I wouldn't have met Piti if it hadn't been for a chichigua. To translate chichigua as a kite does not do justice to these beautiful creations of...
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Like all novels by Updike, "Terrorist" is well-written, engaging, and theologically astute. It's also frightening. What is so chilling about the novel is how very ordinary it is. It's not a "thriller" but an engaging story of an 18 year old named Ahmad and the people in his life: his clueless mother, his world-weary guidance counselor, the girl who flirts with him at school, the manipulative imam at his storefront mosque.
The idea of a religiously-zealous teenager getting involved in such a violent plot is, in Updike's telling, entirely believable. Ahmad's obsession with "purity" and a strict adherence to his religion start out as youthful idealism, but they easily pave the way to religiously-motivated violence.
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(17 of 28 readers found this comment helpful)
This book is darker than the others and focuses more on Harry growing up and the fight against the Dark Lord Voldemort, that finally has been accepted by the Ministry of Magic. This book is a page turner that can only be expected of Miss Rowling and should be loved by all true Harry fans. Although her puns and ideas are spot on and original, I found the first few pages not as engaging as previous books and found it hard to want to reread it as much as I did the others. Whether this has to do with the new "darker" Harry that has become a typical teenager or whether the chapters are simply not as interesting, I do not know. J.K Rowling has cut down on the size of the book (although it is massive it still went too quickly!)which should come as a relief to some Harry fans but the ideas are still flowing and it still remains a brilliant piece of fiction.
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(32 of 61 readers found this comment helpful)
The author's fable about the boy Santiago is poorly written. What the author does well is keeping things simple. I guess that's what people love about this book. He does point out obvious things, and maybe once in a while we love to be spoonfed.
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(15 of 31 readers found this comment helpful)
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Customer Comments
readerbook has commented on (6) products.
Terrorist: A Novel by John Updike
readerbook, July 5, 2006
Like all novels by Updike, "Terrorist" is well-written, engaging, and theologically astute. It's also frightening. What is so chilling about the novel is how very ordinary it is. It's not a "thriller" but an engaging story of an 18 year old named Ahmad and the people in his life: his clueless mother, his world-weary guidance counselor, the girl who flirts with him at school, the manipulative imam at his storefront mosque.The idea of a religiously-zealous teenager getting involved in such a violent plot is, in Updike's telling, entirely believable. Ahmad's obsession with "purity" and a strict adherence to his religion start out as youthful idealism, but they easily pave the way to religiously-motivated violence.
(17 of 28 readers found this comment helpful)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter #06) by J. K. Rowling
readerbook, June 12, 2006
This book is darker than the others and focuses more on Harry growing up and the fight against the Dark Lord Voldemort, that finally has been accepted by the Ministry of Magic. This book is a page turner that can only be expected of Miss Rowling and should be loved by all true Harry fans. Although her puns and ideas are spot on and original, I found the first few pages not as engaging as previous books and found it hard to want to reread it as much as I did the others. Whether this has to do with the new "darker" Harry that has become a typical teenager or whether the chapters are simply not as interesting, I do not know. J.K Rowling has cut down on the size of the book (although it is massive it still went too quickly!)which should come as a relief to some Harry fans but the ideas are still flowing and it still remains a brilliant piece of fiction.(32 of 61 readers found this comment helpful)
Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
readerbook, June 12, 2006
The author's fable about the boy Santiago is poorly written. What the author does well is keeping things simple. I guess that's what people love about this book. He does point out obvious things, and maybe once in a while we love to be spoonfed.(15 of 31 readers found this comment helpful)
Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
readerbook, May 7, 2006
I would give it not 5, but 10! The best novel I have ever read! A master-piece!(16 of 33 readers found this comment helpful)
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
readerbook, May 7, 2006
I liked this book, it is bit like The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, but not so clever, nor inventive...(32 of 57 readers found this comment helpful)
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