| Plot Summary of Alice |
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"John Camber is a mid-thirties man working as a clerk in a design office in NYC. He lives a quiet life with his wife Alice and their daughter Polly. One evening, as he heads back home, John is shoved by an old man named Shalkmann who, the next minute, seems horrified by something he sees in the crowd, falls on the tracks and is run over by a train.
From this moment on, the Camber's life changes drastically because Shalkmann, before dying, managed to slip a safe key into John's pocket. John is soon contacted by Montez, a South American diplomat, who tells him that Shalkmann stole the key from him. Montez offers Camber $10,000.- to give him back the key. John who doesn't want to get into trouble accepts the offer, comes back home but can't find the key where his wife Alice says she put it. Now, Shalkmann's son arrives at Camber's and tells the couple he also wants this key.
After Montez has kidnapped Polly, John and Alice, in the company of Shalkmann's son, decide to reach Montez's yacht and convince him that the key might be hidden in Polly's coat. "
Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Alice |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30%
Tone of story
- scarey (primal ax-wielding fear)
Time/era of story:
- 1960's-1970's
Crime Thriller
Yes
Crime plotlets:
- chased by criminals who want their money/treasure back
General Crime (including known murderer)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- clerk
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- diplomat
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- money/treasure
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- quite fatty
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Water?
Yes
Water:
- pleasure/love boat
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
Misc setting
- sewers/subways
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Unusual forms of death
- run over
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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