The Charm School

By: Nelson DeMille

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 24 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Something very strange -- and sinister -- is going on in the Russian woods at Borodino. In a place called Mrs. Ivanova's Charm School, young KGB agents are being taught by American POW's how to be model citizens of the USA. The Soviet goal -- to infiltrate the United States undetected.

When an unsuspecting American tourist stumbles upon this secret, he sets in motion a CIA investigation that will reveal horrifying police state savagery and superpower treachery.

©1999 Nelson DeMille (P)2009 Hachette

Critic reviews

"Riveting." ( Publishers Weekly)

I've never read anything quite like it

This was my second book by Nelson DeMille; my first was Plum Island (John Corey #1). His books are long (dead tree formats have many pages with small print) but the writing style flows well. I noticed a few points in the story where I felt myself thinking "Get on with it" but those are relatively few.

His stories have plot twists and take directions that I would never have expected and when bad things happen, they are told in such a way that it's not overly disturbing (which was one of my fears when I began the book).

The story itself is told in a very realistic way where the reader believes that the events could have happened.

The only thing that I didn't really care for was the narration; some voices just rub me the wrong way and Scott Brick's narration of the main characters always seems flat. This is somewhat surprising to me because he does other characters very well.

Slow beginning Great ending

Where does The Charm School rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I rank it among one of my favorites that I will probably listen to again. There are only a few books that I have done that with.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It increased my interest in old Russia and her people.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Nothing is ever wrong about Scott Brick's performance. He is one of the best narrators

Great listen

The narriation was masterful, the storyline compelling and suspense thrilling. BUY THIS NOW! You won't be disappointed

Fun.

Would you listen to The Charm School again? Why?

I will. I enjoyed the chilling imagination of the author.

What did you like best about this story?

Gregory Fisher. Brave kid, going to the Soviet Russia in a Pontiac TransAM.

Which scene was your favorite?

*Spoiler* When Sam figured out that the "reporter" was a Charm School graduate.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Terrifyingly plausible.

Another DeMille classic

What made the experience of listening to The Charm School the most enjoyable?

The story was compelling and the characters were interesting.

What other book might you compare The Charm School to and why?

All of DeMille's other work. This falls right in line with his others.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

He was very easy to listen to, very smooth performance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I didn't have an extreme reaction to the book, but there were parts I didn't enjoy due to the content. I'm not a big fan of a great deal of violence.

Any additional comments?

While the story went on a bit too long, I found listening to the story very interesting and enjoyed the unique plot.

Authentic

As a former Intelligence officer, I was exposed to the knowledge of the existence of these "Charm Schools" in the former Soviet Union. We actually captured one of the former "students" spying on the Marine base in North Carolina. Her accent was perfect but she screwed up during the interrogation by the FBI.

The book is well-written and, of course, well-narrated by Scott Brick. It's full of suspense and trickery common in the web-building of plausible denial in the field of international espionage.

a great Cold War spy versus spy novel.

the Cold War may be long over but current United States and Russia political drama make this book a fun read.
anybody old enough to have lived through the Cold War will really appreciate this novel for its uncanny insight into the day in a life of a muscovite.
Scott Brick is a great narrator and has very convincing voices for all the characters.

Excellent

I looked at the length of this book and hesitated...so glad I went ahead and bought it! Great book, great narration. Fully enjoyed every minute.

A good listen

Good story lots of details, nice pace. Fabulous performance by Scott Brick, he would make a cookbook sound interesting.

Well done!

As usual, not a disappointment. As per always, Nelson is ingenious. Espionage is very well done.