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Before the Fall
by
Noah Hawley (Goodreads Author)
On a foggy summer night, eleven people--ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter--depart Martha's Vineyard headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the passengers disappear into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs--the painter--and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of a wealthy and powerful media mogul's
...more
Hardcover, 391 pages
Published
May 31st 2016
by Grand Central Publishing
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Emilie
This is what kept me going to finish the book -- I kept expecting that date discrepancy to mean something. Now I think it was just poor editing.
Community Reviews
(showing 1-30)
Find all my reviews on my blog: https://thesuspenseisthrillingme.com
4.5 STARS (Rounded to 5 on Goodreads)
On a foggy summer night, eleven people—ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter—depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs—the painter—and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's fa ...more
4.5 STARS (Rounded to 5 on Goodreads)
On a foggy summer night, eleven people—ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter—depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs—the painter—and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's fa ...more
It's difficult for me to recommend thrillers to non-thriller readers. I grew up reading them and so have a high tolerance for the genre conventions. You know, men named Jack or Tom who will later be played by Denzel Washington or Liam Neeson. Shadowy figures from whichever country your grandpa thinks is sketchy. We need YOU, civilian man with no training, to help us with this investigation, or it will all fall apart. Machine guns referred to by brand, in case you were in the market yourself. A c
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A small private jet is leaving Martha's Vineyards, on it is one of the richest guys in politics (I never figured out what he really did) and his wife and two small children. Also included are another rich guy who has been doing some shady business deals and his wife, a poor painter that rich guy number one's wife be-friended and offered a ride and the crew and bodyguards. Sixteen minutes after the plane takes off it crashes.
There is only two survivors, the painter, Scott and the young boy. He sw ...more
There is only two survivors, the painter, Scott and the young boy. He sw ...more
UPDATE.........
On sale today for $3.99 (Kindle special)...........I'm jealous! lol.... I paid full price! The movie rights have been signed. So---if you have been considering this book --the price is good at the moment.
I'm sure the price will go back up again just before the movie comes out. (we are on to you, Amazon)...ha!
"No French philosopher living or dead could convince Jack LaLanne that the
problem of man were existential. It was a matter of will, of perseverance, of mind over
matter. Wher ...more
On sale today for $3.99 (Kindle special)...........I'm jealous! lol.... I paid full price! The movie rights have been signed. So---if you have been considering this book --the price is good at the moment.
I'm sure the price will go back up again just before the movie comes out. (we are on to you, Amazon)...ha!
"No French philosopher living or dead could convince Jack LaLanne that the
problem of man were existential. It was a matter of will, of perseverance, of mind over
matter. Wher ...more
A plane crash, eleven on board, only two survive, Scott a painter with a troubled past and the young boy, J.J. that he manages to save. Like when the Malaysia aircraft went down, there is speculation about why, who. Controversial figures were onboard this plane, could they have been targeted? Is Scott a hero or villain? Either way he has lost his right to privacy.
Not an edge of your seat page turner but rather a behind the scenes look at the talking heads we see on our television screen after ev ...more
Not an edge of your seat page turner but rather a behind the scenes look at the talking heads we see on our television screen after ev ...more
The main reason I wanted to read this is because I’m such a huge fan of the TV show Fargo. Noah Hawley is the main producer and writer responsible for transforming the great Coen brothers’ movie into something that has risen to the top of my viewing list even during this Golden Age of Television which has filled so many DVRs. If you haven’t seen it yet then watch it right now. Go on. We’ll wait. It’s only two seasons of ten episodes each so it won’t take you that long. Then you’ll be ready to pr
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First, let's talk about the cover of Before the Fall because this has to go down as one of the worst book covers of 2016, maybe the decade, maybe of all time. I checked this book out three times from the library and the first two times I couldn't even bring myself to read it. I would pick it up, look at that bland, lifeless cover with big, stupid letters and oh boy check it out the word "fall" looks like it's actually falling and the whole thing really just looks like a giant letter T and the co
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I received a copy of Before the Fall by Noah Hawley through NetGalley. My thanks to Grand Central Publishing and to Noah Hawley for the opportunity.
"Everyone is from someplace. We all have stories, our lives unfolding along crooked lines, colliding in unexpected ways."
When a private jet goes down into the vastness of the ocean on its way to New York, eleven people are caught up in the buzzing headlines of that ill-fated day. Neither fame nor plush leather seats could buy you another day in this ...more
"Everyone is from someplace. We all have stories, our lives unfolding along crooked lines, colliding in unexpected ways."
When a private jet goes down into the vastness of the ocean on its way to New York, eleven people are caught up in the buzzing headlines of that ill-fated day. Neither fame nor plush leather seats could buy you another day in this ...more
A copy of this was furnished to me by Net Galley in exchange for a review.
