First published in 1980, "The Bourne Identity," by Robert Ludlum, is the first in a highly successful series of thrillers about a covert operations specialist named Jason Bourne. A hugely popular film starring Matt Damon, which was based on this novel and produced in part by the author, debuted in 2002, kicking off an updated, alternate version of this story.

Because the Matt Damon film and the novel are so drastically different, a lot of fans of the book truly hated the Bourne films. I'm someone who enjoys both. I watched the first three Damon films in the theater, thought they were okay, and enjoyed them a lot more when I rewatched them in 2020.

Then I read the novel, in January 2021, and while I thought the book's twisty storyline was far superior to the plot reveals in the film, reading the book doesn't take away from my enjoyment of the Damon film trilogy. I just appreciate the movies for different things.

The novel has a lot of problematic material that made me cringe. Aging women are really demonized in this story. Adulterous women receive more hate in this book than the story's primary antagonist, who is horrifyingly immoral and a nonstop murderer. Fat men and effeminate men are ruthlessly mocked. There is a strong current of racism in the text that is brutally common in action/adventure stories like this one. The Damon movie is incredibly racist as well, but in a different way than the book.

What author bell hooks labels "the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy" is fully on display in this thriller, but the book also has powerful counter-narratives that work against that messaging, too. Yes, there is a lot of material in the book and the movie that is problematic. But there is also a huge amount of feminist messaging and feminist narrative structure in the novel. The character of Marie, Bourne's love interest, is drastically different in the book than how she was portrayed in the Damon film. Marie is a powerhouse in the novel, every bit as much Bourne's equal, and her role in the story is part of what makes the book so explosively good.

I liked the way the novel ended, but I enjoy the Damon movie's ending a lot more. The climactic action scene was one place where the movie returns to its literary source material, and utilizes a lot of thematic and stylistic elements that make the final confrontation so rewarding in both stories.

The romance in the novel is so much stronger and more enjoyable in the book than the movie, but I like the final romantic scene in the Damon movie much more than the final scene in the book.

If all thrillers were as good as "The Bourne Identity," I would read a lot more of them. This is definitely an absorbing piece of fiction. Highly enjoyable, mysterious, and full of compelling characters.

Five stars. Recommended for thriller fans, and anyone who enjoyed the movies.

Time for a change of pace and a new author, though I am pretty familiar with the genre. Haven't seen any of the movies ... There's been plenty of well-described action so far, but I have to say that when you're providing minute details of a fast-moving action scene the stuff gets a bit confusing. This book is over 500 pages long. Maybe fewer words might help? Some of the writing is in the Dan Brown mode, and though better, still ... I chose this over Le Carre' and I'm hoping it will pay off. So far so good. A problem already ... what reader didn't know that going to Zurich was a bad idea after Jason had been identified? Even if he HADN'T been identified, just using that number siganture was OBVIOUSLY going to lead to trouble. The first page of G'reads reviews and ratings is not encouraging. I hope the Dan Brown-ism doesn't take over. We'll see ...

- the dive in Marseilles = "Our Man Flint" ...

- Swiss hotel = "The Night Manager" ...

- uh-oh, a head whips ...

- the grab-a-gal tactic = "Three days of the Condor"

- and to top off day one's cliches ... a fat man!

Day two and our intrepid duo are in Paris. Already their lack of caution has cost an innocent soul his life. Maybe that'll smarten' 'em up a bit.

- Bourne resembles Anton Chigurh in his indestructibility. Is he better than Bond?

- The relentless action is getting to the overload stage. 300 pages to go ...

- Oh no! Another head whips - When will it all end???

- Just when I was wondering why JB didn't disguise himself for Paris, he does so with the urging of his gal-pal.

- The presence of the woman both helps and hurts the narrative.

Well into the second half now and the big reveal is exactly what I suspected it would be. I confess to having a bit of help from a blurb in one of my movie books. Still ... it became sort-of obvious after a while. Now the question is who is the American traitor. Trump???? Perhaps not ... Meanwhile, Mr. Ludlum continues to be a serviceable at best conveyor of the incredibly detailed plot. NO doubt I've lost touch with some of it and some of the many characters of importance, but I feel and think that it's of no great importance. This isn't reality anyway and RL is not that good a writer. Those in the genre that I've found to be better: Lee Child, John Le Carre'(of course), Len Deighton, Ken Follett. Alistair MacLean and more. Ludlum's approach is to unleash a deluge of characters, streets, locations, weapons, technical details(I'm still not too straight on what's so special about the fiche-thingee) and so on. If I'd bothered to stay on top of all of it I might be able to cite more logical problems, but I can't bring myself to care enough to do that.

