Customer Reviews

Insomnia

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

 

 

The writing in this book is so elementary it's embarrassing. I picked it up because the premise of the movie sounded interesting, but the writing is so bad it gets in the way of the story. I'm on page 70 and I keeping thinking it's going to get better and then on the next page I wonder where the editor was! I guess this is one case where I'm SURE the movie has to be better.

A fictional story of two Los Angeles detectives, sent to a small Alaskan town to investigate a murder in Nightmute.Insomnia has an unusual twist half way through the story, where the main character Will Dormer, abuses his authority as a detective. I didn't find this novel to be any different than any other typical mystery,it was boring and slow through the first seven chapters, then it finally picked up the pace in the investigation of Kay Connel. Personally it's a good action packed mystery, that keeps the reader anticipating what will happen next. The whole novel is well thought through and I'm looking forward to watching the movie Insomnia, based on the novel.

Robert Westbrook, dosen't give very good descriptions of the main characters, in order for the narrator to have a general ideal of their appearances. I also disliked where pictures of the main characters from the movie were placed in chapter fourteen, because the pictures described scenes in the book before their time, revealing what would happen next and who the killer was. Despite difficulties with the descriptions and pictures, the rest of the novel is very detailed. other than those few flaws he does do a good job, at keeping the reader interested until the end.

Robert Westbrook, has written quite a few mystery novels, Insomnia being his most recent. I think he's an author who has not yet became well known and he hasn't done very many novels, therefore he is an author I would keep an eye on. To be honest I have not read any other books by him, but I would like to read his others just to see how well he has progressed over time. So if you like short mystery novels, Insomnia is a book I'd recommend reading.

I think I got a little bit of insomnia from reading this book! I couldn't put it down!! I found myself staying up until 3a.m. reading to see what happens next! If you like suspense and psychological thrillers, you'll love Insomnia!!

Sometimes, novelizations can be thin retreads of the movie, but Robert Westbrook has done a remarkable job here, shading in the nuances and even giving the reader some further insight into character motivations in this fantastic novel.

Chris Nolan, who directed this movie (as well as indie smash MEMENTO), was successful in creating a smart, slick, yet subtle film, really bringing the best out of the actors who starred in the movie, Pacino, Swank, and Williams. Similarily, Westbrook brought out the best in the backdrop to the story -- Alaska. He has successfully underscored and accentuated the role that the surrounding atmosphere and terrain of the state played in the storyline -- indeed, the atmosphere was like a secondary character in the film, always present, always affecting the protagonist's search for a girl's killer, while at the same time preventing himself from getting charged with murder.

I've read a few of Westbrook's terrific Howard Moon Deer mystery series, and it is obvious from reading those books that he has a firm grasp on how landscape affects people and situations, and he took that to the limit here in INSOMNIA.

To sum it all up, it was a terrific thriller of a movie, which Westbrook took to the next level in this compelling novelization. I hope he writes more of them -- he clearly understands the genre.

This was an ok book. This appears to be written after the movie (as opposed to a lot of novels that are made into movies). How is this significant? Well, b/c a lot of times movies have to cut things out of books to fit into a two hour movie. In this case, though, the book reads like a movie. The good thing with that is that it was a quick read (I read it one day). The bad thing is that it never really expanded on any of the ideas. I never saw this movie and I bought for ten cents, so I would say I got my money's worth. But this is not something I would recommend. Will Dormer was not a very likeable character in the book and the author (which probably goes along with the movie) never gives us any "suspects" throughout the book or any real motivation for the crime. We get only a glimpse into what happened. But the book is pretty straightforward and if you like quick reads, go ahead and read. Or maybe just go see the movie instead.

I really wonder if American moviemakers and authors [borrow] so much European ideas just to make money??? I never read or saw an American "remake" that even came close to the original...

Is there NO possibility to rate it with zero stars?