This is a story of the crash of a private airplane into the ocean, the two who survived, and the ones who did not. More mystery than thriller, it focuses on what brought down the plane, the arrogance of money, and the sleazy journalism tactics employed while reporting the story.
Remember when the news on television really was news, with stories confirmed by more than one source and reported in a professional manner? It se ...more
This is a story of the crash of a private airplane into the ocean, the two who survived, and the ones who did not. More mystery than thriller, it focuses on what brought down the plane, the arrogance of money, and the sleazy journalism tactics employed while reporting the story.
Remember when the news on television really was news, with stories confirmed by more than one source and reported in a professional manner? It se ...more
There is no doubt in my mind that Noah Hawley has a summer blockbuster on his hands. This is the kind of book that I would recommend, without qualification, to both my literary friends and those who simply love to get lost in a page-turning thriller.
The framework of the book is simple enough: one summer night, a plane takes off carrying the head of a major television network (think: Fox News) and his family, a soon-to-be-indicted wealthy money launderer and his wife, a security detail, the crew ...more
The framework of the book is simple enough: one summer night, a plane takes off carrying the head of a major television network (think: Fox News) and his family, a soon-to-be-indicted wealthy money launderer and his wife, a security detail, the crew ...more
A private plane with 11 people on board crashes into the ocean. There are two survivors, recovering alcoholic and painter, Scott, and a young boy, JJ, the last of an extremely powerful media family. We are given backstories of the crew and passengers, there is intrigue and all manner of unsubstantiated claims are made to fuel the never ending fires of the story. There is a satirical take on the realities of today's media and how it operates. It takes no account of truth nor of how a person's lif
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A private jet carrying eleven people crashes into the ocean on its way from Martha's Vineyard to NYC. Against all odds, one of the passengers, Scott Burroughs, a fine art painter, survives the crash, finds the one other survivor, the four year old son of the executive who chartered the plane, and starts to swim ten miles to shore with the boy.
Something brushes against his leg....more
He freezes, starts to sink, then has to kick his legs to stay afloat.
Shark, he thinks.
You have to stay still.
But if he s
4 stars - fast-paced and interesting read!
Before the Fall is a quick read that touched my emotions on all levels.
It starts out with a private plane taking off out of Martha's Vineyard flying to New York -- has some high-powered passengers -- 2 wealthy couples, the 2 children of one of the couples... also the pilot, co-pilot, stewardess, security guy / bodyguard, and then -- Scott, a struggling ex-alcoholic painter (who had been invited late and almost missed the plane). The plane crashes wit ...more
Before the Fall is a quick read that touched my emotions on all levels.
It starts out with a private plane taking off out of Martha's Vineyard flying to New York -- has some high-powered passengers -- 2 wealthy couples, the 2 children of one of the couples... also the pilot, co-pilot, stewardess, security guy / bodyguard, and then -- Scott, a struggling ex-alcoholic painter (who had been invited late and almost missed the plane). The plane crashes wit ...more
This is one novel I truly wish I could rate 3.5 Stars. There were parts I could not put down and others I could have passed by, but, bottom line, had to find out what happened.
BEFORE THE FALL begins with the crash of a private plane and the heroics of one man, then reverts to give background stories of each of the 11 passengers and crew members telling how they came to be on the downed aircraft. With each story, the reader is provided with possible clues of what caused the disaster.
Scott's story
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I read much of this and listened to some of it on audio. To me it felt very much like a screenplay. I kept thinking of Lost, more because of the backstories than the plane crash. All tell and no show, I didn't find this overly compelling and I found the segments with the "newscaster" very realistic but exhausting. 3 stars.
This is a clear cut case of "it's not you, it's me." This book was not for me, please take my review with a grain of salt.
I was under the impression that this was a thriller/suspense novel, and I didn't get that vibe at all from this book. It was quite slow in parts, and though there is the mystery of the plane crash, I came to the point of not even caring what happened.
It is an interesting look at today's world of entertainment, and perception vs. reality. I also thought the format of the book ...more
I was under the impression that this was a thriller/suspense novel, and I didn't get that vibe at all from this book. It was quite slow in parts, and though there is the mystery of the plane crash, I came to the point of not even caring what happened.
It is an interesting look at today's world of entertainment, and perception vs. reality. I also thought the format of the book ...more
Funny how a book can start out so good, still have me interested half way through, then go downhill. I was fascinated by the plane crash, and how two people managed to survive. The story took an interesting twist as one of the survivors is questioned, could he have had something to do with it? What ensues is a character study of the adult members of the plane. I didn't really mind this, but felt the thrill fading. A lot of interesting questions were asked in regard to hero worship and how societ
...more
The first 50 pages of this book were FANTASTIC. Seriously thrilling stuff.
