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criannabaldwell's review against another edition
5.0
A thrilling ride from start to finish! This was my mom’s favorite book, and now I know why. I will definitely be picking up another Sidney Sheldon book in the future.
hazel94's review against another edition
4.0
Probably 3.5-4 stars. Reading If Tomorrow Comes first just increases my expectations of all of Sidney Sheldon's books.
Master of the Game was engaging with a story spanning 4 generations. Like most of his other books, there are strong female characters. It was a bit predictable.
Master of the Game was engaging with a story spanning 4 generations. Like most of his other books, there are strong female characters. It was a bit predictable.
zitronenfalter's review against another edition
1.0
Ich lese ja gerne so historische Familiendramen. Aber viel liebloser hätte man das jetzt auch nicht schreiben können...
Habe selten so oberflächliche Charaktere gelesen. Man merkte genau wann der Autor mal Lust hatte weiter zu schreiben und wann er so gar keinen Bock hatte. "Show, don't tell" sieht defintiv anders aus...............................
Habe selten so oberflächliche Charaktere gelesen. Man merkte genau wann der Autor mal Lust hatte weiter zu schreiben und wann er so gar keinen Bock hatte. "Show, don't tell" sieht defintiv anders aus...............................
meghanakotra's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
nerdyprettythings's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
If somehow in 2021, while Jeff Bezos walks the earth, you don’t already hate the extremely wealthy, give this soap opera of a novel a read.
I’m torn over how to rate this, because what I can say to really recommend it is that I wanted to finish it. I wanted to know what happened. However, what the fuck did I just read. Every woman is either a conniving bitch or a gullible dunce, and there’s no in between. At one point, a woman shows signs of having a personality and… she’s tricked into marriage and goes back to her gullible dunce ways. Most women in the book have a sexual assault story arc, and the ones who don’t are subjected to other horrible abuses. The only women with any personality are (obviously) the conniving bitches. There’s one character with hints that he’s gay, and he’s a violent rapist as a result of childhood trauma.
One good takeaway from this book is that the wealthy shouldn’t be able to select from their own bloodlines to pass along all the world’s future wealth, and I think (?) that was sort of the moral of this story, which I did very much appreciate. I enjoyed it? I hated it? I actually wanted to throw it a few times? Sexual assault as a go-to plot point eventually ruined the book for me.
I’m torn over how to rate this, because what I can say to really recommend it is that I wanted to finish it. I wanted to know what happened. However, what the fuck did I just read. Every woman is either a conniving bitch or a gullible dunce, and there’s no in between. At one point, a woman shows signs of having a personality and… she’s tricked into marriage and goes back to her gullible dunce ways. Most women in the book have a sexual assault story arc, and the ones who don’t are subjected to other horrible abuses. The only women with any personality are (obviously) the conniving bitches. There’s one character with hints that he’s gay, and he’s a violent rapist as a result of childhood trauma.
One good takeaway from this book is that the wealthy shouldn’t be able to select from their own bloodlines to pass along all the world’s future wealth, and I think (?) that was sort of the moral of this story, which I did very much appreciate. I enjoyed it? I hated it? I actually wanted to throw it a few times? Sexual assault as a go-to plot point eventually ruined the book for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body horror, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Murder
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
nehailism's review against another edition
5.0
Contains spoilers
It is no [b:Bloodline|300225|Bloodline|Sidney Sheldon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1298570618s/300225.jpg|291389] or [b:Rage of Angels|43328|Rage of Angels|Sidney Sheldon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1356445383s/43328.jpg|1475717] but it has its own charm. Charm that kept me hooked to it throughout. What more is there to say? I love Sheldon. His stories and writing style appeal to me on an incredible level. Some do criticize him but not a single book penned by this man has failed to bewitch me. No other author has had that uninterrupted continuity to hold my rapt attention for so long; only this man. I was engrossed and rushing through the pages to read the ending.
This story spans to a hundred years and five generations following the creation of one of the biggest business empires in the world.
