Cathedral
by Nelson DeMille
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Book Reviews of Cathedral
Book Review: What Not To Do On St. Patrick's Day
Summary: 4 Stars
Don't even think of what a grand revolutionary gesture it would be to blow up St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City! This is the premise of Nelson DeMille's hefty (575 pages) ambitious thriller.A group of 12 fiery Irish revolutionaries led by charismatic Brian Flynn have minutely planned to take four carefully chosen hostages, seize and mine the cathedral and threaten to blow it up at dawn the following day unless their demands are met to free political prisoners jailed in Northern Ireland by the British. The hostages are the Archbishop of New York, the British Counsel General, a parish priest, and Maureen Malone, a former terrorist with close ties to Brian Flynn, but now a peace activist.
Mr. DeMille pulls it off. He drives the breath-taking pace by fast cuts from Belfast, to the cathedral, to the desperate workings of the police and government to foil the attempt. The military precision of the takeover is meticulously described (thank goodness for the map of St. Patrick's!) in fascinating detail. Precisely drawn vignettes of the supporting cast as well as the major characters inspire the reader's care and interest in the outcome on large and small levels. The author is wickedly adept at portraying politics at its worst when revealing the tangled motives of the Mayor, the New York Police Dept., the Governor of New York, the British and Irish Consulates, the CIA and FBI. The revolutionaries are a complex lot, some with fire and vision, others stone killers, and some innocents that break your heart.
In one way it reminded me of "Apollo 13" in that you knew the astronauts would be rescued (historical fact), but you got so wrapped up in the story you feared for their very lives. I know St. Patrick's is still standing in all its glory, but while reading "Cathedral" I so suspended belief that I gave 3-1 odds that it wouldn't be standing by mid-morning the next day!
The author does a better job of delineating men then women. The women were not one-dimensional, but enigmatic as to their motives and reactions. The men were marvelous mixtures of good and bad, bravery and cowardice, humor and madness---until you could see them standing before you. I did find myself wondering throughout: where did this rag tag group get the money to mount such a complicated offensive? This aspect could have been clarified.
"Cathedral" is a satisfying read. Call it escapism or just plain good ole story telling, I felt as if I was there every moment and had a total investment in the outcome.
Book Review: WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILING...
Summary: 5 Stars
This is another exciting, well-written thriller by the author. In this one, the struggles of Northern Ireland are featured, and the writing is exceptional. Suspenseful, with an intricate plot and well-fleshed characters, this book will keep the reader riveted until the very last page is turned.
Irish Republican Army (IRA) soldier, Brian Flynn has emerged from the heat of conflict in Northern Ireland with a master plan for seizing world renowned St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on St. Patrick's Day. His plan includes the taking of three very special hostages, one of whom is a former IRA terrorist turned peace activist, who just happens to be Flynn's former lover and main squeeze, the beautiful Maureen Malone. The others are Sir Harold Wilson, the British Consul General in New York, and his eminence, the Cardinal.
Due to the fact that a former IRA terrorist and the British Consul General are joining the Cardinal on the steps of his Cathedral for a historic photo opportunity, the press is there in full force, as are members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Among them is Irish American Lieutenant Patrick Burke from NYPD Intelligence. When all hell breaks loose, the hostages are taken and NYPD discovers too late that the Cathedral has been booby trapped. With the hostages facing almost certain death, it is up to Burke to make sure that they survive, as the cards are stacked against them, with a traitor inside NYPD and a British Intelligence officer with his own secret agenda working against their survival.
This is a nail biter of a book, with many twists and turns interwoven within the complex, highly detailed plot and subplots. The characters are well-fleshed and, given the situation in which they find themselves, set the stage for great human drama that captures the reader. This is simply a wonderful, well-executed book that all those who enjoy well-written thrillers will love.
Book Review: Book Reveiw for Cathedral
Summary: 4 Stars
This Nelson Demile novel of political espionage mixed with religious and historical clashes kept me turning the pages faster, and faster the deeper the plot sank. Though it had a very slow beginning, the fast paced ending made up for it and then some. To me this novel was a true indicator of how great and ingenious of an author Nelson Demile really is.
The plot takes place in New York City on Saint Patrick's Day. It was supposed to go like it had in the past years but Irish Terrorist Brian Flynn had a different idea in mind. He thought of an amazing plan consisting of Irish Terrorism and heroism. He and ten other terrorists from the anti British Group IRA took over saint Patrick's Cathedral and four very important hostages with it. His plan was twisted yet brilliant and he wouldn't stop till he got what he wanted, which was...
My favorite character in this story is of course the villain, Brian Flynn. To me he exhibits the most heroic accts and intelligence in the whole story. I also think that without him there would be no story and/or plot in the story. My least favorite character is another terrorist. Her name was Megan Fitzgerald. I think that she has no respect for anyone in then story except herself, and she was especially ruthless to the hostages.
This Novel was very good. I would consider it a work of art. Even for Nelson Demile who has many big hits and bestsellers this book would be considered in his top five of all time. It kept me guessing throughout and that is what I like in a book. If you just keep going through the beginning you will like it. For someone who is just plain out looking for a good entertaining story, I would recommend this book to them. I would give it four stars.
Book Review: Great introduction to Demille
Summary: 5 Stars
Cathedral is a prescient tale of what happens when terrorism is brought into the American backyard, in this case NYC and St. Pat's Cathedral on St. Patty's Day. We're not talking about Middle East terrorism of course, but if you don't catch some present-day parallels here, let me be the first to welcome you to planet earth. I've read all of DeMille's novels and I still think this is his best. Great plot development, crackling good dialogue that's both smart and funny, and well rounded characters. To his credit, Demille depicts the IRA outcasts as real people that you actually feel for and the lines between good and evil are blurred. Let's face it, the Brits aren't saints in this battle at all. You don't condone their actions, but you understand the pain that's brought these IRA (or Sinn Fein) members to this point. Hickey might be one of the craziest, scariest and funniest characters Demille has ever created and Major Martin one of the most sinister. Demille really did his homework on St. Pat's Cathedral too, and the church remains virtually the same. I confess that I actually read some of this book in there, because I thought it'd be cool. I will now dodge the lightning bolt. Anyway, I've read this book twice and it's one of the most satisfying reads I can remember. After 25 years, it still holds up and I strongly recommend.Book Review: A cathedral's worst nightmare
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm starting to like Nelson Demille's work. Cathedral was as intense as other political thrillers, and seeing that this is related to real historical events, that makes it so much better. Published back in the early 80's, this tells of the hellish conflicts in Northern Ireland. Brian Flynn and his fellow "Fenians" have come from Northern Ireland to seize St. Patrick's Cathedral during St. Patrick's Day. This would become a shocking historic day, as the cathedral will blow if all demands are not met the next morning. This is a tense thriller, with complex characters and a suspenseful third act. So many characters (Flynn, Hickey, Burke, Baxter, Bellini, Murphy, etc.) have their own distinctive personalities, and we can't really tell who we should root for? Should we feel sympathy for Flynn or Burke? And that's why this book is so brilliant. Ultimately, the ending isn't completely satisfying, but it is a most perfect ending, at least to me.
I'll be looking forward to reading more of Demille's other works. He's made it to my "Favorite Thriller Authors" list.