Kate’s 2¢: “Ambler’s Warning” by Robert Ludlum

“Ambler’s Warning” by Robert Ludlum

NOTE: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Michael Scherer did an excellent job of narrating this lengthy story. This is the kind of story that can really mess with your mind.

A few take-aways:

–It was no dream, which made it a nightmare.

–An English idiom he’d learned in his native tongue…a double translation.

–One must remove the snapping turtles from the pool, if one hopes to swim unmolested.

–numonic over-lay.

–Risk is quantifiable and certainty isn’t.

–It was an identity composed of 1,000 mosaic tiles.

–Conscious thought was logical and slow. Intuition was fleet and usually more accurate.

–Every reason to believe  21^st Century will be identified as the Chinese Century.

–Never doubt that a small group of citizens can change the world.

–His mouth formed a smile as involuntarily as a sneeze.

–A grotesque parody of love-making.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robert Ludlum (May 25, 1927 – March 12, 2001) was an American author of 27 thriller novels, best known as the creator of Jason Bourne from the original The Bourne Trilogy series. The number of copies of his books in print is estimated between 300 million and 500 million.[3][4] They have been published in 33 languages and 40 countries. Ludlum also published books under the pseudonyms Jonathan Ryder and Michael Shepherd.[5]

Life and career[edit]

Early life and education[edit]

Ludlum was born in New York City, the son of Margaret (née Wadsworth) and George Hartford Ludlum. He was educated at the Rectory School then Cheshire Academy and Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where he earned a B.A. in Drama in 1951.[6]

Career[edit]

Prior to becoming an author, he had been a United States Marine,[7] a theatrical actor and producer. In the 1950s, he produced shows at the Grant Lee theater in Fort Lee, New Jersey. From 1960 to 1970, he managed and produced shows at the Playhouse on the Mall at Bergen Mall in Paramus, New Jersey.[8] His theatrical experience may have contributed to his understanding of the energy, escapism and action that the public wanted in a novel. He once remarked: “I equate suspense and good theater in a very similar way. I think it’s all suspense and what-happens-next. From that point of view, yes, I guess, I am theatrical.”[5]

Many of Ludlum’s novels have been made into films and mini-series, including The Osterman Weekend, The Holcroft Covenant, The Apocalypse Watch, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Covert One: The Hades Factor, a book co-written with Gayle Lynds, was originally conceived as a mini-series; the book evolved from a short treatment Ludlum wrote for NBC. The Bourne movies, starring Matt Damon in the title role, have been commercially and critically successful (The Bourne Ultimatum won three Academy Awards in 2008), although the story lines depart significantly from the source material.

During the 1970s, Ludlum lived in Leonia, New Jersey, where he spent hours each day writing at his home.[9]

Death[edit]

Ludlum died of a heart attack on March 12, 2001, at his home in Naples, Florida, while recovering from severe burns caused by a mysterious fire which occurred on February 10, 2001.[10][11]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The Ambler warning DB61667

Author: Ludlum, Robert

Reading Time: 16 hours, 23 minutes

Production: National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress

Read by: Michael Scherer

Subjects: Spy Stories, Suspense Fiction

Intelligence operative Hal Ambler has been wrongly confined to an island psychiatric facility for patients posing security risks. Hal escapes with help from nurse Laurel Holland and sets out to uncover who he is–and who he was–while eluding unknown enemies. Strong language, some descriptions of sex, and some violence. 2005.

New York : St. Martin’s Press, 2005.

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