Customer Reviews

In the Face of Jinn: A Novel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This story draws you in from the first chapter! It's so refreshing to read an adventure story with a strong female heroine- who's less than perfect, but spirited enough to win your heart and your undivided attention. The author's painstaking research has paid off in a vivid and realistic glimpse into the seldom seen world of India and the Middle East. The reader really feels swept into the story, experiencing the dangers and emotional trials along with the heroine. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical, adventure stories like MAIDEN VOYAGE or MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA.

This book was one of the best I have read in a while! Her attention to detail, and the research that must have gone into this book is astounding.

I connected with Christine (the heroine) right from the start. She was such a realistic charatcter. I couldn't put the book down, out of fear of missing something.

I don't mean to give anything away, but a good tip would be to have a box of tissues ready for the end.

Keep writing more Cheryl! I can't wait for your next one, hopefully it won't take 9 years.

Cheryl Crew has painted such a vivid picture of her characters that you experience the journey right along with them.

Caught up in the mystery and threat of countries most of us only read about, Cheryl Crew immediately places us in the midst of danger. Preparing for the fate that lies ahead, Christine summons the strength and courage to forge ahead with a vengeance in search of her sister.

In the Face of Jinn is one of the best page turners I have ever read. The author's research and travels to Afghanistan, India and Pakistan provide us with a feeling for these countries and an insight into the people. The setting will captivate you. The characters and universal themes of loss, a search for truth, and a yearning for love will definitely touch your heart.

Man or woman alike, this book is well worth the read.

I was really looking forward to reading this book as I had seen CHC on TV discussing it. After the first few pages I knew this was going to be a hard book to stay with. Mrs. Crew jumps from one subject to another so often that I numerous times had to look back a few pages, thinking I must have lost my place and turned too many pages. The subject matter was very interesting but I feel too broad for the short amount of detail and info given. It made me think of a short version of a shorter short story. I do see the possibility that her husband, Ron Howard, could make this into a very good movie with more info into the story backgound and smoother transition from place to place,etc. I did finally finish the book;but, I will give Mrs.Crew a chance to practice and polish her writing a little more.

In the Face of Jinn is a good first effort, but I doubt it would have been published if it wasn't associated with Big Ron. The storyline draws you in, despite skipping around all over the place, but the writing style is klunky and repetitive. The main character Christine alternates between having annoyingly low self esteem and having an unusual penchant for automatic weapons; she mostly likely would have responded well to a mood stabilizer. If Howard Crew keeps practicing, though, she may have a promising career as a novelist.

I really liked this book. I was drawn in from the first paragragh's description of a massacre alongside a road. The author really takes her time describing the locale,religion,customs and characters without relying on too much metaphor so it never becomes tedious. Crew leaves it up to the reader to draw their own conclusions about the main character's choices, the Muslim way of life and the way each makes their way in the world. It is an interesting mix, a sort of hybrid anthropological thriller. This reader began to understand the dichotomy of a stark black and white culture and the many shades of gray around the edges. It doesn't provide a single answer on the roots of terrorism but it does provide many different points of view on the subject and again the reader is forced to draw their own conclusions.The end of the book creeps up on you and I found myself not wanting it to end. I think a great companion book to "In The Face Of Jinn" might be "West With The Night" by Beryl Markham. Both books explore a woman's strength as neccessary to the individual situation and not as a cultural imperative.

As a former Intelligence officer I found this book right on the money. The author obviously did her homework regarding the region as well as the complexities of the cultural difficulties a westerner can rarely understand. Ms. Howard-Crew did an excellent job in detailing how little government can do to help should you find yourself in such a situation. Though this is a work of fiction, it is extremely factual.

As a first attempt or debut book I will give it a so so rating. The story seems meant more for Bollywood. Great fantasy nothing to do with reality whatsoever(i.e. not well researched or edited). To start with names of characters are half realistic, bad usage and bad usage of indian language (some times it doesn make any sense even they came of local characters, the behavior of the main character changes from chapter to chapter without any smooth transition, not sure how a rape victim can feel any sense of sexual attraction so soon, the writer as a female should have given it little bit more thought. Summing the flow of story is not smooth.I bet if RH was not associated in someway or otherm, the book would have never made the cut.

Not one of the best books I've ever read, but far from the worse. I found it hard to 'get in to', but soon found myself engrossed. If you can be patient enough to get through the first third of the book, it gets better.

If you like thrilling adventure stories set in exotic places, this book may be for you. It is a quick and engaging read laced with plot twists, intrigue, nefarious characters (a few good ones, too), and a bit of the supernatural thrown in to spice things up. (In Arabic/Islamic folklore, the "Jinn" are roughly the equivalent of the European faeries--some are good, some are evil). Evaluated in this light, I would give the book a 4+ star rating.

It is apparent that the author did her homework in researching the cultures and area in which the story is set. In addition to its adventure-thriller appeal, the book also gives the reader a window into the worlds of frontier India and Pakistan, with closer magnification upon the complex and still not well understood realm of Islam and the cultures--particularly in relation to women--it embraces. In these ways the book is informative, even didactic at points.

If you are looking for a work of literature, however, one that deals with the subtleties of cross-cultural relationships, deep character development, an exploration into the human psyche, crisp and fluid prose, look elsewhere (E.M. Forster's A Passage to India comes immediately to mind). The pre-occupation with guns and other weapons for their own sake and the romance that quickly develops between the main character and her Pakistani guide are two examples that smacked a bit too much of Hollywood (or perhaps Bollywood?!). The prose at times is awkward, making rereading of a sentence or passage a necessity. Also, be forewarned: there are several typographical and/or proofreading errors in this copy (St. Martin's Griffin, no less!) which, when they appear, distract from the reading. Evaluated in this light (which may not be fair to the author's intent), the book gets a 2 star rating.