- would that Paris fashion house babe actually say "skipper" instead of "captain?

- more suggestion of "Three Days of the Condor" with the Treadway house in NYC.

Got near the end last night by employing my trusty semi-skim mode. I didn't seem to be missing anything important. The author succumbs to the "too many words syndrome" with his descriptive prose. Of course, I realize that the end of the book will not be the end of the whole Bourne saga, and that a number of threads will be left hanging for the sequels. Annoying ... but typical these days. And, I have another Bourne book or two on my bookshelves. I doubt that I'll be reading any more of them, however, as Mr. Ludlum seems too much like Dan Brown for comfort. But then, I DID read another DB book after I read 'The DaVinci Code" so ...

- shouldn't the Treadstone brownstone have been better defended??? The invasion there reminded of "Three Days of the Condor"(again). An excellent movie BTW, as is "TBI", from what I've heard. Wouldn't be the first time the movie's been an improvement on the book.

- 400 pages would've been much better.

- Those remaining Treadstone people seem pretty stupid to me. Where's the logic???

- More "Day of the Jackal" with the mad colonels ...

- The babe has faded into the background as Jason goes about his deadly business in Paris. Although she does help him think at times, she's mostly annoying.

Finished this overloaded turkey last night with a blaze of skimming. Mr. Ludlum finally wore me down with his continuing onslaught of leaden, cliched dialogue, convoluted plot doings and gratuitous piles of words, words, words. Therefore, I've lowered my rating to 2.5*, and that means only 2* for RL. It also means that the other Ludlum books on my shelf will be "disposed of," and no, I won't toss 'em, just donate them to the local library for sale shelves. As many other negative reviewers have noted, the possibly interesting plot just sags under the load of mediocre(being charitable) writing. AND!!!! the bad guy gets away - AAARRRRGGGHHH! The one thing that might have made the time spent reading this vaguely worthwhile is postponed(literally unbelievably) as all those pro spys in the room just let Carlos run off down the corridor??? - absurd(sorry 'bout all the excla points)!

- I really wish the babe would STOP calling Jason "darling"

- "That's WHOM I'm calling about." Really? It might be technically correct, but I think 90+% of us humans would say "who" ...

- the books ends with a barrage of things a-whipping: heads, legs, arms etc.

- The Dan Brown factor; I've been giving Mr. Ludlow credit for not being as bad as Dan Brown, but, what the hell; he's ALMOST as bad. Close enough.

I read some interesting stuff about RL in the backs of this and other books I have(and soon not have). Such as ... these books being referred to with the high-falutin' literature term "work" - as in "the work of Shakespeare"("the published 'work' of Robert Ludlum") ... THAT'S bull crap of the highest/lowest order. From the front of "The Bourne Supremacy" - a blurb from The Chicago Tribune: "Ludlum wastes no words" = a howler.

Fun book. Something I particularly noticed was how the writer lets the reader get just one step ahead of the characters...then pulls the rug out. Oops! So much for your assumptions :)

Okay, it took me a bit, but I really enjoyed this book. The narrator did an excellent job with the different voices and accents in the audiobook I listened to, and I found myself getting attached to the characters. I'll admit, I did have trouble following the plot at points, but I still really had a good time. I'd like to continue the series. 4/5 stars.

I only read 20% on my kindle - I really really tried as it was a book club book but it was just awful. 'He pointed the gun at her, I will shoot you x50 = there's no way you're going to shoot her sigh!'

"The Bourne Identity" is the first book by Robert Ludlum that spawned the very successful Jason Bourne series, and in my mind it is his best. The novel begins as a half-dead man with his body bloodied and riddled with bullets is dragged from the sea onto trawler in the middle of a storm. Less than three hours earlier he was shot and thrown into the sea by people intent on killing him for reasons he does not know or remember. Their mistake is in believing him to be dead. The man eventually finds himself in Zurich and discovers that his name is Jason Bourne, that he works for a covert company, and that an assassin he does not know is hunting him down.

Flashbacks trigger memories as Jason tries to figure out his identity, and in amazing fashion provide him with what he needs to avoid being killed. That is the beauty of this book - it is both a fast-paced, action-packed thriller and the story of a man desperate to find out who he really is - no matter the consequences. Full of suspense and intrigue with a unique twist on character development, "The Bourne Identity" is without a doubt one of the best thrillers ever written.

