I honestly had no clue what Marathon Man was about before I started reading it. I started a book club when I moved to Seattle a year ago and each month we pick a new genre and roll with it. We picked thriller/suspense for January and then looked to see what the mostly highly shelved and rated books in the genre were and added a few to our poll. This won so I acquired it and jumped in. I think it made it quite a bit more fun having no clue what the story was about or where it was going (I haven’t seen the movie) so I’ll try not to ruin anything in this review. Marathon Man opens with two angry old men in a road rage situation in New York City which results in a string of events involving Nazis, espionage, and a Jewish grad student who runs marathons. It is basically an adrenaline-fueled rush all the way to the ending. Babe Levy, the aforementioned grad student, has the uncanny ability to remember historical facts, just like his father before him. The father whose life and career were ruined by McCarthyism. Babe’s only family is his brother Doc, whom Babe resents a bit for doing corporate work of a sort and collecting hoity-toity interests. After Babe begins dating a German student and writes to Doc about his feelings, his brother shows up at his apartment and Babe finds out that several things are not as they seem. And that is about as far into the plot as I can go without spoiling it all.I had rather high expectations going into this book because it was written by William Goldman, of The Princess Bride fame. I’d hoped that he could write a thriller with the same humor he injected into both that book and the movie screenplay based on it. Was there humor? Not really, but he certainly knows how to keep the reader intrigued and there are several scenes I won’t soon forget. Something that might be a positive for readers is that the pacing roars along, allowing readers to frantically flip pages until they’ve finished the book in one sitting. However, I thought the characterization lacked a bit because of it. There are several German characters I kept confusing with each other and they, along with a few other characters, left me practically begging for more of the backstory. It reminded me of the characters in Jasper Fforde’s BookWorld who try to invent interesting tidbits about themselves to interject into their acting. Character 1: generally evil henchman, German, broad-shouldered. I found it perplexing, though, that some complete randomness was interjected instead of helpful characterization—did we really need to know about so-and-so’s favorite Argentinian laundress? I will say that Goldman knows how to write torture, death, and chase scenes which really covers all the bases in a thriller. And I liked the seventies feel to it. Thrillers are more interesting to me when they aren’t utilizing the newest technology and people have to base their life and death prospects on skill and luck rather than their knowledge of advanced weaponry. Plus, who doesn't love reading about assassins going after assassins? Now that I’ve read the book, I can’t wait to see the movie, which stars Dustin Hoffman as Babe Levy. I want to see if the film captures the anxiety I felt during the dentist scene, the point when Levy finds out about the double-crosser, the bank escape scene, and the ending. (these are pretty general, non-spoiler mentions. If you think I should spoiler them, let me know) 3.5 stars.
After completing Marthon Man by William Goldman I am certain that I will read the sequel. This is the first novel I've read by Goldman. I hear ya, where's the rock I've been living under. Many people are familiar with the movie featuring Dustin Hoffman. Luckily I am not familiar with said movie but I do hope to be someday. The novel begins explosively with two men having an all out war through the use of their Chevy's and VW's. This accident leads to the death of both men and somehow, strangely relates to our protagonist Tom Levy, aka Babe.Babe, a brilliant grad student of history at Columbia, in his mid-twenties is hurled into a world of espionage, intrigue, Nazis, rogue dentists, and men repeating terms such as "is it safe?". A world where there really is absolutely no one to trust. Goldman really does a wonderful job at giving us readers someone to root for. Babe isn't perfect and he knows it but he has some extremely endearing qualities. He's smart, funny, and often very reflective. On the other hand, he's sad with his self-doubt and low self-esteem. Babe is a very self-aware character and it's obvious in the moments where we get to peer into his head.This novel isn't long so I'll try not to give away anything because there are no unnecessary moments in this book. The characters move in very believeable and deliberate ways. Goldman really does not let his foot off the pedal with this timeless thriller. There are twists, turns, and surprises and really just a good novel overall. Life is a marathon and not a sprint. Only those who have the strength to endure, win the race.
What do You think about Marathon Man (1976)?
I had a (sort of) girlfriend for two weeks when I was on camping holiday in France when I was a teenager. When I say girlfriend, I think that's probably overstating it a bit. I just fancied her loads and she talked to me, which MUST have meant she fancied me, but she didn't want to say it. Anyway, she and her parents had to go back home about a week before we had to (nothing to do with me, mind)and I received this news with burning throat and eyes spiked with tears and testoterone (which must have looked a bit odd when you think about it). She said she had something for me before she left, and I was counting on at least a snog or a fumble, but instead got to wave at her leaving in the car, but the car stopping briefly for her to hand me a dog-eared, sun-stained copy of Marathon Man. "You'll love this," she said. What could that mean? That night, disappointed it did not contain any love notes in the pages nor smell of perfume or show traces of her lipstick, I decided I may as well read it.And Oh.My.God!!!!It's famous now of course, thanks to a decent film version from the early 70's (scripted by Goldman, so you'd expect something decent) but I had never EVER thought a book could put me through that. Much more than the dentist scene. So much more. By the time I'd finished it, fast, I'd forgotten where it came from. Was the grown up world so fast, brutal and deceitful? Surely not.
—Andy
William Goldman is a fantastic author. I did not really know much about the book going in, but it did not disappoint (and now I really want to watch the movie). The characters are pretty well fleshed out (maybe the main character a little too much so), and the suspense is tangible. I will say, I actually liked a few of the side characters quite a bit more than the main guy (he was a little whiny through most of it), but he improved as the book went on. Without getting too spoiler-y, I can say I was VERY happy that Babe was not just making stupid decisions throughout the book. As his character grew and changed (realistically), he was largely responsible for his own success/failure, and that is refreshing. Too often authors get lazy, their characters do not spot the obvious, and they make idiotic decisions based on their own stupidity. Not (so much) the case with Babe, and it really made for a fantastic narrative. The reason it only gets 4 stars? Golding has a tendency to be a bit *too* verbose at times. It doesn't detract much, but it would be better if he could cut some his longer paragraphs down.
—Alyson
Liked, didn't love. It's a quick, easy read and very much of its time period. Though mine was a recent hardcover re-release with an intro by the author (a good intro detailing how he got into writing for Hollywood), this book really feels to me like a beat-up, pulpy paperback you'd carry on the subway. That's not a bad thing. A fun thriller that reads like a movie, which is how I came to know it originally. My mom was a big fan of this film when I was a kid. Fortunately, seeing it didn't turn me off the dentist forever.
—Sue Bridehead (A Pseudonym)
