Fernando

When I placed this title in my “to read” list I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I have to say that there were a few reasons for me to be intrigued by this autobiography. First I love soccer, or “calcio” as it is called in my country, Italy, where I played in non-professional leagues.
My wife grew up a block away from where Tim Howard grew up, she went to the same elementary school, Judd all the way to high school in North Brunswick, NJ.
I am currently coaching a North Brunswick youth travel team and one of my two sons is a goalkeeper, like Tim. They go to high school at Saint Joseph of Metuchen, that Tim mentions in the book. So many references just hit home.
In general, I believe the book is well-structured, starting with the last World Cup game where Tim played and ending with the story of that game. The professional itinerary from rec soccer in North Brunswick, to the Imperials, MetroStars, Manchester United, and Everton, and last but not least the great work done for the national team.
His dealing with Tourette syndrome and his active participation in groups aimed at helping children with the syndrome is commendable, I didn't know about it.
His personal story is also compelling and inspiring, how he dealt with his divorce, the family, and his love for his mother.
I liked also the insider story of dealing with teammates and staff in his various teams, his technical notes on what was going on in his mind when making saves, and how to read and participate in games.
I really recommend reading it to whoever is passionate about this sport.

Merged review:

When I placed this title in my “to read” list I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. I have to say that there were a few reasons for me to be intrigued by this autobiography. First I love soccer, or “calcio” as it is called in my country, Italy, where I played in non-professional leagues.
My wife grew up a block away from where Tim Howard grew up, she went to the same elementary school, Judd all the way to high school in North Brunswick, NJ.
I am currently coaching a North Brunswick youth travel team and one of my two sons is a goalkeeper, like Tim. They go to high school at Saint Joseph of Metuchen, that Tim mentions in the book. So many references just hit home.
In general, I believe the book is well-structured, starting with the last World Cup game where Tim played and ending with the story of that game. The professional itinerary from rec soccer in North Brunswick, to the Imperials, MetroStars, Manchester United, and Everton, and last but not least the great work done for the national team.
His dealing with Tourette syndrome and his active participation in groups aimed at helping children with the syndrome is commendable, I didn't know about it.
His personal story is also compelling and inspiring, how he dealt with his divorce, the family, and his love for his mother.
I liked also the insider story of dealing with teammates and staff in his various teams, his technical notes on what was going on in his mind when making saves, and how to read and participate in games.
I really recommend reading it to whoever is passionate about this sport.

I had a personal interest in the subject, I love to cook, and to cook you need to shop for groceries. I heard about the author watching a series on TV from the History Channel. I believe the book is well-articulated and I was always curious to know how groceries make their way to the supermarkets, their provenience, and their journey. There are so many aspects that most of us are just blinded to, for example how they display their products, the general layout of the supermarket, inside and out. The author does a good job by using an example of a supermarket chain that is familiar to him.

This was the last book of the Kingsbridge series. I didn't read them in order since I started from the last book, #4, and then read #0, #1, and #2. Ken Follett is crafty at developing characters with the right pace, across decades. In all of his books, I could rediscover historical facts recounted in a fictional form but nonetheless I always felt as if I was witnessing an everyday moment just happening in a crucial time in history. In the case of the Column of Fire, Follett puts the spotlight on events that I never paid full attention to, critical milestones such as Protestants and their struggle in the late 16th century, and the intelligence services required to keep the English monarchs safe. The author ends with showing how the will of the Puritans to freely express their religious belief pushed them to adventure in a new world, even though, this passage is very short in the book.

This is my first novel from Ken Follett, I enjoyed the read. I thought the characters were well-developed and they all fit nicely in the narrative. It took me a bit to pinpoint who was who at the beginning but as I proceeded reading each one started to fill in the character. I appreciated how the author used mundane characters to describe everyday life at the end of 18th-century England and later the beginning of the 19th century, spanning a few decades with social turmoil and technological advancement. I like historical fiction novels that recount the stories of plausible personalities and bring to life eras that used to be, I think Ken Follett did a great job with The Armor of Light in doing just that.

I found the setting of the novel interesting to me; it checked some boxes that relate to my personal experiences. I used to be a gamer, and I'm in the tech industry. MIT and Harvard add that spice, like in comic book characters, where good or mad geniuses come from these institutions.
The story is well developed, and the choice of the characters is interesting, with their flaws and their upbringing, the evolution of their friendship across the years, with game development in the forefront is probably the main focus of the novel. There aren't many characters, just a handful that, as a reader, I can track over the pages. I liked some of the expedients that the author used to connect Sadie and Sam, I found them original and well placed within the narrative.