As spy novels come, this one is pretty good. It has an intriguing premise, interesting characters and enough creepy details, action and plot twists to make you want to find out what happens next. In short, it's a definite page turner, and that, I believe, is the main prerequisite in this genre, with which I'm not terribly familiar.

The story, for those of you who haven't seen the rather loose film adaptation, is as follows. A youngish, bullet-riddled man is found more dead than alive on a beach in southern France. When he has finally been nursed back to physical health, it turns out he has lost his memory and has no idea who he is or what has happened to him. With the very few clues he does possess, he tries to uncover his identity, only to find there are people on the loose who are trying to kill him -- possibly several groups of people. What ensues is a dangerous journey through Europe and America on which the young man tries to piece together clues about his past while dodging bullets left, right and centre -- bullets fired by Carlos the Jackal as well as a top-secret American military organisation of which he may or may not be part. Will he stay alive long enough to get the answers he craves?

The Bourne Identity is an exciting story with an interesting protagonist. Jason Bourne is a well-drawn amnesiac, a conflicted, morally ambiguous man who may have more on his conscience than he can bear. His descent into doubt and psychosis is presented in a reasonably believable and compelling way. His obsessive hunt for answers makes for an exciting journey, full of spectacular action pieces and plot twists; it stays interesting right until the rather abrupt ending.

Sadly, though, some parts of the book are rather too unlikely for my taste. Take, for instance, Bourne's relationship with Marie, who falls in love with him after having been kidnapped at gunpoint by him. Stockholm Syndrome? Possibly, but I don't buy it. And how awfully convenient that Marie should be a financial whizz just when Bourne needs some help with his bank affairs! Worst of all, though, is the patness of some of the dialogues. There are quite a few conversations in the book where, in order to help the plot along, characters draw unlikely conclusions about Bourne from scant evidence. When these conclusions were being drawn, I frequently found myself thinking, 'How does THIS follow from THAT?' which rather ruined the momentum for me. Add to this the fact that the book (which was written in the late seventies) seems very dated now, and you have a somewhat flawed reading experience -- a fine, compelling thriller, but not much more than that.

This is my second time reading this book, the first time being more than two decades ago, long before the movies. I loved the books then. Now, it’s hard to separate them from the movie characters as much. One thing that does stand out is how much smarter Marie (the kidnapped woman) is in the novel. She is much more of a problem solver, with a cool head and an analytical mind. I love that. Maybe Hollywood thought that wouldn’t sell.

On the one hand 'The Bourne Identity' is a relatively fast-paced, thrilling novel, the bare bones of which many readers may be familiar with via a same-named movie, by a master of the genre. On the other hand it has a dated feel, the writing is almost comically breathless at times, it suffers by comparison to the movie version, and although it's fast-paced, it's not fast enough.

At the high level, those familiar with the movie will recognize the plot: barely alive Jason Bourne is dragged out of the ocean full of bullet holes and totally lacking in memory. He eventually returns to physical health and the rest of the novel involves him recovering his memory in bits and pieces as he discovers skills, connections, and images that become increasingly dangerous. 'Superstar' globe-trotting assassin 'Carlos' keeps popping up, as do various hoods, government agents, and assorted CIA-types, all trying to off Bourne while all he's trying to do is figure out who he is and why he's in Europe. In one of his many early escapes he kidnaps a female Canadian government worker who eventually becomes his partner, confidant, and lover. As Bourne's memory returns in bits and pieces, his life becomes increasingly dangerous and a final confrontation with his nemesis, Carlos, is inevitable.

From a story standpoint, The Bourne Identity is highly inventive and a nice departure from the typical spy novel. I'd be the first to admit my take on the book is colored a bit by my love of the Bourne movie franchise, but the differences in the plots are fine. I did find a bunch of unrealistic action and silly decisions in the novel and Ludlum's writing was pedestrian, with lots of stilted dialogue and over-the-top action sequences. All-in-all, a solid plot, a good story, mediocre writing, and an unrealistic conclusion.

Very disappointing. I thought that this would be like the film but better. Unfortunately it wasn't. It was slow and although the characters had the same names the story was different with alot more characters than I could keep up with. Very confusing. Shame as I love the films.

i will stand in line for this
there's always room in life for this
- moby

Joprojām paliek neatbildēts jautājums - kurā brīdī un kādēļ Bourne pārvērtās par Buenu.