But after that great first section, it was a mixed bag.
Before the Fall is the story of a private plane that crashed in the ocean after leaving Martha's Vineyard. Who was on the plane? Why were they there? What caused the plane to crash? What happens to the survivors?
If you ever saw the show "Lost," which also featured a plane crash, the structure of this novel reminded me of those episodes, in that the book jumps back and ...more
But after that great first section, it was a mixed bag.
Before the Fall is the story of a private plane that crashed in the ocean after leaving Martha's Vineyard. Who was on the plane? Why were they there? What caused the plane to crash? What happens to the survivors?
If you ever saw the show "Lost," which also featured a plane crash, the structure of this novel reminded me of those episodes, in that the book jumps back and ...more
More character study than story, this was a very interesting book. The shell is a mystery and each chapter focuses on a character or two until everything comes together. While it does get overly poetic at times, I think it serves the story and I was satisfied with both the journey and the outcome.
One of my favorite things was its honest portrayal of pop culture and the media and how, together, they skew our view on things with no evidence - just a negative spin on the facts. I found myself wonde ...more
One of my favorite things was its honest portrayal of pop culture and the media and how, together, they skew our view on things with no evidence - just a negative spin on the facts. I found myself wonde ...more
Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for making it available!
It's an evening in late August, a little foggy but otherwise uneventful. On Martha's Vineyard, the private plane belonging to David Bateman, the power behind one of the country's major cable news networks, is scheduled to take off and head back to New York. David and his wife Maggie, and their two young children, ...more
It's an evening in late August, a little foggy but otherwise uneventful. On Martha's Vineyard, the private plane belonging to David Bateman, the power behind one of the country's major cable news networks, is scheduled to take off and head back to New York. David and his wife Maggie, and their two young children, ...more
Jun 30, 2016
Carol
added it
An entertaining summer read.
The Hook A disaster and a hero. Can’t hurt that Author, Noah Hawley is creator of the TV Fargo.
The Line ” How any two people end up in the same place at the same time is a mystery.”
The Sinker – I loved the beginning pages of Before the Fall. Then I found myself losing interest only to regain the flow only to be disappointed in the end and wanting to make a noise like they do on Antique Roadshow when the value goes down.
Hype has raised it’s ugly head once again. Too ...more
The Hook A disaster and a hero. Can’t hurt that Author, Noah Hawley is creator of the TV Fargo.
The Line ” How any two people end up in the same place at the same time is a mystery.”
The Sinker – I loved the beginning pages of Before the Fall. Then I found myself losing interest only to regain the flow only to be disappointed in the end and wanting to make a noise like they do on Antique Roadshow when the value goes down.
Hype has raised it’s ugly head once again. Too ...more
Sep 04, 2016
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice*
rated it
it was ok
There were a lot of things I didn't like about this book. It d....r......a.....g.....g.....e.......d. The author postured and pontificated. Take the ordinary household toaster......there is a lengthy passage covering what the household toaster means to different people - to the engineer, to the cook, to itself. I mean really? It brought nothing to the book (except, in my case, dissatisfaction), and there was a great deal of this type of writing.
I found myself mid-chapter wandering off to read th ...more
I found myself mid-chapter wandering off to read th ...more
I have read some really good books lately and this is one of them. BEFORE THE FALL was an enjoyable and a memorable read which I will be thinking and talking about in the future when sharing this book with my family. Books get shared with my sister, daughter-in-law & my mom! It makes me so happy to be able to share my books with others! That is part of the excitement for me when I have read a really good book.
Part One of BEFORE THE FALL was an absolutely fantastic and on the edge of your se ...more
Part One of BEFORE THE FALL was an absolutely fantastic and on the edge of your se ...more
What an excellent surprise, this book that is more observational philosophy than mystery! I was expecting your average three star mystery surrounding the events of a plane crash, but this story was really about the meaning of appearances versus reality.
Ted Turner, Rupert Murdoch, and Larry King are morphed with other contemporary news "personalities" to essentially slur the 24-hour news cycle and all those who feed its machinery. King's infamous suspenders and Murdoch's phone-tapping allegation ...more
Ted Turner, Rupert Murdoch, and Larry King are morphed with other contemporary news "personalities" to essentially slur the 24-hour news cycle and all those who feed its machinery. King's infamous suspenders and Murdoch's phone-tapping allegation ...more
4.5 stars
I have always been intrigued by plane crashes. More in the 'oh there's an accident, let me see what is going on' kind of fascination. So much mystery involved: Why did it crash-was it foul play or a mechanical issue? Did the passengers know what was happening? There are still many unanswered questions about some major plane crashes today, with teams of people and tons of money devoted to trying to find some answers.
