Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Lost Soldiers by James Webb ISBN: 0-440-24091-3 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 27 August, 2002 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.07 (30 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Wonderful Look at Modern-day Vietnam
Comment: What a delightful book! Webb has given us a look at a Vietnam that we can only experience through a book like this. It is a work of fiction, of course, but it reads like non-fiction. The descriptions of Saigon, Bangkok, Moscow and Honolulu are as sharp and realistic as in any well-written travel guide.
The characters are well-drawn and robust, and in Dzung and Professor Muir the author has created top-notch supporting players for Brandon Condley, the ex-Marine lieutenant who is the main character.
The plot works well given the setting and the characters. and the book holds the reader's interest right through the last page. Some of the outcomes are a little stretched, but none farfetched.
This is a book about (and by) a man who loves Vietnam and the Vietnamese people. It is also a most pleasant reading experience.
Rating: 4
Summary: Not just a book for guys.
Comment: I had not read anything by James Webb before, and admit to being a little put off by the backgrounds of the cover-blurb writers. They may be war heroes, but do they know about writing? The setting of the novel intrigued me, and I'm glad I did not let the military presentation of Webb put me off "Lost Soldiers" before giving it a try. The publisher might consider text praising Webb in literary as well as military terms, because he is a good writer and this is a good book.
Former Marine Brandon Conley searches for missing soldiers, dead or alive, in Vietnam. The passage of time would lead him, and us, to believe that most of the lost soldiers will be dead, but a surprise is in store. Conley is lead to believe that one of these missing Americans is alive and thriving in Southeast Asia's underground economy. The soldier deserted in 1969 and killed a fellow soldier before joining the Viet Cong, so Conley would really like to catch him.
Most of the action takes place in Vietnam, and it is obvious that Webb loves that country and its people. The Vietnamese characters are full of spirit, especially Conley's friend and pedicab driver Dzung and the mysterious Colonel Pham. The fact that Conley speaks Vietnamese gives us insight into the lives of the people of post-war Vietnam that is touching and thought-provoking.
The Vietnamese characters are by far the most interesting. Except for his linguistic skills and kindness toward this Vietnamese friends, Conley is a fairly typical ex-Marine kind of buff, romantically wounded, Levi-wearing hero-but then he'd probably have to be to do what "Lost Soldiers" asks of him. He has a buffoonish anthropologist sidekick who wears Hawaiian shirts, too. They're both fine, but I wish that a little of the nuance tenderly used on Dzung and Colonel Pham had been left over for them.
Rating: 4
Summary: Why I Want To Go Back To Vietnam
Comment: James Webb has written a number of books of varied topics. Unlike some Vietnam veteran authors who seem stuck on Vietnam, Webb can certainly shift gears.
Former Marine Brandon Conley is the protagonist. In a word, Conley reflects what Webb is really like, at least in my humble opinion as one who has met him. I merely mention this as I think this is an important point to consider. Webb is fluent in Vietnamese, just like the character (alter-ego) Conley, he is steeped in the culture of the Vietnamese, and he does indeed offer prayers for deceased former enemies as in the book. In short, he is a complex character.
The understanding of Vietnamese culture is what comes out in the book. Yes the plot takes a back seat, but must we be so picky? Many of the incidents in the book actually took place during Webb's numerous visits to Vietnam. For instance, the North Vietnam driver really did turn to him when the officer left and speak pidgeon English to him, praising America. Webb thought it so great that he wrote that incident into the book. And Webb truly seems struck, as in the book when he offers a proper prayer in front of the family for their deceased family members. Webb describes in meticulous detail how the photos are arranged. The different generations, as exhibited by Colonel Pham and his daughter Van, who wants freedom and modernity, is what is truly happening in Vietnam
Also of interest are the descriptions of the former ARVN soldiers and the social discrimination directed against them. As a form of punishment, no former ARVN soldier is allowed to rise above menial labor. They are all placed in a ghetto in Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City) so they can be watched. Webb shows their plight through an incident that exposes their inability to afford proper health care as well as a proper burial. They are constantly humiliated and reminded that they and their progeny will never rise any further.
Webb also wove his book around the myth of Salt and Pepper. These two, one white and one black, supposedly went to the other side during the war. Their sightings were, to me, like sightings of Elvis and Sasquatsch. I really don't know if they existed, but I certainly heard about them while I was in Vietnam. Most soldiers telling me this actually believed all the stories circulating.
What Webb did was put the Salt and Pepper story into the context of the deserters who simply went to live in Saigon, making a living supposedly selling drugs. This was no lie, as there were estimated to be about 500 such souls at the end of the war. Since they took their weapons with them, the MP's became involved in firefights when they got too close. What became of them is anybody's guess (a great fictional plot device, like in the book).
Going back to Vietnam is a very tricky subject and can evoke a strong reaction from many Vietnam veterans. We all know of the beauty of Vietnam, but Webb know first-hand the ugly side of Vietnam and describes it well. I did not think this book warrented 5 stars, but would have given it 4 and a half if I could.
 |
Title: Fields of Fire by James Webb ISBN: 0553583859 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 28 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $7.50 |
 |
Title: The Emperor's General by James Webb ISBN: 0553578545 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 04 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: A Country Such as This by James H. Webb ISBN: 1557509646 Publisher: United States Naval Inst. Pub. Date: March, 2001 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
 |
Title: A Sense of Honor: A Novel (Bluejacket Books) by James H. Webb ISBN: 1557509174 Publisher: United States Naval Inst. Pub. Date: April, 1995 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
 |
Title: Something to Die For by James Webb ISBN: 0380713225 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 February, 1992 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
