Enigma by Robert Harris
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Book Reviews of Enigma
Book Review: Enigma is a well wrapped mystery
Summary: 5 Stars
Of the three books by Harris which I have read, Fatherland and Archangel seem to fall flat by the time one gets to the end. Not Enigma. Enigma is everything the other two aren't. Both Fatherland and Archangel work on fictional premises based upon the asking of an historical "what if?" While interesting stories in themselves they lose their believability factor by the time one reaches the end of the books...which is disappointing for premises which start out with such great promise. Enigma on the other hand, is firmly based on actual history which is adroitly fictionalized. This is where the author succeeds in working his characters around already well known history. This and the well drawn characters make for what I believe is Harris' most satisfying offering to date. Enigma is indeed a well wrapped mystery.Book Review: The high spots
Summary: 5 Stars
An easygoing coverage of the struggle to decrypt the German messages to submarines, as seen by a fictional couple involved in it. The cryptanalysis is quite correct as far as the enigma is concerned, acquainting the reader with the main bludgeons used, the "kisses" and "cribs", without burying the uninitiated in detail. It is a bit sad, though, the Harris comits such an egregious blunder in an aside on the "Dancing Men" story of Sherlock Holmes. That cipher is definitely NOT Playfair; indeed the whole point of that story is the weakness of simple substitution and how Holmes is able to exploit it without even completely solving it! This is especially ironic in view of the fact, carefully explained in "Enigma", that a major weakness in the Enigma cipher is the almost opposite one - namely that no letter can stand for itself!Book Review: Great thriller!
Summary: 5 Stars
Enigma is one of those books, like Harris' other novels, that can not be put down until completion.The novel tells the story (a relatively unknown one at that) of the codebreakers at Blechley Park during the Second World War. Unbeknownst to the German Army, the British and their Allies had the means to decode secret message traffic using a captured "code making" machine called the Enigma. The novel shows the life of the codebreakers and their race to stay one step ahead of Germans (without letting them know they have the Enigma machine). Also, Harris gives us a glimpse of life during the War, where suspicion and paranoia (some of it justified) were as commonplace as patriotism and nationalistic pride.
Highly recommended to those readers that enjoy a good thriller or historical novel...
Book Review: Realistic and gripping
Summary: 5 Stars
I happened to see the movie "Enigma" and liked it enough that I bought the book. I would put the story in the same category of thrillers such as "Day of the Jackal" and "The Eagle Has Landed." It shares the same qualities as those books. It is a suspenseful story grounded in reality with real people as opposed to supermen or superwomen as the protagonist.I would only caution that this book is not "quick read." If you want to understand the cryptanalysis as well as the espionage, reading at a deliberate, thoughtful pace is well-advised. I hope that Harris does a sequel involving the two major characters who were the protagonists of the story. I can't wait for the movie to be released on DVD!
Book Review: 'rousing good read!
Summary: 5 Stars
Fast paced thriller set during WWII involving the Britsh codebreakers. Enough historical accuracy about the period to make the book fascinating, enough plot line & fictional character development to keep it moving at a rapid clip that keeps you reading right through to the end of the solution to the mystery. It's one of the few thrillers I've kept on my bookshelf and read twice. Once years ago and once recently after seeing the movie by the same title. The movie didn't seem to hold true to my memory of the book's excitement and solution so I reread it and relived the pleasure of it all over again.