Out of Sight

Rating:
Summary: One of my best works, but not my greatest
Review: The movie of this book, is a grand spectacle and they did a great job about adapting this. I would recommend you see the movie after you read the book as it is very good. I am planning a sequel soon.

Rating:
Summary: A Book for White People
Review: There are two notable differences between the book and film which make all the difference in how one might regard the story. In the film, Karen is Latina and Buddy is black. In the book, both characters are white. The result is that all the sympathetic characters in the book are white, while all the unsavory characters, on either side of the law, are black. Let me say that I don't take pleasure in noting these things and don't especially seek them out. But, with this book the dichotomy is glaring. Buddy and Jack, the heroes, are harmless white bank robbers who are genuinely kind, gentle guys who have a miraculous way of weaving their ways through the most dangerous, seediest terrains with hardly any notes of fear or inexpertise. It's a fantasy, the white male fulfilling the role of the good guy gone a little bit wrong, enough that they can can be properly romanticized. Of course, the real bad guys, the ones who are dumb, who murder, who rape - the filthy animals - are black and hispanic. The presence of White boy Bob does not quite undercut this fact. Even on the side of the law, Karen's boss is a black guy who is a jerk and wants to bed her badly. And as for the charcter of Glenn, white, who is airy and easily frightened, he is a sympathetic character is who provides the most laughs - a well realized character. Until I realized the manner by which the racial divide was being aligned, I was loving the book. Wonderful dialogue, some very funny moments. The white charcters are well written and are all immensely likable. If you can get past the fact that the non-white characters are the vessels of sordidness and incompetence in this book, you stand a good chance of enjoying this read. As such, this book is really intended for a white readership. I found it objectionable. And this is not at all a matter of political correctness. Leonard's books have the tone and attitude of being gritty, realistic novels and it is my opinion that his obedience to a white fantasy - white people being good even when they're bad (black people being bad even they're good) - only adds another layer of irreality atop the grit of the story. This book is not gritty; it is not tough or edgy. It can't be because it is at its heart a fantasy based on racial roles.

Rating:
Summary: Great book! Elmore Leonard never fails!
Review: This book is one of my favorite books by Elmore Leonard. No, no, no. It IS my favorite!! It never stops and the charactors are SO cool! I love this book! Elmore Leonard is the man!

Rating:
Summary: A Good Buy!
Review: This book was poorly written. Its plot was somewhat implausible and the characters were anything but dynamic. It seemed more like a screenplay thinly disguised as a novel, as it possessed very little literary merit. I would not recommend this book to anyone who values his or her leisure time.

Rating:
Summary: It's cool, hip, and...well...that's all
Review: This is a far cry from Tale of Two Cities. However it is great summer reading. Not to deep, but does have a variety of funny characters that make it worth reading. I have never read Leonard before, but I might check out another one of his books now. Good book.

Rating:
Summary: This book is GREAT!
Review: This is a great book I think it is a very romantic story about 2 totally different people that fall in love and realize that they can't and it is a really good book.I love it and I'm sure you will too.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Beautifuly written masterpiece
Review: This is an amazing well written book. I couldn't put it down. READ THIS WONDERFUL BOOK. Highly Recomended

Rating:
Summary: My favorite Elmore Leonard book
Review: This is my favorite Elmore Leonard book to date. now, i have only read three of his books, but I find comic crime novels to not be that interesting. However, I loved the movie and that that I should try the book. The book lived up to the hype. It had a movement that just flowed off the pages. The characters were well rounded, interesting and funny. You really felt the connection between Jack Foley and Karen Sisco, even though one was a bank robber and escaped convict and the other was a US Marshal. If you read just one Elmore Leonard book, read Out of Sight.

Rating:
Summary: Liked it a lot...read it in a day!
Review: This is the 2nd Elmore Leonard book I've read & also the 2nd I've finished the same day I started it. It's a quick read and as several comments below indicate it reads like a screenplay and is well suited for plane rides (or subway rides to Yankee games, like me). The story is funny, quick-moving, and not too serious. I do plan to read the rest of his novels after getting off to a quick start with this and "Get Shorty".

Rating:
Summary: No wonder so many of Leonard's books are made into movies...
Review: This isn't a novel it's a screenplay: dialogue, some location shots, minimal character development. I couldn't finish this book, it was too painful. My first Leonard book and my last.