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Welcome to the final Online Book Club discussion of Without Remorse.

What did you think of the end of the book? I think the biggest problem I had with the book is that I felt like it was several different books in one. There were just too many storylines. I think a book about drug smuggling and John Kelly attempting to exact revenge would have been enough. Adding the extra Vietnam POW angle was just too much. I just couldn’t keep all of the character names straight, and I could not keep the different storylines straight–especially since action for each storyline occurred in each chapter. Maybe it would have been easier if the action between the stories was split into different chapters, but the way it was set up was just too confusing. Did you find yourself unable to keep track of all of the characters? Did you wish the story had been more streamlined? 

To me, the worst thing that happened in this section was that Doris and her father were murdered. I just thought that was so unnecessary. Why couldn’t one of the women have a happy ending? She had just gotten back with her father–why couldn’t that be the end of their story? I just couldn’t believe that they were hunted down and killed. Were you surprised when that happened? How would you have written Doris’s story? 

Were you surprised that the mission in Vietnam was ultimately unsuccessful? The mission definitely showed how brave and well-trained Kelly was, but all of his expertise was not able to overcome the fact that the mission was compromised. It was good that John was able to bring Grishanov out with him at the end of the mission. That made it not a total loss, I think. After the Vietnam storyline was finished, did you finally feel like it was a good addition to the rest of the story? Did you think it added to the book? In the epilogue, we find that all of the prisoners were eventually released, and it seems like John’s actions throughout the book helped with that. I was glad that was a happy ending to the story at least. 

What did you think of the ending? Did you think it was believable that John was able to evade capture and then fake his own death? It’s crazy that he didn’t have to have any repercussions for all of the killing he did throughout the book. Do you feel like you rooted for John throughout the book? Would you classify him as a hero? 

Do you think he and Sandy will have a happy life together? I’m not sure what Sandy found so appealing about him–she obviously knew that he was really dangerous and did some shady things. I hope they end up having a good life together–it seems like the women who love John don’t have much luck, but maybe Sandy will be different. 

What other parts stood out to you? Would you have changed anything about the story? Would you have taken out any characters or storylines? 

Do you think you’d like to read another Tom Clancy novel? If you want to read and watch some similar titles, check out this list I created. Make sure to let me know if you check out anything on the list!

Before you go, check out this clip about Tom Clancy and the excitement that surrounded his novels. Are you surprised people loved his books so much? 

Thanks for following along this month! I hope to hear all of your thoughts about the book in the comments. Make sure to check back next month as we read The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks. 

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Without Remorse.

How did you feel about this section? Did you find it easier or harder to read this section? I found it to be a bit of a hard read because there were so many different details and characters to keep track of. 

What did you think of John Kelly’s decision to take justice into his own hands? I understand that he was ridding the world of horrible people, but it’s still hard to root for a person that is committing a lot of premediated murders. I feel like he became a serial killer, right? He was systematically killing a lot of people and was deliberately covering up his crimes. Does that make him a serial killer? The murders were tough to read about, but I think the whole torture of Billy was another level. I couldn’t believe the violence I was reading. Do you think it was worrying that John was able to commit those murders and then disassociate from the violence and go back to his regular life? 

I was glad that Doris was rescued. That was a positive thing that happened in this section. Were you surprised that she was able to get in touch with her dad? Do you think they will be able to be reunited? Are you surprised that John is so trusting of Sandy and believes that she can keep Doris safe? I’m not quite sure why Sandy trusts John–she obviously knows that he is up to something and is capable of dangerous behavior. 

The sections about Vietnam and the prisoners of war are interesting, but I’m having a hard time understanding why they are necessary to the story. I guess the information about John as a soldier helps us understand him more, and it helps us understand why he is such a killing machine, but otherwise, I think it takes away from the main story. Working with the military literally takes John away from the action of the story–he has to leave to help them. I just don’t understand how this storyline is adding to the narrative. Are you enjoying the subplots throughout? Do you find any of these extra narratives more interesting than the main story with John? 

Do you think the police will be able to connect John to all of the murders? It seems like he should be completely uncatchable. He knows how to blend into the shadows, he knows how to hide evidence, he knows how to change his appearance and be invisible. But, he does keep making little mistakes in the name of helping innocent people. He helps that lady who is being robbed, even though she has the possibility of seeing his face. And, he kills the thief which is a mistake and takes away from his mission. Finally, he lets emotions overtake him when he takes Billy and releases Doris. I just feel like he is going to make some sort of mistake soon, and the police will be able to connect him to the crimes. I don’t think he is at his peak since he is still dealing with so much grief. 

