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The Bourne identity (Book)

The Bourne identity
Title:The Bourne identity
Author:Ludlum, Robert, 1927-
Publisher:1980
Brief description:Who is Jason Bourne; and why does he have four million dollars in a Swiss bank account? Jason has lost his memory, and his search to find out who he is and what he has done starts with one clue - somebody wants him dead. The more information Jason discovers, the more terrifying his quest becomes.
Series:Bourne
ISBN:9780553593549, 9780752858548, 0752858548, 0246111216, 0586049347, 0007134355
Subjects:Suspense fiction
Permalink:Permalink to this item
Description (full):The first of three novels about Jason Bourne, hero extraordinaire, and a man who leaves no stone unturned. It is now a major movie starring Matt Damon . Who is Jason Bourne? And why does he have four million dollars in a Swiss bank account. It is a good question. And one, to which, Jason doesn't know the answer. He has lost his memory, and his search to find out who he is and what he has done starts with one clue: somebody wants him dead. The more information Jason discovers, the more terrifying his quest becomes.
Author info:Robert Ludlum, a US Marine in the Second World War, was born in New York City, raised in Short Hills, New Jersey and educated in Connecticut. A former actor and theatrical producer, at forty he decided to change careers and try his hand at writing. Thereafter, publication in 40 countries, 32 languages, and sales of 220 million copiies worldwide. Robert Ludlum died in 2001.
Nielsen review:'Always absorbing ... His characters are complex and credible, his sleight of plot as cunning as any terrorist conspiracy ... A Bourne from which no traveller returns unsatisfied.' Time Magazine
Kirkus review:Robert Ludlum, in a TV interview, once explained how he went to a meeting with his publishers to discuss the manuscript of a new novel he had sent them. When he got there, they were aghast, hollow-eyed. He asked what was wrong. One of the publishers managed to croak: 'The title - there's more than three words.' Ludlum's books are, as you may have guessed from that, formulaic: they have three words in the title, they have a strong, quiet man at the centre, someone who battles the forces of evil as well as forces within himself. And, usually, he triumphs, against seemingly impossible odds. This is not to sneer, since Ludlum almost invented the form we now know as airport fiction, with its blend of page-turning pace, painstakingly detailed research (you can learn a lot from a Ludlum) and the increasingly high stakes his heroes come up against. He never made any great claims for his art, and while there is no Tom Clancy-style American imperialism behind his books, neither is there the political hinterland of a Le Carre or an Eric Ambler. The Bourne Identity, first published in 1980, is arguably Ludlum's finest work, and has been re-released to coincide with the film adaptation starring Matt Damon. The plot is satisfyingly labyrinthine - Jason Bourne knows someone wants him dead and knows that he has $4 million in a Swiss bank account. But quite why either of these is the case is, for the moment, beyond him. The deeper he gets in his search for the truth, the more complex and scary it becomes. Ludlum's spare, pacey writing keeps things ticking over very nicely indeed and his clever, complex characters occasionally make the reader think they deserve a more subtle setting. Thriller fans who have not yet come across this one should make sure they look out for a classic of its kind. (Kirkus UK)
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