The Gate House by Nelson DeMille Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Gate House
Book Review: Borrrrring
Summary: 1 Stars
Loved the Gold Coast and was looking forward to this continuing story. Got about 150 pages in and had to quit. Same ol' same ol' over and over.Book Review: Bring back the real Demille!
Summary: 2 Stars
The Lion's Game was my first DeMille book, and it was breathtaking; still one of my favorite books of all time. After that I read The Charm School, which was another very suspenseful and intriguing book. Those books turned me on to Nelson Demille, and I have since read all his books and eagerly awaited each new book as it was being published. Although some of his more recent work was a disappointment to me, I still felt that the negative reviews for The Gate House must be over-the-top, because it's Demille; it couldn't be that bad.
Unfortunately, having now slogged through The Gate House, I reluctantly must concur with the readers who have decried this book. It was truly awful. I generally enjoy long books because they provide me with days of being pleasurably immersed in the story; however, this book offered no pleasure and it became a chore to get through it.
DeMille fills 9/10ths of the book with redundant and boring tripe. He makes the same remark 10 different ways in each chapter. The characters are not believable and extremely unlikable. I can possibly believe that a "society woman" would fall for a Mafia don because love and lust can cause some strange pairings, but for Susan Sutter to have emerged 10 years later without many apparent repercussions just doesn't seem plausible. Even less plausible is John Sutter picking up where he left off with her. After a cursory beginning in which he glancingly purports to want nothing to do with his ex-wife, he almost immediately falls back in love with her and they continue on in this high-society lifestyle, with Susan's affair and murder barely making a dent. Sure, Sutter alludes to it frequently but still sees Susan as a delicate flower and delightfully zany rich girl. I couldn't grasp anything about Susan that would make a cuckolded and humiliated husband still want her. So she's a beautiful redhead, big deal; she had no wit nor charm nor personality. Nothing about her rings true....she's loved John for all these years? Then why the affair with a Mafia don with whom she was "sexually obsessed?"
As for John Sutter, for a man who spends a great portion of the story claiming not to care about money, he is actually obsessed with her family's money. He also has a nasty attitude towards his mother and in-laws that borders on the pathological, and he childishly insults his mother and in-laws continually throughout the book. Yes, they may be unpleasant people, but maybe it is Sutter himself who made them so distasteful.
Furthermore, Sutter is a condescending jerk, as evidenced by the way he talks about Sophie and other hired help. It is clear from his so-called witticisms that he considers himself way above the "little people."
There was no suspense in this book at all. You can tell in the beginning of the book how things will turn out, and indeed the story proceeds just as you knew it would. I just cannot believe that the author of a masterpiece of suspense such as The Lion's Game could churn out this drivel.
This is the book that has finally knocked me out of the Nelson Demille fan club, and I doubt I will read his next book.
Book Review: Certainly Does Not Belong in Mystery/Thriller Genre
Summary: 2 Stars
I am a big DeMille fan although I found some of his earlier Cold War spy stuff very boring. But his more recent novels capped by Nightfall have generally been highly dramatic reading with a sprinkling of recent history.
This book had no plot. The big secret, Ethel's letter, was easy to guess and that was probably the only plot twist. The characters were caricatures and not at all developed.
The Gate House should not be listed in Mystery/Thriller Genre. It is quite amusing and would be more accurately categorized as Humor. Nonetheless, one can only take John Sutter's sarcasm for so long. This book was way too long making it an expensive buy. I suspect Ebay and Amazon will be flooded with used, inexpensive copies very soon.
Book Review: Classic DeMille
Summary: 5 Stars
I was expecting more action, but THE GATE HOUSE made up for the lack of it with DeMille's humorous dialog and inner thoughts of the main character, John Sutter. Not many books make me lough out loud, but this one did, especially when Sutter is in the company of his snobby in-laws. The book focused more on his and his ex wife's relationship than anything else; I suppose that's why there are so many negative reviews here, but DeMille knows how to tell a great story no matter what the subject. I highly recommend this book and can't praise it enough. I would certainly welcome more from DeMille whith John and Susan Sutter as the main characters.
Book Review: Cut out the first 80% of the book...
Summary: 1 Stars
...and you will still get the entire gist of the story. I have read ALL of Demille's books, I am a big fan, and most were excellent. This was not. Demille does tend to be a bit wordy in his books, but this gets you thinking "OK Nelson, get on with it!" I had no problem with John Sutter's character. I like the witty, smarta$$ type, which is why his John Corey books are so entertaining. In this book, he takes FOREVER to get to any substance whatsoever. When he does, you are disappointed that he falls back completely for his ex-wife, Susan, who seems to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever, aside from money and good looks. John, how about a little more of that pride, huh? Anyway, not much of a good read, and not a typical Demille.