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The Last American Martyr (2011)

by Tom Winton(Favorite Author)

3.7 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0011461004 (ISBN13: 2940011461002)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Tom Winton, via Smashwords

review 1: Taken from my Amazon reviewWinton's "The Last American Martyr" takes on a powerfully difficult task from the get-go. A first person narrative, wrapped up in another first person narrative, can leave some audiences lost, especially when the first person voice is often notoriously tricky to write in. Indeed, when switching from one perspective to another, formatting problems within the ebook initially left me confused, but I quickly grew accustomed, especially since there wasn't much switching around.The story itself is an enticing one - being chased around never gets old, and Winton creates a very human, relatable character. This is even more important here than in other works, because the main character spends a large portion of the novel in relative isolation - most other... more characters don't stick around for very long. This is unfortunate because some of them seemed highly interesting, and I would have loved to get to know them better.Plotwise, there was only one major twist, which, while relatively predictable, created a satisfying ending that gave the story both a natural and rewarding conclusion - though I won't go into details, for spoilers' sake! The plot moved quickly as the protagonist moved from place to place, though it faced the occasional break when Winton stopped to insert a few paragraphs of socioeconomic discussion - while these pieces of dialogue are highly relevant to the novel, they seem out of place and forced, as if Winton interrupted his work to place a PSA. These, however, are few and far between, so they create only minor interruptions in an otherwise breathtaking piece.And certainly, it is breathtaking - Winton can be wordy at times, but often to the reader's benefit - his description of the American landscape recalls the origins of the American Dream, but when he turns his hand to its darker side, well, he wrote one of the most intense storm scenes I have ever had the privilege to read.All told, this thriller suffers from a few hiccups, but is definitely worth a read. I would definitely check out the description first, however - the story is highly political, and if its views aren't your cup of tea, you'll have a hard time enjoying the book.
review 2: Barely three stars, unfortunately, since I really wanted to like this novel. The theme was an important one and I sympathised with Soles' plight, but the whole thing was so amateurish and unbelievable that it was impossible to rate it any higher. First, the author obviously didn't do any research about the Nobel awards. Soles attends the award ceremony in a thrift store suit. That wouldn't have been allowed because it's a formal ceremony that requires formal wear. The prize is never given for a single work by someone who hasn't already built a reputation in his field, and if I remember correctly, there's no award category his book would even fit. Inconceivable that a book worthy of a Nobel would set off a years-long campaign of harrassment and threats to his life. Inconceivable that any single book could have such an impact in this day and age. Inconceivable that such an intelligent man didn't ditch the camper once he knew it was being tracked wherever he went. Every time some psycho found him, that's all I could think about. Dialogue is sometimes more of an information dump or lecture than a conversation. Some of the vocabulary choices seem like "stick a pin in the thesaurus" and see what comes up. Most of the book is supposed to be his memoir, but the author doesn't even create a break between the manuscript and the frame, and he sometimes seems to have jumped out of the memoir and is actually talking to his friend. There were other problems, but those were the most serious ones. This book really needed a professional editor.And I'm very sorry, but I can't condone an author giving all his own books five stars. I believe that authors shouldn't be allowed to rate or review their own books on GR or anywhere else. less

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