francesmthompson's Reviews (976)

It felt a little eerily relevant to be reading this in our current climate when there is so much going on behind closed doors, and so little being factually, reliably reported, or read. This is a must-read for anyone with any knowledge or interestin the Watergate affair, but if it's all new to you, start with the author's original book All The President's Men, or failing that the film, and then finish with this kind portrait of a man who risked so much for what he saw as his duty to his country. The final half of the book was especially unexpected as it explored his life many years after he was arguably the most famous anonymous source on the planet.

Whizzed through this hungrily and dished out loads of points for having a sexually alive middle-aged woman as the protagonist and for keeping me hooked with flashbacks, twists and turns and a multi-layered cake of a plot. All that said, I felt it could have gone deeper into many of the events and issues it discussed - rape, affairs, love, mental health - and I believe Doughty to be a novelist capable of exactly that. I also found myself asking many questions at the end that stayed unanswered, and not in a good way...

Why didn't the husband ask her more questions about her affair? Why didn't she see the twist coming as it did seem a bit obvious and she as a scientist should have needed a bit more evidence before coming to certain conclusions? And why did the jury come to the conclusion it did when she effectively admitted part of the crime?

Perhaps these are questions for a book club, and in fairness they haven't kept me awake at night. I just wonder if this book could have gone so much further in so many different ways to add a little substance to the suspense.

Oh, okay. There's a reason half of the book didn't make sense. It's also a big fat twist. Even though I don't feel like it works 100% it was worth reading on to... Also I still sobbed my heart out.

Not what I expected... A little slow and not the richly intense prose and emotions I have previously enjoyed in other Alice Hoffman novels. But still fascinating (as it's based on real people) and a book I wanted to finish.

Reading this book felt sluggish and uncomfortable, but considering the story it told, this is perhaps more of a compliment than a criticism... Interesting and different but I'm not sure I'll actively seek out more books by the author.

Essential reading for anyone, ESPECIALLY white people. Just essential.

Beautiful. Moving. Frighteningly original.

While I didn't agree with everything the author said, I related to the majority of his puzzled observations and certainly enjoyed the way the book was put together and kept my interest throughout, even though I'd already read about a lot of the topics he covered. Made me want to embark on my own tour of the Netherlands... but possibly not during carnival season!