Marathon Man

by William Goldman

Book Overview

William Goldman's remarkable career spans more than five decades, and his credentials run the gamut from bestselling novelist to Oscar-winning screenwriter to Hollywood raconteur. He's beloved by millions of readers as the author of the classic comic-romantic fantasy The Princess Bride. And he's notorious for creating the most harrowing visit to the dentist in literary and cinematic history--in one of the seminal thrillers of the twentieth century...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440053277
• ISBN13: 9780440053279
• Release Date: January 1974
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 309 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.

Customer Reviews

William Goldman the Marathon Man

(...) Marathon Man, by William Goldman, is an epic thriller, that which simply begs to be read over and over again. The initially mysterious characters and their odd lives that begin to intertwine and show themselves later on are enthralling, and the book is impossible to put down. Marathon Man attracts an audience of virtually anyone who can enjoy the typical fast-paced action-packed spy novel, and yet sense and enjoy the clever wit woven into the text by the author. (...) When confronted with the question of "How good was this book?" I can only answer one way: Fantastic. The book sets the pace in the beginning with a cryptic car crash, the necessity of this being explained later on in a sort of "light-bulb over your head" moment. To read the book is to be frequently interrupted by your own intermittent cries of, "So that's who he was!" and "Oh! I get it! How amazing!". The narrator pelts with you sarcasm and charm throughout the book, making light of the most dire situations and adding a touch of surrealism to the whole situation in the protagonist's point of view. Every event in the book has some sort of logical place in the story. Nothing is insignificant. It's a puzzle, and the pieces gradually begin falling together as more and more is found out. You begin to crave to know more, to understand more, and you form your own ideas, predictions, and suspicions, until another puzzle piece falls into place and totally spins you around in bewilderment. The only criticisms that could be genuinely made on the book are that the situation is almost fantasy and unreal. How many siblings do you have that are connected to Nazi scientists from Auschwitz? Personally, I didn't give a damn that the whole plot was full of sheer implausibility; I was enjoying myself far too much to actually give in to a few minor errors that didn't make any difference whatsoever. Overall, the book is of exponential distinction and acclaim. It grabs you with the first scene, and plunges you into a thrilling and intoxicating world of scandal, mystery, and terror. To put down the book and become occupied with some random, irksome task is ridiculous and highly unlikely for any reader. Marathon Man is a thrill ride, but lucky you, you don't even have to leave your bedroom!

Top-drawer thriller

Goldman's Marathon Man gallops to the finish line, never slowing, never giving away too much too soon, keeping on a steady pace to the end of the race. Thrillers don't get better than this -- simple yet complex, easy-going but quickly moving, funny yet chilling. The perfect subway read.

A One Day Read

William Goldman has a gift for creating three dimensional characters and larger than life situations that actually seem possible. Besides this his prose is entertaining with tight plotting.Of his fiction Marathon Man is a perfect example of all the features of Goldman's skills. I remember starting to read this a few hours before a really hot date. I became so engrossed in the plot, the twists and turns and tension growing within Marathon Man which initiated a first for me. I called and ended up cancelling the date just to finish the last 100 pages.It is a rare book that motivates me to drop everything else and read it from page to page. Marathon Man was the first and one of very few.You feel for the protagonist and visualize his experiences in your minds eye. You feel the terror, the racing heartbeat and surprise with each page. Goldman had a run where he was the master of the thriller novel. Getting freaked out in a literate fashion is truly a unique experience, one you should experience if you have not yet read Marathon Man.In the end I made up for my faux pas of cancelling the date in part by giving this book to the woman I cancelled on. She confirmed she couldn't put it down either, chances are neither will you.Highest recommendations...

Vintage suspense novel

William Goldman's "Marathon Man" is my favorite novel of all time. I have probably reread it 20 times. It can act as a virtual textbook on the creation of suspense and terror. Goldman has a firm grasp of what frightens people. He juxtaposes different points of view very effectively and creates characters which you cannot help but care about. It contains what is probably the most famous (and infamous) torture sequence ever commited to paper. The novel is violent but doesn't glorify violence which is a very delicate line to walk on. Goldman is wordsmith without peer. His prose sparkles and is memorable. He lately has been concentrating on screenplays and has not written a novel since 1986 (which coincidentally was a sequel to this novel called "Brothers".) I can only hope that he finds the time to produce a few more novels. Thirteen years has been too long to wait for another Goldman novel. Read all of his novels, you won't be disappointed.