Review of The Date Farm

[Qwerty Writes]

I love how detailed you were in your review, it must have taken a long time to put it all together or maybe you're just that cool and can spew all your thoughts out at once. (In a well-structured way that is) I like books that differ in content and theme but something that hits home is that the book mirrors world events. It's not something I would read if the opinion (taking sides with or without evidence) is chosen for me and not left for me to decide. So I'll pass.

[Alissa Nesson]

I love how detailed you were in your review, it must have taken a long time to put it all together or maybe you're just that cool and can spew all your thoughts out at once. (In a well-structured way that is) I like books that differ in content and theme but something that hits home is that the book mirrors world events. It's not something I would read if the opinion (taking sides with or without evidence) is chosen for me and not left for me to decide. So I'll pass.

Thanks so much for your kind response! I appreciate it so much.

[Adrian Bouknight]

Yikes! This book sounds timely, given the state of affairs in Israel! Anyway, this sounds like quite an interesting story! I'll have to keep an eye out for this one as a review opportunity! Your review is quite detailed and helps explain the nature of the text. This one sounds a little bit dramatic given the nature of the violent content, for this reason, I may not prioritize it. I think I get enough violence from the news, and may not be particularly interested in bringing much of it into my hobby life!

Anyway, thanks for sharing, as always! Looking forward to reading more of your content!

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Date Farm" by Jack Winnick.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Share This Review

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It was a warm summer weekend at Beverly Hills Mall, and a crowd of young people wandered the busy mall happily, listening to the various musicians who were set up outside the closed shops on every level of the building. The atmosphere was festive, and the performers all did their best to stand out, so nobody was concerned when the group of men in black joined the throng and methodically spread themselves throughout the lively mass of revelers. They weren’t, at least, until the men released gas grenades and then took out machine guns. Indiscriminately spraying bullets everywhere, the men maimed or killed everyone they could find before finally killing themselves with a triumphant cry of “Allahu Akhbar.”

That is the shocking opening scene in The Date Farm by Jack Winnick, the fourth installment in the Lara and Uri series about a pair of agents working for the FBI and Mossad, respectively. Uri and Lara, newly married, are taking a vacation in the United States when they hear about the deadly attack at the mall and are ordered to the grisly scene. While there, the agents are alerted by Homeland Security that the government’s highest level of secure communications has been hacked, making them wonder what could be coming next. They begin to put the pieces together when a new threat emerges in New York City, where terrorists have seized the Federal Reserve and Chase Manhattan Banks. The agents must discover the terrorists’ motives and stop them without endangering the lives of everyone in New York City.

The book opens with a pulse-pounding scene but slows down significantly afterward. It spends too much time detailing how the terrorists plan their vile acts and their long, uneventful journey home from the scene of the attack. Their leader, Sheikh Abidin, repeatedly boasts to his comrades about his cleverness in long, monotonous speeches that become tedious as he doles out information in a melodramatic manner. Most of the book is dominated by exposition, slowing down the pace considerably. It takes over 200 pages to get to the date farm referenced in the title, which is the most engaging part of the book. Once the story reaches this point, things pick up, and it is easier to get immersed in the plot. The author does a great job building tension and suspense in this section, making one wonder why it is not a bigger part of the overall story. Unfortunately, the ending is ultimately lackluster.

Another issue with this book is the numerous grammatical and punctuation errors in the text. The overwhelming number of semicolons is distracting, especially since many of them are used incorrectly in place of more appropriate punctuation. There are also issues with commas, unnecessary hyphens, and unusual word order in certain sentences.

The author did an impressive amount of research for this book. The simple, understandable explanations of the science and technology utilized in it showed that Winnick studied and understood the concepts well. He also vividly described the social and environmental details of different places around the world, as well as the cultural and religious traditions found in those places. Those who enjoy learning about these things will undoubtedly appreciate this book more than readers who are more interested in staying involved in the story.

Due to current events happening in the Middle East, it’s important to point out that this story is very pro-Israel and pro-United States. The portrayal of the Iranians is almost cartoonishly stereotypical, and the term “Palestinian” is placed in quotation marks when referring to its flag, possibly indicating that the author is questioning the authenticity of the term.

While The Date Farm did not meet my expectations as a thriller, it offers valuable information and some moments of excitement. I recommend this book to mature readers who are interested in political intrigue and the workings of the intelligence community, but who are not necessarily looking for a suspenseful page-turner. Due to some graphically violent scenes, I do not recommend this for children or young teens. There is also a non-graphic sex scene and a few instances of profanity. Considering both the positive and negative aspects discussed above, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

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The Date Farm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Terry Kimble]

I have read a few reviews of this book and find it interesting that we can all come away with differing perspectives of books, movies, speeches, etc. I enjoyed reading your well-written and very informative opinion!

[Alissa Nesson]

I have read a few reviews of this book and find it interesting that we can all come away with differing perspectives of books, movies, speeches, etc. I enjoyed reading your well-written and very informative opinion!

Yes, I find that interesting too! I love finding other reviews of books I’ve read on here. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

[Amy Luman]

I do love your review and your justifications for your opinions. I don’t really share them, but everyone has their own. Literature allows for that. Thanks!

[Alissa Nesson]

I do love your review and your justifications for your opinions. I don’t really share them, but everyone has their own. Literature allows for that. Thanks!

Did you enjoy the book?

[Amy Luman]

I do love your review and your justifications for your opinions. I don’t really share them, but everyone has their own. Literature allows for that. Thanks!

