use of her knowledge of Islam to quote the Koran back to her militant captors and shoot down the logic of their jihad using their own religion as ammunition. Her fellow captive Ashton similarly recites the jihadists' entire cultural history to them better than they could explain it themselves, inevitably concluding that their grand scheme is pathetic, misguided and doomed to failure. If only this could happen in real life!
The strange thing of course is Sonia's insistence that her belief in Islam is sincere, just as her belief in Catholicism is also sincere, as incompatible as these beliefs would seem to be. As much as I disagree with this absurd logic, I have to admit that it makes her a more compelling character than if she'd acknowledged that she was putting on an act to manipulate the terrorists.
The bottom line is that everything about this book drips with confident authenticity, from Pashtun culture to American military and CIA operations. In the commentary at the end where Gruber discusses his research, he claims not to have really become an expert on all this, but he's certainly got this reader fooled. A brilliantly written story, completely compelling.
I had thought about giving this book four stars because come on, it's about Islamic terrorism - who wants to read about such a depressing subject for enjoyment? And in fact, I do end up questioning the key point, as explored in the book and stated explicitly by Gruber in the commentary: that we in Western society are cultural imperialists, as shown by our incorrect assumption that all rational people aspire to live in a society like ours, and that the only reason they don't is due to some factor like lack of education or malign leadership. He asks us to see things through the eyes of the other, and recognize that there are those who genuinely want a different kind of society - in this case one based on "submission to the will of God, as expressed in the Qur'an" - and are "willing to fight and die for it." This view is at least worth thinking about, but is ultimately problematic, and in fact I find evidence against it in the book itself.
But I appreciate Gruber's eloquent exploration of these subjects, and the book absolutely deserves five stars.
rachel_mft's review against another edition
4.0
In addition to being a really gobsmacking thriller, this was fascinating, an incredible insight into Central Asian culture and the mistakes America is making in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
susieq17's review against another edition
5.0
Outstanding book. Great characters, excellent plot and action.
nickie184's review against another edition
1.0
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!!!!Terrible writing, maybe military freaks would like it.