Customer Reviews

Pentagon

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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.

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.

"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.