Customer Reviews

Up Country

5 star:		(172)
4 star:		(74)
3 star:		(35)
2 star:		(29)
1 star:		(40)

 

 

As a writer, every so often I come across a novel that either makes me realize how much I have to improve, or makes me want to throw in the towel in awe. Up Country by Nelson DeMille makes me want to do both. For 800+ paperback pages, I was all his; except for two slightly long descriptive chapters, I didn't want to put it down.

The story of Paul Brenner, Vietnam veteran, recently retired from CID (the military investigative arm, where he did most of his damage in Mr. DeMille's earlier novel The General's Daughter) sends Paul back to Vietnam for a third time (after two tours of military duty during the Vietnam war) to investigate a possible murder of a US Military officer by another, witnessed by a North Vietnam soldier. As Paul revisits and sometimes relives his past experiences in Vietnam, he learns more about the murder, and it, and his "assigned companion" Susan Weber, are not what they seem. He travels from Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, to Hue near the DNZ, into NW North Korea near Laos, and onto Hanoi, learning about himself, Susan and the objects of his investigation.

The novel is a murder investigation, a Vietnam war retrospective, a travelogue, a love story and an adventure all rolled seamlessly together. Though the end of the novel happens too quickly, with many questions left, it is an enjoyable read.

Highly recommended.

I listened to the unabridged version of this book - At 20+ hours I thought it would take a couple of weeks - Big mistake! -
Character development, geographical descriptions, historical significance, kept me listening hour after hour, and I finished in less than 3 days - Please, Mr DeMille, let's have one more Paul Brenner novel, and don't forget Susan Weber, a worthwhile accomplice in almost any situation...

A great book - I only put it down to sleep and go to work! Fast-paced, with great characters and dialogue, an intriguing plot, and most of all, tremendously moving reminiscences of the wartime experience in Vietnam. Demille really takes you there, physically and emotionally. Don't miss it.

I was in DaNang from Jan-Jun 1968. Then Cua Viet from Jun 1968 to Aug 1969. I know many of the places visited by Paul Brenner and fully appreciated his memories and new visit. This was the first Demille book for me, but I will be reading more. The beauty of the country mixed with the violence of a war past, and living today, was brought out with great talent.

Nelson DeMille is my favorite novelist, bar none, and I have read every single one of his books, and enjoyed them all. "Up Country" is a good solid read, although it is not his best novel, in my opinion.

In "Up Country" our old friend Chief Warrant Officer Paul Brenner (from "The General's Daughter") comes out of retirement from the Army Criminal Investigation Division to handle an investigation of a 25+ year-old murder. The catch: the murder occurred in Vietnam, at the height of the Tet offensive. This requires Brenner to return to postwar Vietnam, resulting in a nostalgic series of flashbacks as Brenner pursues his investigation while reliving the fighting in the war in which he participated. The ending packs a notable punch, causing this to be a successful novel.

Critics of this novel by and large have noted that it is a lot longer than it needs to be in order to sustain the plot. I agree with this criticism. This novel is almost an excuse for DeMille to tell the stories of the Tet offensive, the Khe Sahn standoff, and other big battles of the Vietnam War. DeMille is a veteran of that war himself, as all of his devoted fans are aware, and Brenner's reliving of various aspects of the conflicts have a stark authenticity that adds a great deal to the novel. Fellow vets will doubtless be intrigued, the rest of us at least interested and entertained. However, it is a fact that this book moves at a very slow pace, without the usual rapidity of most of DeMille's other novels. For DeMille lovers (myself included) this is a plus, for most of us cannot get enough of DeMille's writing. Others may find that the storyline drags in portions of the novel, and lacks the focus and pace that characterizes the best novels (including most of DeMille's).

Brenner is the same wise, sarcastic, and very bright character that we all loved in "The General's Daughter" and this vivid characterization, a DeMille trademark, gets the reader through the slow parts of the story. Overall, "Up Country" does three things. It spins a good yarn, does an excellent job revisiting some aspects of the Vietnam War, and acquaints the reader with certain aspects of the modern Vietnamese nation. Overall a good book, if not necessarily DeMille's best.

Won't bother with the aspects of the book that have been reviewed already by other reviewers much more facile than I. What impressed me was that reality of his impression of Vietnam. I have been there twice in recent years and have been in many of the places he describes - he has caught the essence of both urban and rural Vietnam.

And, in contrast to many witers of popular fiction, he gets virtually all of his facts right. The only mistaken factoid is when he calls the Vietnamese beer by the wrong name. The beer is really "33", ba muoi ba (sp?) and is famous for the horrendous hangovers one gets. This has been ascribed to the brewers, lacking satisfactory pasteurizing techniques actually adding some formaldehyde to the beer.

One small cavil. DeMille understates the absolute horror of Lao Cai, the small town that is the railroad terminus on the Vietnam-Chinese border. Lao Cai is the worst crap hole I have ever been in, making Tijuana look like a garden spot. The railroad station is not new (as DeMille says) but a relic of colonial days with the 'Europeans only' waiting room converted to 'International Travellers only'

This book is not a substitute for a trip but is a real impression of the country.

I've been a longtime fan of Mr DeMille's, and pretty much a new book from him is always a happy time. I'll hit 46 this year, and am old enough to remember Viet Nam, and friends that didn't come back, or came back in pieces. This book hit home in as many ways as it could for someone who isn't a veteran, but remembers the war and the times. Lots of new thoughts, old emotions which haven't surfaced or reared their heads in years, and damned fine writing as always. A total package, new perspectives regardless of age. Dig in, and get overwhelmed.

Excellent book. Shows real life politics within both the US Military and US Politics. (Don't EVER turn your back!!). Excellent plot and character development. As a navy Vietnam Vet (kindof!), I enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Eagerly await the next!! Bob KNOTTS, PHCM, USN, Ret.

There is something for everyone in this book. From the exotic locale of Vietnam to the richly woven plot supported by outstanding character development, readers will find they don't want to put this book down. It simply grabs you, and won't let you go.
DeMille is able to strike a balance between the facinating story of Vietnam today, and yesterday, and of the lives and ways of life, that were destroyed by thirty years of war, and the interactions of his primary characters, Paul Brenner and Susan Weber. As a returning Vietnam vet on a criminal investigation mission, he meets the sensual Ms. Weber in Saigon (oops...Ho Chi Minh City), and one might as well be lighting a match to kerosene.....
As they attempt to unravel a mystery of more than 30 years, they must also try to unravel their own pasts, present, and future. And that isn't easy when, as Paul Brenner notes, they are prone to "lover's fights when one person wants to kill someone and the other doesn't". That sums up their relationship rather nicely, I think.
Get this book and read it. You won't be disappointed.

It seems the only Nelson DeMille books I pick up are his Vietnam stories. I bought Word of Honor some years back in hardcover on the discount table at a local bookstore. I secured Up Country the same way.

The book is entertaining, and held my interest throughout. While the relationship of Paul Brenner to his romantic interest, Susan Weber, seems contrived at times, it kept me sufficiently hooked to keep me involved to the end. Perhaps the most compelling element of the story is an old soldier's backward look at the battlefields of his youth.

Possibly the greatest accolade I can give Up Country is that, after 36 years, I've got the itch to go back to Vietnam, much as Nelson DeMille did some years ago. Like him, I survived the A Shau campaign he described in the book. I swore I had no need or desire to go back there and confront old ghosts. After reading this book, I'm warming up my checkbook and calling my travel agent.