Customer Reviews

The Road to Gandolfo

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you don't have a sense of humor, don't enjoy satire, or can't bear the thought of Ludlum, as a "serious" writer, having some fun with his readers, do not read this book. In "The Road To Gandolfo", Ludlum takes on the military, the U.S. government, the legal profession, and organized religion, and spears them with irreverent, acid-tipped satire that at times reaches levels of pure hilarity. But he's also, quietly and subtly, satirizing himself and the genre of fiction he made his name in: espionage thrillers. Many Ludlum fans probably won't be amused: it's a different Robert Ludlum who's mugging and cavorting behind these scenes.

When General Mackenzie Hawkins, a Pattonesque commander of the old-school variety, is summarily drummed out of the military by the mealy-mouthed, politically motivated bureaucrats who have wormed their way to the slimy top of the Pentagon-Washington heap, he embarks upon a personal mission of vengeance, and plots out an intricate military-style "black-op" plan of his own: kidnap the Pope, and demand a ransom of one American dollar for every Catholic in the world.

The setup for this caper will be expensive, and there are lengthy side-operations along the way, involving the extortion of money -- LOTS of money -- from various "investors" (i.e., shady characters Hawkins has been able to get the goods on through his military intelligence background). And as a patsy front-man, whom he can manipulate from behind the scenes via his four very mammalian ex-wives, Hawkins selects Sam Devereaux, a lawyer who merely wants to count down his remaining days in the Army and return to private practice.

The resulting story, unfolded in fine Ludlum style from the viewpoint of Sam-the-Patsy, is blazingly fast-paced, unpredictable, intricately woven, and, well, downright funny. The satire is broad, but sharp, and the plot line, in proper intrigue-novel fashion, is doled out carefully, one piece at a time, always keeping you interested in what will happen in the next chapter.

Readers looking for, and expecting, a standard Ludlum novel might well be disappointed or critical ("What the heck is THIS?"), but if you're looking for a witty, intelligent, satirical, fun, page-turner of an adventure, this is it.

This book is one of my favorite depression relievers and a laugh riot from start to finish. For all Ludlum fans, if you are hooked on his customary fare of high voltage suspense and international shenanigans, with events moving at blinding speed, then this book may not be for you. The Road to Gandolfo was written by him before his thrillers became a class of their own and is as different from them as apples from oranges. Yes, there are international goings-on and plenty of war-gaming, strategy and tactics in pursuit of an incredible objective - the kidnapping of the Pope himself!. Yet this is no espionage thriller; rather this book is a terrific parody of the genre. From the fast paced beginning to the charming almost pastoral close, Ludlum spares nobody: the Army, the bureaucrats, the Mafia, the corporate world, lawyers, terrorists, all feel the bite of his wit. The characters too are well drawn: the autocratic Hawk, his four incredible wives, the bumbling Sam Deveraux and a wonderfully human Pope reminiscent of John XXIII all come to full life. A great fun read for the vacations or whenever you want to relax with a light read. A most enjoyable book!

This book was a very pleasant surprise. It's not the usual Robert Ludlum but instead a light entertaining read. The characters are funny but lean towards unrealistic. It is very difficult to believe that the characters can maintain the same forceful personalities throughout the entire book throughout all circumstances. It ended nicely without a rushed feeling and also avoiding seeming like all the ends got tied up in the last chapter. A very readable book even though it lacked the fast pace and did not have the level of suspense of other Ludlum books.

This book was a pleasant diversion for a quiet weekend. Completely entertaining and completely different from the other Robert Ludlum books I've read.

Robert Ludlum may be known for hard-hitting espionage and national-security thrillers, but when he hit The Road to Gandolfo, something must have tickled his funny bone. Honestly, this is one of the best books I've ever read. And the scary thing is, if things had been tweaked the other way, this would have been a classic Ludlum thriller. A tight plot, wonderfully developed characters--especially Hawkins' Harem--and raw unpredictability will make you ask "who is this guy and what did he do with Robert Ludlum?"

My good friend was clearing out some of her old books and gave me this book to read. I have never got around to reading any of Mr. Ludlum's books, so this novel was a first for me. I enjoyed the book and I found it to be a very entertaining read. I always appreciate a bit of humor in stories and this book had a number of humorous moments. I laughed at some of the scenes and kept reading and laughed at the characters.

I understand that there is a sequel to the book so I'll probably ask my friend if she has it. Assuming she can remember the title. In my opinion, "The Road to Gandolfo" is a great read and I would highly recommend it.

My late father had given me a paperback copy of this book once he'd read it and told me that I'd enjoy it. It sat for TWENTY YEARS and I finally picked it up and started reading it about a week ago -- Dear God, I so wish that I'd read it when he was alive, it's HYSTERICALLY funny and moves as fast as any book I've ever read, it's tremendous fun, manic action and really tight writing. I understand his other books are a bit stuffy, but this is an absolute delight, I can't wait to read "The Road to Omaha," which I just ordered! How is it that this book has never been made into a movie?

This book will have you rolling off the couch! What a premise! It's Ludlum before he took himself too seriously.

This book is one of my all time favorites. It is humorous from the beginning to the end. I had read it back in the 80's when it was published under his pen name, and just recently picked it up again. It's just way too funny! Anyone who enjoys Ludlum should read this, as it shows another side to the writer.

I started reading this book with a promise. I promised myself to burn the book if Ludlum starts with Vietnam POW flashbacks and psychobable monologues. I must admit I was tired of his writing style after the Bourne Trilogy, Aquitane and Parsifal. But I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with Ludlum's wit and humour. The book was fun. It was FULL of wicked fun. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, laughing and chuckling. I have started reading the sequel - The Road to Omaha and I hope it will provide just as much enjoyment.