Customer Reviews

Castle in the Air (Atlantic Large Print Series)

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

 

 

This is rather complicated storyline following a very simple plot and if you're a skimmer and not a reader then this is not the book for you and you will no doubt rate this book one star (and if you're stupid as well show everyone you didn't even skim enough to learn the basic plot by writing in your review that this book is set in the USA and that the characters dismantled the castle and other ridiculous comments).

A lot of Westlake's comic capers are light easy reads which you can read while being distracted by the outside world and maybe not have your full attention on the storyline and still fully enjoy it. Not so with Westlake's 1980 Castle in the Air with a lot of characters having their own little storylines going on which overlap with other characters so if distracted you may get lost and need to go back and reread what some of what you've just read to understand what has happened with particular characters to appreciate what is happening. This factor is why I don't rate it any higher in my rating but if you can read this distraction free Castle in the Air is a good story.

Castle in the Air in the story of many criminals who all have the plan to become rich and stiff everyone else. A South American dictator (Westlake has created the fictional country of Yerbadoro for the purposes of this story) rein on his country is about to come to an end, so he has decided to keep a lot of his country's assets (cash, jewels, stocks etc) for himself by hiding them in 12 of the stones of Escondido Castle, a castle which he is having dismantled and shipped to Paris where it will be reassembled as his new home. Lida Perez a revolutionary wants the bounty for her own political gain and enlists the help of what she believes to be the best of the best of Europe's criminals to pull it off. Problem is most of these criminals are idiots, all speak a different language and can't understand the others' one (although obviously everything said is typed in English for the reader) and with communication being the key for any good crime caper let alone one of the biggest the world has ever seen there's going to be a few hurdles along the way. Throw in the fact that most have no intention of sharing the fortune with the others anyway and you've got another classic Westlake comic caper.

A classic Westlake novel. Hopefully they'll re-release these classics again one day so you can get them at reasonable prices but since their so expensive and the fact this has a storyline you've got to be concentration on I'd probably check out some of the others first. Still tracking down some of these comic capers so haven't read them all yet but the best three at masterpiece level Westlake Comic Capers I've read so far are Smoke, The Spy in the Ointment and a New York Dance (also published as Dancing Aztecs). Other comic capers also worth checking out are The Fugitive Pigeon, The Busy Body, God Save the Mark, Who Stole Sassi Manoon?, Help I am Being Held Prisoner, Enough, Two Much and High Adventure. Of course you've also got to read the Dortmunder series and the Parker series (written under the pen name Richard Stark) and probably his greatest stand alone story novel of all time The Ax the ultimate solution to unemployment. Check out a Westlake novel today!

A scheme to transport millions in jewels in hollow blocks of a castle that is being shipped piece by piece from its native home in Eastern Europe to its disassembled resting place in Paris produces one of the funniest, cleverest Westlake books ever. The band of thieves who set out to steal the jewels don't share the same language(s) or style(s). It's unfortunate that the publisher didn't push this one harder. Pure joy. If you can find it.

I have been a big fan of Donald Westlake, having read many of his books, including Cops and Robbers, the Hot Rock, The Fugitive Pigeon, God Save the Mark,Adios, Scheherezade, all, by the way, excellent. This book was as tedious a read as was what the characters in the story were trying to do--dismantle an old castle stone by stone and ship it to the USA. The characters all spoke different languages and I was annoyed with the perspectives being switched around many times because of language difficulties. By the time I got halfway through the book, I didnt want to understand the characters. I just wanted to pull the plug on my reading

I have to say, I am very surprised by the other reviews. This was the first Westlake book I read and it opened the world of Westlake to me. I read this book in high school and LOVED IT! I've been looking for a copy to read again as an adult because I still love books that switch narrators and show multiple points of view for plot points. The interactions of the characters is great. Definitely recommend.