3,25 sterren - Nederlandse hardcover

Bibliotheek boek. Geleend. Weet dat het wel een boek was wat ik uit wilde lezen maar weet verder dan de titel, schrijver en sterren niets meer van de inhoud .in-bezit libray-book-bibliotheek-boek5 s Angie512

I just could not get into this book. Didn't the characters but the story seemed interesting. Unfortunately, it wasn't.3500-books-20221 Will Byrnes1,323 121k

Was this the first of its kind, the icon from which all later icons sprang? Did it really contain a piece of MaryÂ’s robe, stained with the blood of a dying Jesus? The tale is told in two time lines, first in 1944 when the young protagonists are Greek fighters seeking to survive under Nazi occupation, looking to sell the treasure of their village for guns with which to fight the communists with whom they would do battle for control of post war Greece. The second time line is contemporary, and is populated by a host of old men. Kessler is an old Nazi who bought the icon from the German captain who had taken it from the Greek village, then kept it in a private shrine, feeling the power of the thing for decades.

One of the problems with this tale is that it is all over the place. There is too much going on. I had trouble keeping up with the characters, and I write down all their names. It is amazing that so many old men dash about young turks. It would have made more sense to have set the book in an earlier time, say the 70Â’s or 80Â’s. The book has its points, but because of the excessive swath of characters and difficulty entailed thusly in following the story, I would not recommend it.

There is some payload about icons. That is welcome, although I thought there could be more of that.
1 DROPPING OUT297 1 follower

I could not finish it.

As I wrote on Amazon-dot-com:

The dust jacket has the following commendation by Michael Gruber: "A remarkable thriller with a marvelously intricate plot, real characters, credible dialogue, and a terrific climax..."

Did Gruber even read this book?

As one who has enjoyed Gruber's thrillers, this approbation makes me say, "Huh?" 1 Jim42

I have never started and quit a book as many times as this one. For some reason, I think the concept would interest me, however, I get about 4 chapters in and quit.

SOMEONE GIVE ME A REASON TO FINISH THIS BOOK before the church yard sale in October!!! 1 Gosia329 27

only God ... I mean Mary of Ekaterini... knows how hard it was to read that book. there was no hard words, but it's hard to understand the sentences, author uses style which is just not easy to read. plus, he's mixing events, he's just complicating things. which is not helping.1 Rebecca598 20 Shelved as 'dnf'

Got to page 100 and gave up.
I didn't really care about any of the characters or the fate of the art work.
As the reader I felt I had a very tenuous grasp of what happened so far and it made me disinterested in continuing donated1 Stephen1,872 405

Just couldnt get into this book. Characters seem wooden1 Davide226 4

La trama è ben congegnata, soprattutto per quanto riguarda la parte relativa alla seconda guerra mondiale. Eppure non riesce mai del tutto a decollare, se non verso il finale.
Ci sono alti e bassi narrativi, si incespica spesso nei nomi, i personaggi sono eccessivamente definiti... Un vero peccato, perché tutto sommato poteva essere un blockbuster letterario.
L'idea dell'icona, protagonista del racconto eppure in disparte di fronte allo svolgersi degli eventi, era estremamente affascinante. Ma, purtroppo, sviluppata con scarsa originalità. Mónica106 1 follower

Antes de leerlo vi algunas reseñas en Goodreads que no me desanimaron en absoluto, pero ahora después de terminarlo desearía haber usado ese tiempo para leer otras cosas. No hay mucho qué decir. Es muy aburrido. En sí, la sinopsis es mucho más interesante que todo el libro, promete demasiado pero es casi nada.

Los personajes son muy cliché, el final e incluso el epílogo son predecibles y no está por demás decir que es confuso el modo en que el escritor mezcla los eventos. Los diálogos no sé sienten naturales lo cuál dificulta también la lectura. En fin, de ser posible evítenlo. Justine Mae1 review

This is one of those books that I've picked up and when I read the first sentence I thought that this will take a long long time for me to finish reading. The main plot is pure madness, and it's just going around circles. I actually expected every character to die. I had a hard time processing what was happening and had to look back to the previous chapters multiple times to make sure I'm imagining the right timeline. Anyway, for almost a year I am glad to finally finish reading it and move on to the next book in my tbr. Tugbadursun444

Kitab? ancak 100. sayfas?na kadar okuyabildim. Siz de benim gibi yanmay?n diye yorum yazmak istedim. Kitab?n ne konusu ne de karakterleri hiç ilgi çekici de?il. Hele dini konulara özel bir ilginiz yoksa kitap iyice s?k?c? bir hale geliyor. Betty346 1 follower

