The Book Vipers discussion

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Things to consider:

1. Did you like the book?
2. Did you like or dislike the main characters?
3. Do the characters develop?
4. What did you think of the plot and the ending of the story?
5. Do you have any particular favourite quotes or scenes?
6. Would you read anything else by this author?

I can't really get interested in it, especially when the author tells us part of the outcome before 20 pages in. I figure life's too short and there are too many good books to read, so I'm giving up on this one.

I went into this thinking that it might be a bit dry and heavy going, a bit of a chore to read, but that was not the case at all. I found it very readable.

Even though nothing much happens it kept me turning the pages. Objectively, I can see that much about it is quite unrealistic but that didn’t seem to matter either. Nothing jarred me out of the story, I just relaxed into it, didn’t think about it and enjoyed it.

The only thing that I did struggle with was the epilogue, it would have been much better without that.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I have to agree with Becky. A lot that was unrealistic, but it didn't matter. It was a much lighter read than I expected. And I could have done without the epilogue. It just didn't add anything to the story.
I guess in America we aren't such huge opera fans so I thought the whole idea of her singing stopping everyone in their tracks was strange. But the glimpses into individual psyches, the vignettes that were created were interesting. Probably what kept me reading. If this had been an action flick, I would have changed channels!

I read this book a couple of years back because I love Opera. I had seen it on so many lists of great books too.

So I was really disappointed with it, so far fetched it was painful, finding a child prodigy amongst the terrorists was for me so hammy. And I do love Opera but I know a lot do not, for everyone to fall and worship at the feet of the diva was again for me too daft.

There were some interesting characters, the translator and his boss for example and the reasoning behind a person moving to the extreme life of terrorism was well described. However the end for me was not good at all.

I finished it wandering how this was such a classic.

I have to say that I adored this book. I thought the writing was simply beautiful, and perceptiveness of the individual characters' traits and outlooks and talents was superb.


I did find ti slow going - partly because of the pace of the book itself, the way time seemed suspended within the Vice Presidential mansion - but also because there was a certain density in the prose that made me want to savour it.


I confess, I am not sure about the ending. As Annika said, it is alluded to at the beginning, and throughout, and then flagged as it approaches - and, indeed, how else could the siege end? But it was still sudden and brutal.

Oops forgot to write my thoughts!

I liked this book and thought it was well written. Strangely I felt the start dragged more than the time when they were under siege - maybe because it took a while to learn about the characters, and because at the beginning it was about the opera singer.

I liked Gen and Carmen, and the Vice President. Roxane didn't work for me, I was never convinced that she would have everyone falling at her feet and indulging her, even among opera lovers. Messner was also interesting, particularly when he began to show all the strain of the situation outside that he couldn't manage to convey to the hostages or the terrorists

The ending of the siege was excellent, especially the moments when characters could have escaped but couldn't, or wouldn't, acknowledge what was going to happen. The epilogue at the very end didn't work for me at all though, it should have ended at the siege.

This one was a bit of a slog. Found this really corny and far-fetched. The ending, especially where the two characters got married was ridiculous. Was trying to picture the proposal in my head... "So, since both of our lovers just died, do you just want to get married? I heard good things from my boss."

What was the most jarring thing by far was the audio book narrator taking it upon herself to speak in overly exaggerated South American and Japanese accents, which were completely unnecessary, grossly overdone, and pretty offensive. I'm actually going to speak with the publisher about the audio book. I don't think narrator's need to enact accents, they should be inferred by the listener.