The immorality and power-hunger that began with Jamie McGregor passed to his daughter Kate who grew up to be a cunning, manipulative, controlling, immoral, power hungry bitch. Odd thing is, I couldn't hate her. Everything that she did to the people she claimed to love, manipulated and steered into her direction of choosing; you just couldn't help but admire that woman. She deceived David into marrying her, she constantly deceived and lied and deceived and lied to her only son, telling herself she was doing it for his own good when all that she was doing was for the company and its welfare (can't blame her much tbh you can't just risk such an empire going in the hands of strangers, who don't give a single shit about the formation or about the painful and legendary story behind the name of the company). Her son's story however did not go too well, did it? After such effort all she received in return were a few bullets to her neck and back and a homicidal schizophrenic paranoiac son. Teehee.
Then come the twins of Tony (Kate's son). My God. If there was a character that I hated, it was Eve. That walking scum of earth deserved each and every thing that came to her. A satisfying end. Alexandra too wasn't very appealing. Seemed spineless and did not have an interesting personality. Bland.
Alexandra's son Robert marks the fifth generation that began with Jamie. At the end we see that Kate is plotting to do exactly what she did with his grandfather. Slowly and gradually, with elaborate genius planning, turn the kid away from his true passion. Painting in Tony's case, music in Robert's.
All Kate ever wanted was an heir to the empire. Someone who'd look after and run the business after she died. Which she didn't even at the end of the book, that ninety-year-old trickster.
She didn't care who she was hurting and what unhappiness she was causing to her family as long as her purpose was served. Which was to be the master of the game. And master she quite was.
It is no [b:Bloodline|300225|Bloodline|Sidney Sheldon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1298570618s/300225.jpg|291389] or [b:Rage of Angels|43328|Rage of Angels|Sidney Sheldon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1356445383s/43328.jpg|1475717] but it has its own charm. Charm that kept me hooked to it throughout. What more is there to say? I love Sheldon. His stories and writing style appeal to me on an incredible level. Some do criticize him but not a single book penned by this man has failed to bewitch me. No other author has had that uninterrupted continuity to hold my rapt attention for so long; only this man. I was engrossed and rushing through the pages to read the ending.
This story spans to a hundred years and five generations following the creation of one of the biggest business empires in the world.
The immorality and power-hunger that began with Jamie McGregor passed to his daughter Kate who grew up to be a cunning, manipulative, controlling, immoral, power hungry bitch. Odd thing is, I couldn't hate her. Everything that she did to the people she claimed to love, manipulated and steered into her direction of choosing; you just couldn't help but admire that woman. She deceived David into marrying her, she constantly deceived and lied and deceived and lied to her only son, telling herself she was doing it for his own good when all that she was doing was for the company and its welfare (can't blame her much tbh you can't just risk such an empire going in the hands of strangers, who don't give a single shit about the formation or about the painful and legendary story behind the name of the company). Her son's story however did not go too well, did it? After such effort all she received in return were a few bullets to her neck and back and a homicidal schizophrenic paranoiac son. Teehee.
Then come the twins of Tony (Kate's son). My God. If there was a character that I hated, it was Eve. That walking scum of earth deserved each and every thing that came to her. A satisfying end. Alexandra too wasn't very appealing. Seemed spineless and did not have an interesting personality. Bland.
Alexandra's son Robert marks the fifth generation that began with Jamie. At the end we see that Kate is plotting to do exactly what she did with his grandfather. Slowly and gradually, with elaborate genius planning, turn the kid away from his true passion. Painting in Tony's case, music in Robert's.
All Kate ever wanted was an heir to the empire. Someone who'd look after and run the business after she died. Which she didn't even at the end of the book, that ninety-year-old trickster.
She didn't care who she was hurting and what unhappiness she was causing to her family as long as her purpose was served. Which was to be the master of the game. And master she quite was.
jofs_'s review against another edition
4.0
aaand DONE !
This book has everything you'd want in a novel, adventure, drama, ferocious characters, vengeance, lotd of cunning and twists, it certainly was a fascinateing read.
it made me feel angry, sad, shocked and happy (but mostly angry :p)
the story can most likely be qualified as soap opera, it follows the endeavours, relationships and hardship of the "McGregor" family, and as any respectful soap opera, it will span multiple generations, have a great amount of manipulation and, as the name implies,have a lot of drama.
I don't want to reveal much more about the plot, it is best discovered alone, but the book keeps you intrigued from start to finish, it's a very enjoyable read and is quite easy to follow despite its scope.