This is a book about one such fictional plane crash, with a total of 11 ...more
I have always been intrigued by plane crashes. More in the 'oh there's an accident, let me see what is going on' kind of fascination. So much mystery involved: Why did it crash-was it foul play or a mechanical issue? Did the passengers know what was happening? There are still many unanswered questions about some major plane crashes today, with teams of people and tons of money devoted to trying to find some answers.
This is a book about one such fictional plane crash, with a total of 11 ...more
Dec 30, 2016
Kelly (and the Book Boar)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
liburrrrrry-book,
read-in-2016
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
“In the absence of facts, we tell ourselves stories.”
Lucky you. You get two of my reviews on the same day! I check out so many books at the same time with every intention of promptly reviewing them . . . .
So what am I doing today? Well, if my boss asks I’ve been working diligently. However, since it’s the day before a holiday errrrryone pretty much knows that isn’t true so I’ve actually been downloading pornography from the library ...more
“In the absence of facts, we tell ourselves stories.”
Lucky you. You get two of my reviews on the same day! I check out so many books at the same time with every intention of promptly reviewing them . . . .
So what am I doing today? Well, if my boss asks I’ve been working diligently. However, since it’s the day before a holiday errrrryone pretty much knows that isn’t true so I’ve actually been downloading pornography from the library ...more
Nov 11, 2016
Jonetta
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Jonetta by:
Diane S ☔
On an uneventful August evening, a charter plane takes off from Martha's Vineyard for what was to be a short flight back to New York. Two of the 11 people on board were wealthy and powerful so when it went down, it was more than the typical media disaster sensation. And, when two survivors suddenly emerged, they set off an even bigger and sometimes dangerous media event.
This story couldn't be more timely, illustrating the actual facts of the investigation with the flawed media coverage as a back ...more
This story couldn't be more timely, illustrating the actual facts of the investigation with the flawed media coverage as a back ...more
Noah Hawley's Before the Fall is a terrific summer vacation kind of book -- just don't plan to start reading it as you settle into your airplane seat while jetting off for a trip. This book starts off with a mysterious airplane crash, and jumps back and forth between past and present to uncover what really happened on that fateful day.
More mystery than thriller, "Before the Fall" is full of red herrings which will keep the reader guessing whether the airline crash was an accident or intentional, ...more
More mystery than thriller, "Before the Fall" is full of red herrings which will keep the reader guessing whether the airline crash was an accident or intentional, ...more
Here's a famous saying that might provide some enlightenment where it is desperately needed:
"You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
I dislike books with an agenda and/or bias, and whether or not I agree with the author's political views is irrelevant. I'm sick and tired of the self-righteousness of someone who thinks they're entitled to mock someone else because they hold a different set of views.
Espec ...more
"You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
I dislike books with an agenda and/or bias, and whether or not I agree with the author's political views is irrelevant. I'm sick and tired of the self-righteousness of someone who thinks they're entitled to mock someone else because they hold a different set of views.
Espec ...more
Would I think to find North if I was lost at night somewhere in the ocean? This is one of the first questions that struck me early into reading Before the Fall. Would I try to swim towards a shore, like the protagonist did, or would I tread water and wait? Maybe it’s just my mind lately, but I think it’s another one of those stories that made me question real life situations. Later, my question turned to the focus of the book, which was why did a seemingly perfectly functioning, private Lear jet
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindle Book Club ...: SPOILER ALERT, Before The Fall , Reading Completed | 7 | 19 | Jan 30, 2017 04:42PM | |
| Play Book Tag: Before the Fall by Noah Hawley - 4 stars | 4 | 12 | Jan 30, 2017 02:35PM | |
| Kindle Book Club ...: Discussion, Before The Fall, Reading In Progress | 18 | 19 | Jan 27, 2017 09:18AM | |
| Around the Year i...: Before the Fall, by Noah Hawley | 3 | 30 | Jan 16, 2017 05:11PM |
Noah Hawley is an Emmy, Golden Globe, PEN, Critics' Choice, and Peabody Award-winning author, screenwriter, and producer. He has published four novels and penned the script for the feature film Lies and Alibis. He created, executive produced, and served as showrunner for ABC's My Generation and The Unusuals and was a writer and producer on the hit series Bones. Hawley is currently executive produc
...more
More about Noah Hawley...
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“It's hard to be sad when you're being useful.”
—
22 likes
“Everyone has their own path. The choices they've made. How any two people end up in the same place at the same time is a mystery. You get on an elevator with a dozen strangers. You ride a bus, wait in line for the bathroom. It happens every day. To try to predict the places we'll go and the people we'll meet would be pointless.”
—
19 likes
More quotes…
Dec 17, 2016 12:51AM
What's the meaning when you say "sue biblically" and "lawyers falling outta the sky"?
Connotation with plagues written about in Old Testament: pl ...more
Jan 02, 2017 01:32PM