Pentagon [Hardcover]

Allen Drury (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The idea behind Drury's 16th novel is promising: follow the actions taken by the American military bureaucracy when faced with a crisis. In this case, the crisis is the Russian occupation of a sparsely inhabited South Pacific island for the purpose of building a submarine and missile base. However, the book's merit ends with that concept. It is difficult to believe that the writer of Advise and Consent, the Pulitzer Prizewinning bestseller, could be responsible for this bloated, wooden novel that lacks the simplest of narrative virtues. Within the first few pages, Drury introduces an overwhelming array of people, including the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Senators and Congressmen, reporters, bureaucrats and a shadowy President, none of whom becomes an interesting, believable character. As the Pentagon's mishandling of this crisis reaches near-buffoonery, Drury's attempted critique of a bureaucracy burdened with political infighting, waste and mismanagement unintentionally becomes almost comic for those readers with the endurance to get that far. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club featured selections.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (September 17, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385151411
• ISBN-13: 978-0385151412
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,191,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, January 3, 2006

By 

Timothy J. Kindler (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pentagon (Hardcover)

Years ago, I had read and thoroughly enjoyed Drury's "Roads of Earth" and "Hill of Summer." Somewhere along the way, I picked up a copy of Pentagon, which was published close to 20 years ago, hoping for more of the same. Having almost started it on a number of occasions, the recent holiday looked to be a good time to tackle its heft. Sadly, Pentagon left me thoroughly disappointed. So much so in fact, that I could not even bring myself to finish the book. After completing the first 300 pages, I have decided to cut my losses and move on, frustrated that Drury gave me no compelling reason to finish and also that I did not make the same decision after 100 or 200 pages. Drury burdens the story with an abundance of characters (so many that he provides a multi-page list of characters at the beginning of the book) and excruciating detail about his perspective on the inner workings of the government, in particular the Pentagon. In the end, he appears guilty in this book of what he accuses the Pentagon of being -- that is being slow, plodding, redundant, bloated, unable to bring closure, etc.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Like wading through molases!, July 23, 2006

By 

J. Piccione - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pentagon (Paperback)

I just could not wade through all the initial detail. I'm usually a patient reader, and I've enjoyed other works by Drury, but I couldn't get through chapter 1.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Slow Read, April 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Pentagon (Hardcover)

"Pentagon", by Allen Drury is an OK book. When I began to read it, I was hoping for it to be a thrilling read. However, I soon became bogged down by overwhelming detail.

The story begins when the Soviets gain control of a small island in the South Pacific called Nanukuvu. It is then up to the Pentagon and the joint chiefs of staff to solve this problem. However, for a couple of hundred pages, absolutely nothing happens. The majority of the book consists of the chiefs of staff of the army, navy, air force, and marines saying that they are the best and that they must be the one to reclaim the islands. There are a few small subplots, none of which held my interest.

If you are interested in how the Pentagon works, this book may be for you. I found that aspect somewhat interesting. Otherwise, it was just a slow read that I had to struggle to finish.