I found myself unable to stop reading it and pulling off all-nighters just to discover the fate that the authour held for these charachters that I care so much about (whether that care comes from love or hatred :p)
so if the book was so good, why only 4 stars ?
well, because it lacks a certain literary value, I don't know how best to describe it, but it goes too often for the facility in its descriptions, I personally don't like reading the word "awesome" this often in my books, and Mr. Sheldon seems to have a habit of reusing the same terms to describe the same charachters each time there is a need to introduce them again "the word magnetism, for instance, comes to mind, have been used multiple times to describe Geroge Mellis) and that just put me off.
this is not my first sidney sheldon book, and so far, my opinion of him is that his books are action packed thrillers/charachter centred dramas, you get your money's worth in plot and action and twists, but that's all of what his books are about, they are great fun reads, for the purpose of just reading a story, seeing a plot unveil itself, and they are quite fast paced, things do not really take the time to settle, everything happens too quickly for my taste, and there is a certain lack of character development, it seems every character he introduces has one or two charchteristic that defines him and dictate all of his action, "power-hungry; jealous-psychopath; sensitif-artist" but they don't evolve, they are archetypes and that's what they are, and I take issue in that.
so what's the verdict ? should you read this book ? maybe!
I greatly advice it in reading slumps, the fast paced action packed novel will make you wanting more and eager to know more about the plot and help you get back into your normal reading habits.
Other than that, if you are intrguied in plot over substance, than I greatly advice this book, if you enjoy a bit of both, then this book is also recommanded as, what it lacks in depth it makes up for in twists and plot, but if you need your books to be more than just a fun read or you need more literature in your literature, then this book is probably not for you.
This book has everything you'd want in a novel, adventure, drama, ferocious characters, vengeance, lotd of cunning and twists, it certainly was a fascinateing read.
it made me feel angry, sad, shocked and happy (but mostly angry :p)
the story can most likely be qualified as soap opera, it follows the endeavours, relationships and hardship of the "McGregor" family, and as any respectful soap opera, it will span multiple generations, have a great amount of manipulation and, as the name implies,have a lot of drama.
I don't want to reveal much more about the plot, it is best discovered alone, but the book keeps you intrigued from start to finish, it's a very enjoyable read and is quite easy to follow despite its scope.
I found myself unable to stop reading it and pulling off all-nighters just to discover the fate that the authour held for these charachters that I care so much about (whether that care comes from love or hatred :p)
so if the book was so good, why only 4 stars ?
well, because it lacks a certain literary value, I don't know how best to describe it, but it goes too often for the facility in its descriptions, I personally don't like reading the word "awesome" this often in my books, and Mr. Sheldon seems to have a habit of reusing the same terms to describe the same charachters each time there is a need to introduce them again "the word magnetism, for instance, comes to mind, have been used multiple times to describe Geroge Mellis) and that just put me off.
this is not my first sidney sheldon book, and so far, my opinion of him is that his books are action packed thrillers/charachter centred dramas, you get your money's worth in plot and action and twists, but that's all of what his books are about, they are great fun reads, for the purpose of just reading a story, seeing a plot unveil itself, and they are quite fast paced, things do not really take the time to settle, everything happens too quickly for my taste, and there is a certain lack of character development, it seems every character he introduces has one or two charchteristic that defines him and dictate all of his action, "power-hungry; jealous-psychopath; sensitif-artist" but they don't evolve, they are archetypes and that's what they are, and I take issue in that.
so what's the verdict ? should you read this book ? maybe!
I greatly advice it in reading slumps, the fast paced action packed novel will make you wanting more and eager to know more about the plot and help you get back into your normal reading habits.
Other than that, if you are intrguied in plot over substance, than I greatly advice this book, if you enjoy a bit of both, then this book is also recommanded as, what it lacks in depth it makes up for in twists and plot, but if you need your books to be more than just a fun read or you need more literature in your literature, then this book is probably not for you.
chiraggupta's review against another edition
5.0
Intriguing, what can I say more. You just don't want to leave this book and when you leave it, it is all over your mind.
The climax was a little dull but till then, this book is one of the bests.
Will recommend it to all.
The climax was a little dull but till then, this book is one of the bests.
Will recommend it to all.