Review of Sail by James Patterson
A Fast Paced Unabridged Audiobook from Bestselling Author
May 21, 2008
Sail, by best selling author James Patterson, is a fast moving story. The central characters of the story are the Dunne family, each with their own problems and issues with life. In an attempt to bring the family together and to rebuild their relationships, the family head off for a special sailing vacation.
As fans of James Patterson's writing will expect, far from heading into a blissful sunset and living happily every after, the family are plunged into a series of terrifying events. It does not take long for the twists and turns of the plot to unfold and it is quickly apparent that all is not as it seems.
The Plot
Sail is a well paced thriller combined with elements from a good, old fashioned adventure story. The publisher, Hatchette, refer to this book as taking 'Lost' and 'Survivor' to a new level - think also 'Robinson Crusoe' and 'Swiss Family Robinson' bought into the twenty first century!
There are plenty of red herrings, false leads and twists to the plot and nothing stays the same (or appears the same) for long. The end of the novel brings together all the pieces of the storyline in a giddy mix which results in alternate bouts of confusion followed by enlightenment.
Listeners will find that Sail is more about adventure than character development and the pace of the story doesn't really allow a detailed exploration what makes these people tick. This result ain a slight feeling of 'so what' when the family face some of their more horrific moments, but this does not detract from the enjoyment of the adventure and intrigue.
The Narration
The audiobook is narrated by two excellent readers, Dylan Baker and Jennifer Van Dyck. Each reader reads the section of the book that is written from the perspective of the main male or main female character. This works very well and adds to the fast paced feeling of the book. Dylan Baker, in particular, has a wonderful ability to inject malice and danger into his voice. Some words he pronounces with a slight hiss, capturing the evil nature of the character without becoming too much like a player in the pantomime.
The narration is certainly top quality although one area that might surprise listeners is the occasional musical background and sound effects. This can sound over the top and in some patches detracts from the sound of the narrator's voice.
Conclusion
Sail, by James Patterson, is a great read for fans of the thriller and adventure genre. The high quality narration does make this audiobook a superb listen and even people who would normally avoid this style of fiction, may well enjoy listening to this book.
- Note: There is occasional swearing and adult content.
About James Patterson
James Patterson is a prolific and successful author. According to his website, jamespatterson.com, Patterson has sold over 150 million books world wide and in 2007 sold 16 million books in the US alone. In the UK James Patterson holds the honor of being the 'most borrowed author' from UK libraries.
Further Details:
- Publisher: Hachette Audio; Unabridged edition (June 9, 2008)
- Running time: 7 hours, 49 minutes
- ISBN-10: 1600242065
- ISBN-13: 978-1600242069
More Audiobook Reviews:
- On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
- World Without End by Ken Follett
Have you listened to Sail? If you would like to share your views with other readers, why not use the 'comment' button below and let us know if you enjoyed it!
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