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The Great Train Robbery
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Plot Summary of The Great Train Robbery
"Michael Crichton knows a thing or two about writing successful novels. In "The Great Train Robbery," he certainly grabs a historical idea, climbs on board, and is off down the tracks at a fast pace. Edward Pearce, a gentleman who has turned rogue, is the mastermind being one of the most famous heists in history. In making this the suspenseful journey that it is, Crichton gives us a complete picture of Victorian England, especially the seamier--and quite likely realistic--side of London. It is the Industrial Revolution in all its glory--and its drawbacks. How Pearce and his accomplises are able to pull off this robbery is a fascinating story; it is a story full of clever machinations,indeed. "
Bill Hobbs, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Great Train Robbery
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%




Tone of story - very upbeat
Time/era of story: - 19th century
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
The crook is.... - committing armed robbery
Crime Thriller Yes
Mostly a criminal POV story Yes

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - unemployed
Age: - 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use? - a little
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - an organization
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
The antagonists are: - government bureaucracy

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - England/UK

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths? - 3-4
Unusual forms of death - hanging
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Michael Crichton Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
David Fletcher  

SCHOLARS:
Darryl Brooks  Pierce Klas  Dixie Dodd  INDRAJITH KRISHNAMURTHY  Brian Robertson  Denise Axtell  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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