I am posting a book review after a long while. The past couple of weeks were busy, and I was finding it really hard to post a recipe, let alone a book review. But I am determined to start posting at least one review every week. Let’s see where this determination takes me now 🙂
Book: Sail Author: James Patterson
Plot summary:
The book is about Anne Dunne and her life’s struggles after the death of her husband. In a last ditch effort to save the family, Anne plans an elaborate sailing vacation with her three kids to bring everyone together once again. But only an hour out of port, everything is going wrong. Her daughter plans to kill herself, her son is high on drugs and she finds herself having soft spots for her dead husband’s brother. Anne manages to pull things together bit by bit, but just as they begin feeling like a family again, something catastrophic happens. Survival may be the least of their concerns.
My thoughts:
Like all other James Patterson’s books, this one too was easy to read and kept me engrossed throughout. The plot summary was thrilling enough for me to pick this one from the aisle.
As always, I made predictions on what was going to happen every time I finished a chapter and only sometimes was surprised of the outcome. It was a simple plot, but had enough suspense and excitement to keep things moving at a fast pace. It was not always the most realistic of stories, but to be honest, I don’t always need my action adventure stories to be real. I want them to be pulsating, which this one fairly was.
The story goes from a family that barely talks to a family that has people trying to kill themselves to more family members dead and family members that try to kill the rest of them and even more heart break then they started with. I liked the character of Anne Dunne, very determined and real… unlike the events happening in the story. Her family has broken apart after the death of her husband, and the pain of a mother and efforts she wants to put in, were very palpable and convincing.
Narration is short and crisp which helps in building a clear image of all the characters. Chapters are small, sometimes of just 2 pages. The usual pattern of JP’s writing which uplifts the overall reading experience.
Negatives:
The plot seems a bit rushed at times. There were certain events in the story which clearly seemed out of the place or impossible to happen. Though those don’t affect the flow of the story, they certainly depicts the lack of research from the Author’s part.
Final verdict:
If you enjoy stories that are intense and suspenseful but also have many layers to the story and characters that keep you guessing, then Sail should be your next adventure. I would give it 3 ½ stars.
I have reviewed another book by James Patterson- Guilty Wives.
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