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.

This Month's Selection: The Columbus Affair by Steve Berry

This month we are reading The Columbus Affair by Steve Berry.

Join us May 14th at 1 pm for a face-to-face discussion or read along with us and add your comments to the discussion online starting May 15th.

From Random House:

A family’s secret, a ruthless fanatic, and a covert arm of the American government—all are linked by a single puzzling possibility: What if everything we know about the discovery of America was a lie? What if that lie was designed to hide the secret of why Columbus sailed in 1492? And what if that 500-year-old secret could violently reshape the modern political world?

Read an excerpt to see how you like the beginning. Pick up your copy at the Holmes Public Library and share your thoughts!