Resist the urge to Google and try answer this question.
Do you know which Alistair Maclean, Sharmila Tagore is reading in this song?
After a good deal of play-rewind-play and pause I finally got the name of the book. (Then I did Google to confirm it.)
I really loved reading Alistair Maclean and Desmond Bagely through high school. Although "Where Eagles Dare" and the Navarone books are more popular - I prefer "Fear is the Key", "Bear Island" and "Ice Station Zebra". And when I was watching "Inglorious Basterds" - it did bring back some memories of Navarone. I liked all of Bagley's books and "The Viverio Letter" somehow sticks in my head.
Parents and teachers were most happy to let us read these books since there were absolutely no sexplicit scenes in those books and we were almost always taken to see the movies.
My mom was rather particular about what I was reading those days. When I graduated from Maclean to Sidney Sheldon (fortunately for me the books I got had very sober jacket covers) I got away with a "You know this book is very much like that Navarone book" and my Mom not really being into books was gullible enough to swallow that and was quite happy to let it go considering I was not reading those trashy Mills & Boon.
Little did she know that it actually would have been better for me to have read the M&B for I must point out that those days Mills & Boon at least had some semblance of a story, instead of the semi-porny trashy stuff that was spewed out later!
The book in the song is "When Eight Bells Toll" - no never read it - hoping to get my hands on it...
The Vivero Letter is my MOST FAVOURITE Desmond Bagley book ever! And while Dusty Miller from the Guns of Navarone was my most favourite Maclean character, all the other Maclean books you mentioned are all right up there with The Guns of Navarone. How about The Satan Bug? Have you read HMS Ulysses? I didnt like it the first time around at 14, but the second reading when I was 16 - I loved it!
ReplyDeleteShyam: A gal after me own heart. Vivero is my mostest favouritest... Satan Bug - yes I have read it - (what I consider the original bio-terrorism novel) - and I think HMS was Maclean's first. Considering I read them waaay back in High School wouldn't mind reading them again.
ReplyDeleteOooh, Anu... I thought the exact same thing, and bought ALL of Maclean on Ebay for a throwaway price. Obviously the books haven't changed, but sadly, I've grown up, whether or not I like it. What I'm saying is, you can only read them from an adult perspective now. And sadly sadly sadly I couldn't help thinking they were juvenile - no surprise that I loved them as a juvenile :(
ReplyDeleteBut Desmond Bagley - his books are still fantastic. That's what solid research and more well-rounded characters do for continued readability. Viva The Vivero Letter!
And now, having written a blog post in your comment box, I shall go back to pondering on what to post on my blog...
Shyam: Yes I agree - Desmond Bagley are better written and not as juvenile.
ReplyDeleteIdeas for a post - pick a favorite book - turn to 6 random pages - pick the sentences in the first paragraphs of each and see what you can do with that...