Rose

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Summary: I loved this book. It's one of my favorites.
Review: I just wish Martin Cruz Smith could write faster. I'm ready for the next book

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Summary: Like Gorky Park,a combination of history, polictics, mystery
Review: Martin Cruz Smith is an immensely skillful writer, indeed so skillful in recreating remote, exotic places and times that he sometimes forgets the reader's need for some degree of clarity in presenting plot. In Rose, as in Polar Star, we are so overwhelmed with the details of Wigan, a dark, monstrous 19th-century mining town, that the mechanics of the plot are left far too implicit. Rich through the are, the details of Wigan: dirt, the brutality of mine life, social indifference, make the storyline - already rather abstruse - very difficult to follow. As author, Smith is permitted to hold the trump cards of plot as long as he likes. However, in Rose, he holds them so long that by the time the plot becomes focused and storyline relatively clear, I was more frustrated than entertained

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Summary: All the 10's are Right
Review: There are a lot of 10 reviews on this page and I must agree with them all. For a book to make the top of my list it must have a plot that is intriguing and credible, a cast of characters that are rich and in whom you can not help but invest emotions, a special hook or two to keep you turning pages, historical or scientific information that is new and interesting, and a sorrow when the last page is turned. Rose had them all. A sequel in Africa, please, Martin

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Summary: Excellent book--interesting plot; superior characterizations
Review: I've enjoyed Smith's Russian mysteries, and have been impressed with his adept presentation of contemporary Russians. He surpasses his previous work in _Rose_, a mystery of sorts set in Victorian Lancashire. The plot centers on Blair, a mining engineer late from Africa, and his assignment to locate a missing clergyman in an English coal mining town. Blair is a complex and troubling man, concerned largely with returning to African exploration, yet his stay in Wigan becomes a fascinating set of discoveries, centered around a woman who works in the coal pits. All the principle characters are beautifully drawn, interesting as individuals even, perhaps particularly, when they are not attractive. The book is sympathetic, deep and beautifully written, and the end is thoroughly satisfying.

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Summary: One of the best books I've read in years!
Review: Rose is an outstanding book. Smith's previous book, Gorky Park, has been one of my personal favorites of all time for it's story line, character development, believability, detail, and rich texture. Rose does not disappoint and ranks right up there with Gorky Park in my opinion. Rose's Blair, like Gorky Park's Renko, is a likable, decent, competent, and fallible human who is very appealing in the main role. The detail and rich period texture of Rose is awesome. This book held my attention easily and as in other Smith books I didn't want it to end. I thought I had the story figured out by mid-book but Smith faked me out. Great ending. The book reminded me in many ways of Shogun, another personal favorite. Well done Mr. Smith. Please, please, keep writing

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Summary: Excellent history, decent mystery
Review: Smith's portrayal of 19th century coal mining in the UK, as well as his asides about African exploration, is brilliant I have done a lot of reading, and some writing, on these topics, and I could find only one tiny anachronism -- aspirin was not introduced until 1899. The plotting is not quite up to Smith's previous works, but I found it sufficiently engrossing that I read the book in one long marathon. I could not disagree more with the other reviewer on this site

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Summary: Very disappointing
Review: This is the only book I've read by Martin Cruz Smith that I could not finish. I found the characters unlikeable and the story very dreary. I completed about one eighth of the book when I decided not to continue. A major disappointment as I have ALWAYS enjoyed the author's other novels

Rating:
Summary: Fine book
Review: Great depiction of a time and place. I got so involved in the plot that as soon as I finished it I had to go back and read it a second time for its rich texture

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Summary: Great mystery. Great dialogue. Another classic of the genre.
Review: Just as Shibumi by Trevanian was a treasure trove of information in the art of spelunking, Martin Cruz Smith brings the mystery, adventure and learning experience to his readers in that same tradition. The excitement of the story and the character of Blair, are not diminished by the allusions to classic literature or the information and insight into a little known part of the industrial revolution; the workings and hazards in the mining industry of the nineteenth century, which alone makes it worth reading. I give "Rose" an A+.

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Summary: How does one person have so much talent?
Review: Few American writers, and few from anywhere, can completely change the genre of their work and succeed. Here is a man who writes brilliant international political crime thrillers and yet can step into the 19th century and provide contextual language which would make you believe he lived there then. Run to amazon.com with your fingers and order this book. I was unable to put it down