Customer Reviews

Camel Club (Spanish Language Edition)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It started slow, but the initial plodding is definitely worth it. By the middle of the book I couldn't stop reading. I would have given it a fifth star if Baldacci hadn't killed off one particular character.

Implausible? Sure. So what? Superman was implausible, too, but that didn't stop me from eagerly parting with my dime every month to keep up with his adventures.

Politics? Like that isn't done by other authors? Agree or disagree, you might think about a few things you haven't paid much attention to before. Too many reviewers here are saying "horrible politics" without discussing the pros and cons of the ideas. I got the feeling that the author had done some pretty intensive background research, and for that I commend him.

I loved the good guys and hated the bad guys. Not much gray here, but I was fine with that. And I thoroughly enjoyed the eccentricities of the Camel Club members.

So bring on The Collectors!

David Baldacci attended law school at the University of Virginia, and went on to work as a trial lawyer, and later as a corporate lawyer, in Washington, D.C. He is now a full-time writer whose best selling novels include Absolute Power, Total Control, The Winner, The Simple Truth and Saving Faith. He lives in Virginia with his wife and two children.

The Camel Club could not be said to have a blossoming membership, in fact four forgotten and exccentric people is the sum total of the clubs membership. It exists close to Washington, D.C., has no power as such. The goal of the members is to find the "truth" behind their country's actions.

The aging leader of the group has no known past (recorded that is) and has taken the name "Oliver Stone." Day and night this group of four study wild conspiracy theories, current events and the machinations of the government of the day, hoping to discover some truth that will hold America's politicians accountable to its citizens and after witnessing a shocking murder the Club is drawn headfirst into a plot that threatens the very security of the nation . . .

In the Camel Club the author paints a picture of the world that could be all too true in the future, with a few powerful people having the opportunity to stop the chaos.

This refers to the audio book that I'm forcing myself to finish listening to because I have nothing better at the moment for my long trips.

I don't mind too little plot, or ideology that I might disagree with, but I do insist on some skill at the art of writing. I could read (or listen to) the phone book if an imaginative lyrical writer had penned it.

Unfortunately, Baldacci seems to have precious little of this skill. Yes, the plot is stupid, the characters cardboard, the dialogue unrealistic. But it's the "fillers" that make me want to scream. A typical page sounds like this:

"Where are we?" A... asked curiously.
"We are in the park", B... answered cautiously.
"I like it here" C... said slowly.
"Me, too", remarked D... enthusiastically.
"Not me", E... claimed sadly.

Etc., etc., etc. The "ly" adverbs (sometimes three or more in a paragraph) are so repetitive, so lazy, so unneccessary that they are unintentionally hilarious.

Whoever wrote that this book sounds as if written by a twelve-year-old was right on the money. An amateurish, hackneyed piece of trash is what it is. (And this has nothing to do with the political views that may or may not be intended by the author. As a Canadian, I am not offended by so-called "anti-American" views. My opinions are based strictly on writing style.)

In my humble opinion, James Patterson is the worst popular contemporary writer of the day. However, I'm now nominating Baldacci as the second worst.

Worst Baldacci's book I have read, and my last. Transparent political agenda and naïve ideas made me laugh ... it's so bad I actually had to throw it away. The author should definitely stay away from geopolitics.

"An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a
cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup." H. L. Mencken

I checked this book out from my local library, expecting another great Baldacci read. After trying my best to slog through the opening chapters, I finally gave up and called it quits. There was just nothing to grab and hold my attention and there were too many other good titles sitting on the "To Be Read" pile.

I very rarely give up on a book, but I am thankful I did on this one after reading the reviews. The political agenda in the book that others have discussed frankly would have just ticked me off. Why do Hollywood types, and now authors, think that they qualify as experts on international affairs? While I don't think that everything we as a country have done over the years has been right, I absolutely REJECT that there is justification for anyone to mass-murder innocent people. I am frankly sick of people portraying terrorists as victims, or worse, heroic freedom fighters against the evil capitalist regimes of the world. I would challenge anyone who feels that this country is so evil that its citizens deserve to be hunted down and killed to MOVE! Why would you want to live here if American politics and military actions are so repugnant? Hopefully, Mr. Baldacci and others like him will relocate to sunny Afghanistan or Iran where they can enjoy the company of like-minded people, help bring about Armageddon, and wait for the return of the Twelfth Imam. If you want to understand the motivation behind some of the terrorists, Google that one and read up, America!