Did you enjoy the book?

I did. I have read all of the books in the series and was impressed with them all.

[Abdullah Fawmi]

Thank you for an honest and detailed review. Based on your insights about the book, I wouldn't have enjoyed this If I picked this one up. The slow pacing and the errors would be very distracting for me.

[Alissa Nesson]

Thank you for an honest and detailed review. Based on your insights about the book, I wouldn't have enjoyed this If I picked this one up. The slow pacing and the errors would be very distracting for me.

Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

[Jen Cowhig]

Did you read the other books in this series? I keep getting recommended to read/review his books but am really cautious about reading books in a series as some it matters the order you read them in. This is a genre I enjoy and most others gave it awesome reviews. However, I appreciate your honesty and if I go into the book I will be more aware of the issues. I love that you gave this a fair review and didn't just hype it up.

[Alissa Nesson]

Did you read the other books in this series? I keep getting recommended to read/review his books but am really cautious about reading books in a series as some it matters the order you read them in. This is a genre I enjoy and most others gave it awesome reviews. However, I appreciate your honesty and if I go into the book I will be more aware of the issues. I love that you gave this a fair review and didn't just hype it up.

Thank you. I have not read the other books in the series. I know that lots of people have enjoyed them, but I was just really bored for most of this one. It also seems like ratings and reviews are generally higher on this site than they are in other places. Thank you so much for commenting! I hope you enjoy it more than I did if you read it.

[Jeff Kanda]

The opening summary of the review just makes me to instantly want to read this book. It is action-filled and seems to be fast-paced. I will be reading this book soon. Thanks for the engaging review!

[Alissa Nesson]

The opening summary of the review just makes me to instantly want to read this book. It is action-filled and seems to be fast-paced. I will be reading this book soon. Thanks for the engaging review!

Thanks for commenting! I hope you enjoy!

[Kshitija Sonawane]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Date Farm" by Jack Winnick.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Share This Review

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It was a warm summer weekend at Beverly Hills Mall, and a crowd of young people wandered the busy mall happily, listening to the various musicians who were set up outside the closed shops on every level of the building. The atmosphere was festive, and the performers all did their best to stand out, so nobody was concerned when the group of men in black joined the throng and methodically spread themselves throughout the lively mass of revelers. They weren’t, at least, until the men released gas grenades and then took out machine guns. Indiscriminately spraying bullets everywhere, the men maimed or killed everyone they could find before finally killing themselves with a triumphant cry of “Allahu Akhbar.”

That is the shocking opening scene in The Date Farm by Jack Winnick, the fourth installment in the Lara and Uri series about a pair of agents working for the FBI and Mossad, respectively. Uri and Lara, newly married, are taking a vacation in the United States when they hear about the deadly attack at the mall and are ordered to the grisly scene. While there, the agents are alerted by Homeland Security that the government’s highest level of secure communications has been hacked, making them wonder what could be coming next. They begin to put the pieces together when a new threat emerges in New York City, where terrorists have seized the Federal Reserve and Chase Manhattan Banks. The agents must discover the terrorists’ motives and stop them without endangering the lives of everyone in New York City.

The book opens with a pulse-pounding scene but slows down significantly afterward. It spends too much time detailing how the terrorists plan their vile acts and their long, uneventful journey home from the scene of the attack. Their leader, Sheikh Abidin, repeatedly boasts to his comrades about his cleverness in long, monotonous speeches that become tedious as he doles out information in a melodramatic manner. Most of the book is dominated by exposition, slowing down the pace considerably. It takes over 200 pages to get to the date farm referenced in the title, which is the most engaging part of the book. Once the story reaches this point, things pick up, and it is easier to get immersed in the plot. The author does a great job building tension and suspense in this section, making one wonder why it is not a bigger part of the overall story. Unfortunately, the ending is ultimately lackluster.

Another issue with this book is the numerous grammatical and punctuation errors in the text. The overwhelming number of semicolons is distracting, especially since many of them are used incorrectly in place of more appropriate punctuation. There are also issues with commas, unnecessary hyphens, and unusual word order in certain sentences.

The author did an impressive amount of research for this book. The simple, understandable explanations of the science and technology utilized in it showed that Winnick studied and understood the concepts well. He also vividly described the social and environmental details of different places around the world, as well as the cultural and religious traditions found in those places. Those who enjoy learning about these things will undoubtedly appreciate this book more than readers who are more interested in staying involved in the story.

Due to current events happening in the Middle East, it’s important to point out that this story is very pro-Israel and pro-United States. The portrayal of the Iranians is almost cartoonishly stereotypical, and the term “Palestinian” is placed in quotation marks when referring to its flag, possibly indicating that the author is questioning the authenticity of the term.

While The Date Farm did not meet my expectations as a thriller, it offers valuable information and some moments of excitement. I recommend this book to mature readers who are interested in political intrigue and the workings of the intelligence community, but who are not necessarily looking for a suspenseful page-turner. Due to some graphically violent scenes, I do not recommend this for children or young teens. There is also a non-graphic sex scene and a few instances of profanity. Considering both the positive and negative aspects discussed above, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

******
The Date Farm
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

I had read through a sample of the book. However, I am tired of watching this book in the BOTD again and again. It has been there so many times! Good thing is, I don't have to post comment on the top review again and again but still, so many times. Yes, also, there is a lot of propaganda involved. Now, there are many things which nations don't share. However, making a full white out propaganda in the name of book is not acceptable either, especially with the war happening currently.