Review by mondegreen -- East Wind, 2nd edition
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mondegreen
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- Latest Review: East Wind, 2nd edition by Jack Winnick
Review by mondegreen -- East Wind, 2nd edition
[Following is a volunteer review of "East Wind, 2nd edition" by Jack Winnick.]
East Wind, 2nd edition by Jack Winnick follows the paths of Uri, a member of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad; Lara, an accomplished FBI agent; and Walid and Hossein, dedicated followers of Hezbollah, whose lives intersect during a bombing at Marina del Rey. The third-person omniscient point of view allows us to follow each story individually, where we learn about each character’s backstory, ultimately leading them to a shared moment in time. Uri and Lara are introduced first, and we are given hints right away that show us they will become more than just a skillful pair of agents tasked with keeping America safe. Walid and Hossein’s stories are revealed next, detailing what it’s like to be on the other side, the delivering end, of terrorism that many of us aren’t familiar with. Because the reader gets to spend just as much time with the villains of this novel as they do with the heroes, when it comes time for a decision between loyalty to a belief system or the protection of thousands of lives once believed to be evil, they might find themselves rooting for the bad guy in the end.
Though I am a fan of classic crime and thriller, this book helped me branch out within that genre and provided a new twist of action and romance, along with the flavors of suspense I usually enjoy. Right away, I noticed and appreciated the way the chapters were formatted, with time and date stamps. This story is told through some time jumps -nothing impossible to follow along with, but just enough to keep the story interesting- which I liked. A small detail that always delights me is when the story refers to its title, and with this novel especially, I loved the moment when we learn the meaning behind the title; it provides a whole new layer to the story.
I was immediately hooked with the prologue, as Winnick did a great job showing rather than telling the story, and gave life to every character and experience he wrote, even the antagonists. This style of writing was especially effective in this case because the villains were terrorists, a group of people we are all taught to dislike and steer clear of. By writing from their perspective, we can start to see where their line of thinking comes from and find possible ways of preventing global acts of terrorism, by catching them at their developing stages and educating against propaganda.
The more I read, the more I became invested in the story; however, in the beginning, I found myself getting bored at times. Though the events that take place are fictional, a lot of the context and information presented are historically accurate and based in reality, which readers might need to have a prior understanding of or be willing to look up. At times, there were more than two pages filled with what seemed like just historical and technical details that seemed irrelevant to me as the reader, as I just wanted to enjoy the intriguing storyline and wasn’t as interested in the specifics of bomb manufacturing or the inner technicalities of a terrorist group.
If you like fictional stories that coincide with real history, I would definitely recommend this book. The technical information that I found boring might intrigue others, so if that does appeal to you, give this book a read. For those that are either not interested in political themes, specifically the USA-Isreal-Palestine conflict, or have strong feelings and opinions about it, then I wouldn’t suggest reading this book. Anyone who enjoys stories told in a non-linear fashion should consider reading this novel. This book does contain some explicit language and several references to erotic content, including one sexually explicit scene, so if this makes you uncomfortable, I wouldn’t recommend this book for you.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this exceptionally well-edited book. This book is the first in a series, and finishing this one had me looking forward to checking out the others. Though this didn’t dissuade me from finishing the book, if it weren’t for the overwhelmingly repetitive details, this book would have received a perfect rating. Therefore, I give this book a 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the suspense and action-filled story and, as a byproduct, felt like my knowledge about our current global political climate has broadened.
******
East Wind, 2nd edition
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
East Wind, 2nd edition by Jack Winnick follows the paths of Uri, a member of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad; Lara, an accomplished FBI agent; and Walid and Hossein, dedicated followers of Hezbollah, whose lives intersect during a bombing at Marina del Rey. The third-person omniscient point of view allows us to follow each story individually, where we learn about each character’s backstory, ultimately leading them to a shared moment in time. Uri and Lara are introduced first, and we are given hints right away that show us they will become more than just a skillful pair of agents tasked with keeping America safe. Walid and Hossein’s stories are revealed next, detailing what it’s like to be on the other side, the delivering end, of terrorism that many of us aren’t familiar with. Because the reader gets to spend just as much time with the villains of this novel as they do with the heroes, when it comes time for a decision between loyalty to a belief system or the protection of thousands of lives once believed to be evil, they might find themselves rooting for the bad guy in the end.
Though I am a fan of classic crime and thriller, this book helped me branch out within that genre and provided a new twist of action and romance, along with the flavors of suspense I usually enjoy. Right away, I noticed and appreciated the way the chapters were formatted, with time and date stamps. This story is told through some time jumps -nothing impossible to follow along with, but just enough to keep the story interesting- which I liked. A small detail that always delights me is when the story refers to its title, and with this novel especially, I loved the moment when we learn the meaning behind the title; it provides a whole new layer to the story.
I was immediately hooked with the prologue, as Winnick did a great job showing rather than telling the story, and gave life to every character and experience he wrote, even the antagonists. This style of writing was especially effective in this case because the villains were terrorists, a group of people we are all taught to dislike and steer clear of. By writing from their perspective, we can start to see where their line of thinking comes from and find possible ways of preventing global acts of terrorism, by catching them at their developing stages and educating against propaganda.
The more I read, the more I became invested in the story; however, in the beginning, I found myself getting bored at times. Though the events that take place are fictional, a lot of the context and information presented are historically accurate and based in reality, which readers might need to have a prior understanding of or be willing to look up. At times, there were more than two pages filled with what seemed like just historical and technical details that seemed irrelevant to me as the reader, as I just wanted to enjoy the intriguing storyline and wasn’t as interested in the specifics of bomb manufacturing or the inner technicalities of a terrorist group.
If you like fictional stories that coincide with real history, I would definitely recommend this book. The technical information that I found boring might intrigue others, so if that does appeal to you, give this book a read. For those that are either not interested in political themes, specifically the USA-Isreal-Palestine conflict, or have strong feelings and opinions about it, then I wouldn’t suggest reading this book. Anyone who enjoys stories told in a non-linear fashion should consider reading this novel. This book does contain some explicit language and several references to erotic content, including one sexually explicit scene, so if this makes you uncomfortable, I wouldn’t recommend this book for you.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this exceptionally well-edited book. This book is the first in a series, and finishing this one had me looking forward to checking out the others. Though this didn’t dissuade me from finishing the book, if it weren’t for the overwhelmingly repetitive details, this book would have received a perfect rating. Therefore, I give this book a 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed the suspense and action-filled story and, as a byproduct, felt like my knowledge about our current global political climate has broadened.
******
East Wind, 2nd edition
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: East Wind, 2nd edition by Jack Winnick
