The Exile

Rating:
Summary: Please tell me again how Barron and Ford got into this mess.
Review: Allan Folsom may be regarded in some circles as a gifted and compelling writer of action-packed suspense thrillers, but if one is asked to agree with that assessment, that agreement will have to be based on some OTHER work; The Exile is NOT an example of the characteristics asserted by those who might so regard Folsom.

All fiction asks the reader to suspend his disbelief.

Folsom, however, pleads with the reader to suspend his or her own intelligence.

A more implausible set of conditions and resolutions has NEVER been more repeatedly shoved up my consciousness than when I read "The Exile".

I want my money back.

Rating:
Summary: Non-stop action
Review: Great book, I really enjoyed it from cover to cover. Found myself staying up late reading it. Never read this author before, but will read more.

Rating:
Summary: Much anticipated but ultimately dissapointed
Review: Having read the first two novels in one sweeping breathtake, I found myself again having a sleepless night going on to the rollercoasterride I anticipated. How disappointing that after the first 200 (very readable) pages the novel stalls becoming more and more predictable and I am very sorry to say this, by times utterly stupid. I'm prepared to wait another few years to give Folsom another go, but after having read the last line I was really disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Great Beginning But the Rest Is Never Ending.
Review: I have read many of the customer reviews and they seemed to be split. I unfortunately agree with the negative reviews. The first segment of the book is wonderful. Without giving away any plot the train ride and the scenes in LA are riveting. If the book had ended there I would have given it a 5 star.

The remaining portion of the epic is not convincing, wordy and boring at times. I continued to read this portion because of the momentum of the first portion. Also it was interesting to try to figure out exactly what was happening. This was resolved mid way through the second portion. From about 450 onwards the story dragged. I found the end unsatisfying.

The question that is touched on better never really explored is the moral dilema that was faced. In the 700 pages more should have spent on this issue and less driving in a never ending snow storm.

Rating:
Summary: Suspend Belief
Review: I liked this book better than his other books. The premise of the book was interesting to me, so I thought I would give Folsum one more try. This is just a vacaton, mindless read that can be enjoyed if that is all you are looking for.

Rating:
Summary: SOMEWHAT IMPROBABLE BUT ENGROSSING & ENTERTAINING!
Review: I'm a big fan of Folsom's work. Although one must often "suspend disbelief" when reading one of his books, they are never boring! His characters are complex and fascinating. I have been up much later than I should have been the last couple of nights reading this one. I just wish he didn't take so long to write each book!

Rating:
Summary: Badly Needs Editing
Review: Mr, Folsom can certainly write a sentence and string them into interesting paragraphs. So can any competent English major. I padded through 400 of the 700+ pages before deciding it was too dirty and implausible to continue further. Moreover, because of his Clintonian descriptions of sex I will not pass this on to my wife and certainly not my adult daughters. I cannot in good conscience donate it to the library and must throw it to the shredder. Needless to add that I will not by purchasing any more of Mr. Folsom's books in the future.

Rating:
Summary: Not his best but well worth the time !
Review: Not FOlsom's best but defintely well worth the time and effort. There are a couple of places where the plot smacks of Frederic Forsyth's "Icon" but the treatment is first rate. Three nights in a row I had to remind myself that it was 2 AM before I stopped reading. Definitely much further above the "mindless summer read" and highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific unabridged audio read by Paul Michael!
Review: Unlike some of the other Amazon reviews I have read, I enjoyed this book and particularly found the shift in Continents interesting. The action packed first part, sequed into life in Europe for, actually, one of the two exiled characters. I listened to the unabridged audiobook and felt that Paul Michael did a fabulous job with the various characters with differing dialects. I enjoyed Raymond's easy tone and especially the character of the Baroness that was read especially well. I wanted to extend my drives to hear more. The Day After Tomorrow is one of my favorites and I kinda enjoyed Day Of Confession. This book, in audio is 5 stars, perhaps in hardcover it would be different.

Rating:
Summary: WoW!!!!!
Review: WoW, I have been waiting to read a really good book and this is a really really good book. I thought his first one, The Day After Tomorrow was good. This book is not better than, but it is as good as.