Could not get interested in this one.gave-up-on Oliver Weber6

The first book ever that I stopped reading halfway through.. Robin S.6

It was fun, but I had trouble remembering all the characters. Carmen Gatti373

DNF Not my thing Trisha651 48

Inhoud:
Het verhaal vertelt over Matthew Spear, een jonge Amerikaan van Griekse komaf. Hij is curator bij het Metropolitan Kunst Museum. Hij ontmoet Ana Kessler, wie een imposante collectie erft van haar mysterieuze grootvader.
Tijdens het bekijken van de collectie komt hij het juweel tegen uit de erfenis. Een schilderij van de Heilige moeder van Katarini. Een icoon dat men dacht dat vernietigd was tijdens een brand in de tweede wereldoorlog. Spear herkent de waarde en wilt proberen het icoon te bemachtigen voor de collectie van het museum. Dit zou hem een bepaalde positie kunnen geven. Maar al snel ontdekt hij dat het voor meer mensen een bepaalde waarde heeft, waaronder voor zijn eigen grootvaders.
Wat Spear niet weet is dat hij zelf onderdeel is van de geschiedenis van het icoon wat hem uiteindelijk brengt in een web van dood en misleiding. De mensen die het icoon voor hun eigen doelen willen gebruiken verschillen enorm en komen van verschillende hoeken: een afgevaardigde van de Griekse Orthodoxe kerk, een Russische ondernemer, een stervende gangster en een Nazi die al 6 decennia uit de handen van het oorlogstribunaal weet te blijven. Iedereen kan zijn geschiedenis terugbrengen naar een klein Grieks dorp tijdens de tweede wereldoorlog en ieder gelooft op zijn eigen manier dat het icoon een bron is van fantastische en uitzonderlijke kracht.
Als Matthew de speciale resonantie ontdekt en hij ziet wat voor effect het icoon heeft op iedereen, beseft hij dat hij alleen uit dit geheel komt als hij de geschiedenis van het icoon en de gebeurtenissen van het drop zestig jaar geleden, weet te achterhalen. Als snel wordt hij in een situatie geduwd dat hij moet beslissen wie blijft leven en wie doodgaat. Maar tevens zal hij elk onderdeel van zijn leven opnieuw moeten onderzoeken en zijn loyaliteit aan zijn familie, zijn gevoelens voor Ana en zijn twijfel over zijn eigen geloof opnieuw onder de loep moeten nemen.

Waardering:
De auteur trekt je in het verhaal en laat zien wat bepaalde relikwieën met personen kunnen doen. Olson laat zien dat mensen om iets te bemachtigen tot alles in staat zijn en laat tevens zien wat hebberigheid/bezitterigheid kan laten doen. Jammer genoeg laat Olson te veel twijfels achter bij de lezers, maar is het boek geen open einde. Er is geen vervolg mogelijk.
De editor had echter wel wat beter mogen opletten tijdens de correcties en vertaling van dit boek. De zinsbouw is niet altijd goed en worden er woordfouten gemaakt. Vaak mis je delen van zinnen, zijn er vertaalfouten en is de woordvolgorde onjuist. Voor de gewone lezer niet altijd heel erg, maar soms is de fout dusdanig dat het irriteert.
Ik heb het boek uitgelezen en beoordeel het boek op een 3 ster omdat de verhaallijn op zich best goed is, maar niet afdoende om een 4 te krijgen. Het verhaal dat twee tijdlijnen heeft is leuk en goed geschreven, maar omdat het niet af voelt is het de 4 ster niet net niet waard. Zonde.

Overige boekinformatie:
Uitgeverij: A.W.Bruna
ISBN: 90.229.8953.4
375 pagina's; Paperback
spanning gardienne_du_feu1,333 12

1944 bewachen griechische Partisanen im Dörfchen Katarini die Kirche, in der eine uralte, angeblich wundertätige Ikone aufbewahrt wird, um sie vor Übergriffen der deutschen Besatzer zu schützen. Dennoch kommt es zum Brand des Gotteshauses und zum Tod eines jungen Priesters. Die Ikone verschwindet auf rätselhafte Weise. Einige Jahre später kauft der Schweizer Industrielle Kessler das geheimnisvolle Bild und nimmt es mit, als er in die USA auswandert.

Im Jahr 2000 stirbt Kessler hochbetagt in seiner Privatkapelle, vor der Ikone mit den durchdringenden Augen. Seine Enkeltochter Christiana übernimmt die Nachlassverwaltung und trifft sich mit dem Museumsangestellten Matthew Spear, der sich im Auftrag seines Chefs die Ikone ansehen soll. Doch auch die griechisch-orthodoxe Kirche bekundet Interesse.

Doch Matthew hat nicht nur beruflich eine Verbindung zur Ikone. Sein Großvater Andreas und sein Patenonkel Fotis gehörten zu den Bewachern von Katarini, und nur die beiden wissen, was damals tatsächlich geschehen ist. Darüber gesprochen haben sie mit Matthew und seinen Eltern nie, doch als immer mehr undurchsichtige Gestalten im Zusammenhang mit dem Bild auf den Plan treten, wird ihm klar, dass sie etwas zu verbergen haben.

Der Stoff, aus dem die Kirchenthriller sind? Mitnichten! Altlasten aus der deutschen Besatzungszeit, international operierende, geheimnisumwitterte, düstere Figuren und eine Prise Mystery in Form des heilkräftigen Bildes vermengen sich mit papierdünnen Figuren und einer vorhersehbaren, klischeehaften Liebesgeschichte zu einem faden, elend langweiligen Einheitsbrei aus diversen Genre-Versatzstücken.

