The Charm School

Abridged
Author: Nelson DeMille
Narrator: James Naughton
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Random House (Audio)
Date: April 2003
Length: 3 hours
Ratings:
  • Book Rating: 3.5/5
Formats:
  • CD

Overview

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.

A chilling story of cold war espionage, The Charm School is relentlessly suspenseful right up to its white-knuckle ending!

Reviews (14)

Charm School - Lite?

Written by Michael on April 30th, 2009

  • Book Rating: 4/5

I have read the print edition of this novel and was a bit put off by the abridgment in the rental. I prefer, whenever possible, to listen to the complete book. They last longer, for one thing, as well as makes for a better read. Authors put in all sorts of interesting stuff and it is a bummer to listen to a book and not get the full flavor of the story. Other than that, this is a very well written novel.

OK, but not great

Written by Anonymous on August 11th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 3/5

This was an OK book for me. I did not love it and found myself trying to just get though it. At the same time, it was interesting on a level.

Charming but Short

Written by Anonymous on March 11th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 3/5

I liked this where this story was going, but it was too short. As if it were just an outline of a novel. I would have liked a fuller version, more details.

The Charm School

Written by Ronald Scott from Houston, TX on February 16th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 4/5

Another great one by Nelson DeMille. Only complaint is the audio is abridged and seems to be cut way too short.

Charm School

Written by Tracy Johnson on January 14th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 1/5

I found this book predictable. Not as exciting as his other books.

Charm School

Written by Lee Ann Schaffhausen on January 9th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 2/5

Nelson DeMille is one of my favorite authors, but there were none of the usual witty characters. Because the book is abridged, it seemed very disconnected and it lacked depth. A disappointment.

Charm School

Written by Michael Speer on July 2nd, 2006

  • Book Rating: 3/5

Interesting. Keep my interest. Not overly deep or complicated but I enjoyed it.

Charm School

Written by Elizabeth Collazo on February 3rd, 2006

  • Book Rating: 2/5

I found this book quite boring. Not much excitement. Bland.

Interesting

Written by DLCT on September 16th, 2005

  • Book Rating: 3/5

Nice depictions of Russia, the food, environs, and inhabitants. Good characters, interesting plot but somehow it all seemed to remote, too Cold War -- dated and old. I really liked the original premise of the Charm School and perhaps someone with more interest in military stuff might like this tale better but I was bored by the fighting and some of the latter events... I guess if I'd cared more about the characters, it would've been different.

Charm School

Written by Anonymous on February 11th, 2005

  • Book Rating: 1/5

A bit broken up and had a very weak ending. Strong characters. Listed as unabridged but actually abridged. Very disappointing.

Author Details

Author Details

DeMille, Nelson

"Nelson DeMille was born in New York City and moved as a child with his family to Long Island. In high school, he played football and ran track.

He spent three years at Hofstra University, then joined the Army and attended Officer Candidate School. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and served in Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader with the First Cavalry Division.

He returned to the States and went back to Hofstra University where he received his degree in Political Science and History. He married and had two children, divorced, and remarried.

His earlier books were NYPD detective novels. His first major novel was By the Rivers of Babylon, published in 1978 and still in print, as are all his succeeding novels. He is a member of The Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America, and American Mensa. He holds three honorary doctorates: Doctor of Humane Letters from Hofstra University, Doctor of Literature from Long Island University, and Doctor of Humane Letters from Dowling College.

DeMille and his daughter Lauren collaborated on ""Revenge and Rebellion,"" a short story available in the Pocket Books anthology, Mary Higgins Clark Presents: The Plot Thickens."