The Columbus Affair = Dud

Book Club members met to discuss best-selling author Steve Berry’s 2012 historical thriller, The Columbus Affair. All agreed that the book was a disappointment. The story about the hidden history of Christopher Columbus was repetitive and too long -- 80 chapters of 3 to 4 pages each. Some said that it didn’t hold their interest enough to care about the ending and was not even interesting as a thriller.

The discussion generated by the book was about life in Third World countries compared to that in Western Europe and the United States and how the quest for power and control generates violence and unequal economic circumstances.

This quote by Confucius emphasizes the author’s passion and dedication to history that is at the heart of his writing, “Study the past if you would define the future.”

Have you read The Columbus Affair? What did you think?

We are looking forward to a discussion about another popular author at the next meeting on June 11 when we read Fresh Disasters by Stuart Woods. Woods' suave hero, Stone Barrington, takes on organized crime in this exciting story.