Nach etwa der Hälfte des Buches voller wild zusammengeschmissener Handlungsstränge und immer neuen seltsamen Gestalten war es mir einfach nur noch egal, was es mit dieser komischen Ikone auf sich hat. Querlesen bis zum Schluss ergab noch mehr verworrene Verwicklungen und den typischen abgedroschenen Hollywood-Showdown. Das wollte ich nicht mehr im Detail lesen. Abbruch. Matthew50 2

This is a well written but ultimately easily forgettable story. This was reinforced by the fact that I didn't realise that I had read it before until about 90% through the book. Lemonitsa193 12

A friend of mine lent me this book and I was excited to read it as I always look for, and wish to enjoy, a story that deals with my heritage and culture.

Unfortunately, the Greek in me cringed throughout The Icon. There are too many errors in the Greek references, words and names. I found myself distracted by them, wondering why something was written a certain way, why the mistake was made. In this internet age it is very, very easy to find out how to say something properly in another language because bloggers from all over the world are willing to tell you. The author blurb at the back of the book says that Mr. Olson is the grandson of Greek immigrants and lives in New York City. With such a background and with a Greek community as large as the one in New York City at his disposal, it is a shame that no effort was made to make the details accurate. I understand how authors use what they know, but research, in this case, was essential. One of the many errors is what Matthew, the main character, calls his godfather. We read Theio, and we are to know that he is saying it in Greek. The problem is that Theio means Uncle. The Greek language does have a proper word for godfather, Nono, and Uncle is not used in its place. A non-Greek speaker will not notice these little things and may enjoy the dialogue between characters but for the people who do understand the words, it is very difficult to continue reading.

I wanted to this book but sadly, I could not. It feels more a first rough draft of an English essay than a published novel.

2010-read action-adventure sent-on ...more LJ3,159 309

THE ICON (Amateur Sleuth-NYC/Greece-WWII/Cont) – G
Olson, Neil – 1st book
Harper Collins, 2005- Hardcover
Matthew Spear is of Greek heritage and a curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Matthew is asked to view the art collection inherited by Ana Kessler, he is drawn to an con, the Holy Mother of Katarini. Matthew is planning to purchase it for the Museum, but is asked by his godfather to encourage Ana to sell the icon to the Greek Orthodox Church. But there's a history to the icon which places Matthew between his grandfather and godfather and connects to a former Nazi and a village in Greece during World War II.
*** I found this slow to get through. Many of the characters are known my more than one name, which was confusing, and I didn't feel I got to really know any of the characters well and there were points I wasn't certain I cared. There were opportunities for the story to really draw the reader in, but they just weren't realized. Finally, you learned the true importance of the icon in the last quarter of the story but it was a long time getting there. The book is good but, for me, it's not a page-turner and it could have been so much better.
amateur_sleuth contemporary_post_1945 greece ...more Jeff111 2

Everybody's been wanting this old painting of the virgin Mary since WWII, and now 60 years later it turns up again, and everybody wants it again. While The Icon is thought-provoking about themes faith, obsession, and family, it's also written slightly dry and there's not much in the way of actual suspense or thrills until well past the 3/4 mark. Neil Olson never wrote another book after this one that I know of, which seems a shame. It would have been interesting to see what he did with some experience under his belt. Harry20 1 follower

Oh, not so good. If you really references to Greek culture and Orthodox art then this one is passable at best. The first 100-pages are a slog, the rest is the literary equivalent of a red wagon ride. You would think a more exciting story might be woven around an icon bearing the blood of Christ on the robe of Mary. Olean Public Library379 21

An Icon of the Holy Mother makes many who see it become obsessed with it. This story covers the disappearance of the icon from Greece during WWII. It gives some insight into the factions of Greece during the war. The story continues into the present time tracking the icon, and its disappearance. A thriller, good characterizations, and mild romance. Shirley46

A Byzantine icon of Mary supposedly has healing powers. The icon was stolen from a small church in Greece during WW2 by a Nazi officer. It surfaces forty years later and is fought over by collectors, stolen again, people murdered to take possession of the icon. A good adventure novel, well written, with a great ending - Shauna355

A mystery involving an icon that is made of wood, looks the Mother Mary and allegedly has healing powers over body and soul. This book is based from World War II events where the Icon was stolen from a chapel in Greece and people were killed, to present day, where the men who played a part in the disappearance, who are now very old, are still trying to acquire the Icon. Carol Catinari443 2

A fairly decent "stolen artwork" genre book...this time, a Greek Madonna painting. The story flashes back and forth between the present and the end of WWII...theft and burning of churches during the Nazis final days. All in all, a fairly typical story line with fairly typical characters. I gave it a 3 star rating, but I wouldn't call it a high three. Grace Servas2

I tried to read this book when I was distracted by other things happening in my life. It's not the type of book that you can put down for a week and then try to get back into. I finally gave up on it. Chuck855

A grim, dark, foreboding tale written in a very tedious style. Pretty good story about the pursuit of an elusive painting of Mary The Mother from 1944 to present. In the beginning the task of reading this book seemed so daunting that I didn't think that I would finish it.
Suzie QuintAuthor 11 books149

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