Cathedral by Nelson DeMille
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Book Reviews of Cathedral
Book Review: nelson demille books
Summary: 5 Stars
have not read it yet. am reading all demille books in order of release. I expect it to be as good as the others.Book Review: Another DeMille winner.
Summary: 5 Stars
Cathedral is as good as "Word of Honor," which is as good as it gets.Book Review: Excellent read
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great book by an author that is really talented. A must read!!!Book Review: What Not To Do On St. Patrick's Day
Summary: 4 Stars
Don't even think of what a grand revolutionary gesture it would be to blow up St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City! This is the premise of Nelson DeMille's hefty (575 pages) ambitious thriller.A group of 12 fiery Irish revolutionaries led by charismatic Brian Flynn have minutely planned to take four carefully chosen hostages, seize and mine the cathedral and threaten to blow it up at dawn the following day unless their demands are met to free political prisoners jailed in Northern Ireland by the British. The hostages are the Archbishop of New York, the British Counsel General, a parish priest, and Maureen Malone, a former terrorist with close ties to Brian Flynn, but now a peace activist.
Mr. DeMille pulls it off. He drives the breath-taking pace by fast cuts from Belfast, to the cathedral, to the desperate workings of the police and government to foil the attempt. The military precision of the takeover is meticulously described (thank goodness for the map of St. Patrick's!) in fascinating detail. Precisely drawn vignettes of the supporting cast as well as the major characters inspire the reader's care and interest in the outcome on large and small levels. The author is wickedly adept at portraying politics at its worst when revealing the tangled motives of the Mayor, the New York Police Dept., the Governor of New York, the British and Irish Consulates, the CIA and FBI. The revolutionaries are a complex lot, some with fire and vision, others stone killers, and some innocents that break your heart.
In one way it reminded me of "Apollo 13" in that you knew the astronauts would be rescued (historical fact), but you got so wrapped up in the story you feared for their very lives. I know St. Patrick's is still standing in all its glory, but while reading "Cathedral" I so suspended belief that I gave 3-1 odds that it wouldn't be standing by mid-morning the next day!
The author does a better job of delineating men then women. The women were not one-dimensional, but enigmatic as to their motives and reactions. The men were marvelous mixtures of good and bad, bravery and cowardice, humor and madness---until you could see them standing before you. I did find myself wondering throughout: where did this rag tag group get the money to mount such a complicated offensive? This aspect could have been clarified.
"Cathedral" is a satisfying read. Call it escapism or just plain good ole story telling, I felt as if I was there every moment and had a total investment in the outcome.
Book Review: Book Reveiw for Cathedral
Summary: 4 Stars
This Nelson Demile novel of political espionage mixed with religious and historical clashes kept me turning the pages faster, and faster the deeper the plot sank. Though it had a very slow beginning, the fast paced ending made up for it and then some. To me this novel was a true indicator of how great and ingenious of an author Nelson Demile really is.
The plot takes place in New York City on Saint Patrick's Day. It was supposed to go like it had in the past years but Irish Terrorist Brian Flynn had a different idea in mind. He thought of an amazing plan consisting of Irish Terrorism and heroism. He and ten other terrorists from the anti British Group IRA took over saint Patrick's Cathedral and four very important hostages with it. His plan was twisted yet brilliant and he wouldn't stop till he got what he wanted, which was...
My favorite character in this story is of course the villain, Brian Flynn. To me he exhibits the most heroic accts and intelligence in the whole story. I also think that without him there would be no story and/or plot in the story. My least favorite character is another terrorist. Her name was Megan Fitzgerald. I think that she has no respect for anyone in then story except herself, and she was especially ruthless to the hostages.
This Novel was very good. I would consider it a work of art. Even for Nelson Demile who has many big hits and bestsellers this book would be considered in his top five of all time. It kept me guessing throughout and that is what I like in a book. If you just keep going through the beginning you will like it. For someone who is just plain out looking for a good entertaining story, I would recommend this book to them. I would give it four stars.