Eye of the Needle

Rating:
Summary: Warning! One Great Book
Review: Eye of The Needle is a super-great WWII spy thriller that takes place in England right before D-Day. The Germans have had spies planted in England since before the War started. The British have slowly but surely been catching them. Now they have come across Germany's #1 spy and he is bound and determined to make it back to Germany at all cost with Allied top secret information that will change the course of the war! This book will keep you at the edge of your seat throughout the whole story. This was my first book that I've read from Ken Follett. I have already ordered all of his other WWII books; I can't wait!!!

Rating:
Summary: Mike from Madison
Review: Eye of the Needle
By: Ken Follet
This is an action packed novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout parts of the book. You watch as Nazi spy Henry Faber attempts to discover the American plan of invasion. He discovers their secret and photographs evidence. He must relay this vital information back to the Nazis so that they can prepare a defense. If he gets through, the war is almost certain to be over for the United States. Faber must lie, evade, and murder his way to the rendezvous, a German U-boat. MI5, Scotland Yard, and other police and government agencies are called upon to find and stop him. Faber steals a boat and attempts to sail away in a violent storm. He is shipwrecked on a tiny island where there are four inhabitants; a cripple, an old man, a woman, and a child. Faber is half dead, but surprised at his luck. He later kills the cripple and old man and has an affair with the woman. The woman discovers the murders and radios for help. She is given distinct instructions; don't let him talk to the boat. He attempts to radio the U-boat, but is unsuccessful due to the woman. He then makes a mad dash to escape, followed by the woman. She is determined not to let him get away, as she was told not to. The fate of the entire Ally invasion rests in her hands.
I enjoyed Eye of the Needle very much. It is a well-written World War two novel. It gave me a better understanding of how we deceived the Germans. Ken Follet has a real gift for writing about espionage, and this book is no exception. The book is not slow, but can be a little confusing at times. In my opinion, two thumbs up for Ken Follet and Eye of the Needle.

Written by: Mike from Madison

Rating:
Summary: Very good read
Review: Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with others

EYE OF THE NEEDLE by Ken Follet

STORY: WWII rages throughout Europe. The infamous German spy, De Needle, attempts to stay one step ahead of the MI6 agents on his tail. It quickly becomes a race to stop the German spy from revealing the truth about the upcoming Allied invasion.

MY FEEDBACK:
1) CHARACTERS ¡V nice backgrounds and motivations given and the players in the story stay true to character. Characters are believable because we¡¦ve all known people like them¡Kwell maybe not like De Needle. ƒº You cheer for the good guys and hate it when the bad guy succeeds, which is exactly what an author wants to accomplish in his writing. I appreciated that the ¡§good guys¡¨ were not made out to be complete idiots and actually had some great intuition in trying to capture the bad guy.

2) SETTING ¡V I¡¦ve never been to England but I¡¦ve seen plenty of movies that take place there. I think the author uses these preconceived ideas and already established visuals to help the reader know where the character is. Otherwise, when you look at it closely, I felt that he didn¡¦t spend a lot of time giving us environmental descriptions¡Ksome readers will find this a pleasing aspect while others may want more.

3) STORY ¡V For the longest time I couldn¡¦t figure out what the purpose of the ¡§sub-plot¡¨ of Lucy and David was all about and how it tied into the main storyline. But it was brought around nicely. Nice suspense and the last 50 pages are great wrap up.

4) MISC ¡V There is one love scene that is VERY descriptive and may be offensive to some readers...but luckily it is only one and doesn¡¦t carry on for too long. The book generated an overall bond with me that now I¡¦m off to watch the Donald Sutherland movie version of the book.

OVERALL ¡V Fast, easy read that brings suspense and concern for the well being of the characters. Worth getting!

Rating:
Summary: A brilliant novel of suspense
Review: Using late World War II as a backdrop for a breathtaking tale of espionage, Ken Follett brings together a ruthless German spy and a resourceful young Englishwoman, a combination that, believe it or not, serves at a catalyst for the Allies' victory. Though a work of fiction, EYE OF THE NEEDLE is utterly convincing from explosive beginning to explosive climax. The structure of the novel is fairly straightforward, but Follett manipulates the plot expertly and deftly, placing this story notches higher than the average chase thriller. What's notable here is the deft combination of wry British wit, skillful characterization, and flawless research, that makes this an adventure story worth reading for its intelligence and realism as well as its ample chills. As one of the character puts it, "Jolly good show."

Rating:
Summary: Just another review
Review: Well, what can I say!? I mean, all those other reviews down there really tell what this book is like. Ken Follett at his best. And THAT is something, huh? "The Needle" Faber is the only german spy in english soil that can turn the war back for the Nazis, as he learned the secret that Churchill was hiding so well with the help of the americans. The book tells his adventures up the Brittany Island in order to contact a U-boat. The final sequency on Storm Island is something of a genious. Follett has written some very good thrillers about WWII, like this one and "Night over water". But his best still is "The key to Rebecca". Anyway, "Eye of the needle" is a page turner like Grisham in his early years, a book one with interests in spies and the War won't regret reading.