Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Gate House Is "Fast Out Of The Gate" Then Coasts Until The Last Twenty-Fives!, 4 Nov 2008
If The Gate House was a race horse, I'd say it came out fast from the gate, pretty much coasted for the large part of the race, then put on the speed in the last couple of lengths. For this reader, The Gate House "placed" in the race but was not the big "winner." I've been a big fan, but with diminishing intensity, of Nelson DeMille since his first book, By The Rivers Of Babylon. Demille's The Gold Coast, to which The Gate House is the sequel, is one of my favorite books of his; and so, when I recently received an ARC of The Gate House I put it at the very top of my to-be-read list. Overall, I enjoyed The Gate House but not as much as The Gold Coast. I'd grade it a B-.The main reason being that with the exception of the last 25 pages of the 667 copy I read, little of any substance happens after the first 100 or so pages. In typical DeMille fashion, his character development is very strong -- particularly in regards to his main male character, John Sutter, whose sarcastic wit permeates throughout this book -- and his narrative ability is at the top of his game. However, after several hundred pages of appreciating these characteristics I was getting very impatient for some action and thrills to occur. I would have enjoyed The Gate House much more if it had 200-300 pages less fluff/filler. The Gate House, for me, is a classic example of the adage, "Less is more." Despite these limitations, if you're a fan of The Gold Coast you're going to want to read The Gate House, which takes place ten years later when Sutter has come home to the Gold Coast of Long Island to attend the funeral of an old family servant. I doubt if you're going to dislike The Gate House. As a matter of fact, you'll probably think it is pretty good. The purpose of my review is to urge you to not -- as I did -- expect a book as good as the one on which it is based.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
bryanB, 8 Feb 2009
I discovered Nelson Demille last year and unfortunately read six of his titles in random order so was dismayed to find I should have read The Gold Coast before embarking on his new novel The Gate House. However, this did not spoil my enjoyment at all as I found this book an absolute pleasure to read. Although over 600 pages long it took me only 6 days to complete. The main character is John Sutter and deals with his reluctant involvement with The Mob. However, his in-laws play a large part in this book and having had my own experience of similar fractured relationships, his ongoing thoughts had me laughing out loud throughout the story. Perhaps readers who have panned this book are too young to understand the infighting that can develop due to unsuitable relationships within the family circle. All in all a wonderful read and I highly recommend it.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable read., 14 Jan 2009
I really enjoyed this book. Yes it is different slightly from other Nelson DeMille books, but whats wrong with that? Authors are often criticised for each book being the same, and this one's not (except for the brilliant descriptive writing). "The Gatehouse" is a slower, but a well crafted story, with the main character John Sutters wit, alive on every page. Although this is a sequel to "The Gold Coast", it can easily be read as a stand alone novel, as it covers the first book (and more) in detail. Of course reading the first book would be a good idea as it is an exciting read as are all of Demilles books.
Having read "the Gold Coast" when it first came out, I had forgotten most of the finer points, so this book did well to bring me back up to speed with considerable ease. This story is beautifully paced, as with all Nelson DeMille books, he describes the characters perfectly, and provides enough information for the reader to be there, without it becomming bogged down and a chore. Although this was 667 pages long the writing made every page effortless.
The story picks up ten years after "the Gold Coast" ended, its not as exciting as the Gold Coast and you would be hard pressed to call this a thriller (drama is a better description), but its a considerbaly better than most of the dross out there, James Pattersons last Alex Cross novel, "Up Country" springs to mind. If you are fan of Nelson DeMille and can handle a stroyline that is less frantic than some of his books, this is definately for you. I liked the pace, due to its inteligent writing and if the next few books by DeMille are like this, I will be a very happy reader. Now for Greg Iles new one.
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