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| View Larger Image | Ordinary Heroes
by Scott Turow
| | List Price: | $7.99 |  | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours | | | | | Sales Rank: | 272290 | | Studio: | Grand Central Publishing | | | Binding: | Mass Market Paperback | | Number Of Pages: | 512 | | Publication Date: | October 01, 2006 | | Publisher: | Grand Central Publishing |
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CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 71 reviews)
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Good experience 
Book in good condition, used. The story is a fantastic read, poignant, surprising. Would make a great movie!
September 06, 2008 | |
Solid Turow Book 
I recently finished the book over vacation and really enjoyed it. I always enjoy ST books because his writing is an upgrade over most of the authors of bestselling thriller and mystery books.
The book does depart from his usual style. Less of a hard core legal book. Also, many of his other books carefully analyze the characters personality from a psychologists viewpoint. This book had less of this analysis. As others mentioned, he does have the narrative alternate from present day and the main characters diary of the events from WWII. I thought this provided some interesting suspense.
I enjoyed these changes. I am a practicing attorney so I may enjoy these changes more than others because I like getting away from regular life while on vacation.
The book is an interesting mix of realism and farce set between D-Day and ending just after the Battle of the Bulge. Some portions were very realistic and others had an off the wall style similar to Catch-22. However, ST points out in the concluding notes that some of these quirky portions were based on actual facts from research. I guess this shows how the reality of wartime bears little resemblance to the reality peacetime.
All in all a solid book, if you do not mind a deviation from Mr. Turow's usual structure.
July 24, 2008 | |
Incredible World War 2 novel full of engaging characters
In Scott Turow's ORDINARY HEROS, he switches gears and takes the reader back to World War II and an the incredible adventures of David Dubin, a JAG lawyer thrust onto the front line where he comes face to face with the unimaginable horrors of war. This book is great. Turow is an incredible author, but he doesn't write enought to be considered one of the best. A novel every three years isn't enough, in my opinion, to generate and hold a fan base. However, the time between novels is what it takes to generate novels of this quality, then it is worth it.
The book opens after David Dubin dies. His son, Stewart is going through his belongings. He finds a letter from a girl named Grace who wishes David well in spite of their broken off engagement. She also mentions something about David being courtmartialed. What? Steward had no idea his father had been courtmartialed or previoiusly engaged. Thus begins Stewart's quest to find out about his father's life during World War 2. Stewart meets with Bear Leach, now very old, but who represented his father during the court martial. Leach has David's written account of what happened during the war, and this is how the story is told with occasional interruptions of commentary by Stewart.
Tired of the routine of lawyering seven days a week, JAG officer David Dubin is given a mission to bring a man named Robert Martin in for questioning. Martin is an OSS officer who General Teedle believes has crossed the line and disobeyed orders. Dubin and MP Gideon Bidwell go to the front lines and are immediately captivated by Martin's personality and confidence. Martin of course has a different story to tell and Dubin immediately questions if Teedle is right in doubting Martion. Dubin also meets Gida Lodz, a captivating Polish beauty that was rescued by Martin and very loyal to him.
ORDINARY HEROES is a story of Dubin and Martin. Is Martin good or bad? Does he deserve to be arrested and will Dubin follow through with his orders. It is also a story of war and human sacrifice. Dubin is forced into battle and it effects him greatly. He is attracted to Gida Lodz but feels guilty for betraying his fiance back home. This novel puts a human face to the tragedy of World War II. We think today Iraq is bad, but it was nothing compared to the wars of our past.
This is a must read for Turow fans and those who love historical war novels. Turow definitely captures the essence of war. His characters are engaging and three dimensional. The action moves fast, except for a brief moment where Dubin is thrust to the front lines in charge of a unit. It's a shame there aren't more Turow novels to rush out and read. I guess I'll just have to patienly wait for the next one.
May 07, 2008 | |
Turow tries something a bit different--and it works
I've always admired Scott Turow as a writer, largely because he
doesn't always keep to the exact same format . . . he's written several
legal thrillers (PRESUMED INNOCENT being one of my favorites),
as well as such nonfiction works as ONE L (an inside look at what
life in law school is all about).
For some reason, I somehow had missed ORDINARY HEROES--a
2005 novel . . . so when I got the chance to listen to the taped
version, I grabbed the opportunity--and was not disappointed.
This is the story about a retired newspaperman who discovers
letters that his deceased father wrote during World War II . . . in
doing so, he uncovers a host of family secrets . . . along the way,
there's a love triangle, court martial and fascinating tale of investigative
journalism.
This is not the page-turner that some of Turow's other books
were . . . rather, ORDINARLY HEROES unfolds at a more leisurely pace
that nonetheless will hold your interest throughout.
The audio version I heard had an added bonus; i.e., an interview with
Turow (who remains a practicing attorney) at the end . . . furthermore,
the narration by Edward Hermann was as fine as I've ever heard.
March 28, 2008 | |
Slow to start, powerful second half.
The faults first. Some of the character dialogue is unrealistic and serves as exposition of Scott Turow's personal philosophies. The racial issue is interesting, but a bit heavy-handed. The opening hundred pages are a bit slow.
Having said that, Ordinary Heroes is incredibly gripping in conveying the drudgery, horror, and injustice of war, while still giving an entertaining read. This novel accurately conveys the moral uncertainties of war for all parties - including American forces. The central plot twist was well handled. I suspected the resolution, but the uncertainty was enough to make the culmination surprising.
The sheer epic sweep of Ordinary Heroes is humbling, especially when one thinks of the millions of similar stories that can be told about World War II.
January 13, 2008 | |
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