I found myself feeling a little confused about the passing of time throughout this section as well. I feel like a lot of things are happening, but I don’t think much time is actually passing. I don’t think John and Pam knew each other for very long, so it’s surprising that their relationship had such an impact on John. John’s recovery didn’t seem to take very long either, and neither did Doris’s and Pam’s recovery from drug addiction. Everything is just happening so fast throughout the book! Do you think it’s realistic that so much is happening in such a short time? 

Do you like any of the characters? Are you looking forward to following anyone in particular in the last section? 

What do you think will happen in the end of the book? How can this book come to some sort of a conclusion? 

Before you go, check out this video that was made in memoriam of Clancy after his death. Are you surprised that he wasn’t a military vet since he seems to know so much about the world? 

I hope you’re able to finish the book for next week. I can’t wait to hear all of your thoughts in the comments!

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of Without Remorse.

Did you enjoy the beginning of the book? I found it a little hard to actually get into the story. The first few chapters were a little confusing to me. Once Kelly met Pam, the story made more sense, but at the beginning, I wasn’t really sure what was going on. I’m not sure that I’ve ever read a book quite like this one, so it’s been interesting to read. 

What do you think of John Kelly? I thought it was really surprising that he took to Pam so quickly and was so loving with her. I wonder what drew him to her. Were you surprised that he was willing to stay with her, even after he learned about her past? Their relationship moved so fast. Do you think that was because both of them had experienced so much trauma? I was surprised that their relationship seemed to be so deep after only a couple of days. 

What did you think of the Rosens? I don’t think Pam would have survived the few chapters she was in without them. It was really lucky that they all met each other. John definitely would not have survived the shooting if it hadn’t been for Sam. What do you think of Sandy O’ Toole? She seems like she will continue to be an important character as the book progresses. 

The main problem that I had with the beginning of this book was that I felt like there were too many characters and too many storylines. When I was reading about John and Pam and the Rosens, I was really engaged, and I enjoyed the story. But, I had a really hard time when the story moved to Vietnam or when it followed the drug ring. There were too many characters that I didn’t know enough about to really remember. Did you feel that way? Did you struggle to keep track of everything that was going on? I’m also not sure why the Vietnam element had to be in the story at all. I think the narrative would have been full enough with John Kelly and the drug story that entered the story through Pam. Don’t you feel like that is enough action for one book? 

Were you surprised when Pam was killed? I’m not sure why John thought it was wise to go back to Pam’s stomping grounds so soon after she had escaped. I feel like Kelly thought he was invincible, but he obviously wasn’t. I was surprised when they were shot at the end of that chapter. I thought for sure that they had escaped. Did that surprise you? 

What is Kelly training for? He’s getting back in really good shape, and he has rented an apartment in a different part of town. Do you think he’s getting ready to exact revenge? What would he even think would be an appropriate thing to do to the people who killed Pam? How do you think the Vietnam story with the captured prisoners going to come more into the story? Do you have any ideas about how the rest of the book is going to go? 

The movie version of this book seems to be completely different than the book. Check out the video below to see if you agree with my assessment of the movie. Can you imagine doing the kinds of stunts the actors mention in the video clip? 

I hope you’re excited to keep going through the book! Make sure to read through chapter 24 before joining us again next week. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about the first section in the comments!

Welcome to Week 1 of the Online Book Club discussion of Without Remorse.

The Online Book Club, if you’ve never joined us before, is a book discussion group that takes place entirely online. Each week, I write a new blog post that talks about different aspects of the book, and you can interact directly with me and other readers by leaving your comments. Check back each week and see what new topics we’re talking about.

Without Remorse is the story of John Kelly, a former Navy SEAL and Vietnam veteran who loses his wife in a car crash and is forced to rebuild his life. At the beginning of the book, Kelly appears to find new love, but this relationship introduces him to the seedy world of drugs and ultimately leads him down a path of revenge and retribution. It’s a complicated story about a very complicated character. 

If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the movie version starring Michael B. Jordan. Check out the trailer above for the movie version if you want to get a feel for the series. Feel free to still leave comments on the blog posts, even if you’re only watching the movie and not reading the book. 

We’ll read the first 12 chapters for next time, so make sure to read those before checking out the next blog post. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments!

Welcome to the final discussion of Harriet, the Spy. 

Did you enjoy the way the book ended? How did you feel about Harriet by the end of the book? I think Harriet is a very complicated character, and it is really hard to root for her sometimes! But, I’m glad she was able to have some redemption by the end of the book. If you want to read about the influence that Harriet has had on other writers, check out this article. 

At the beginning of this section, we find out that the plan Harriet’s classmates had was to build a Spy Catcher’s Clubhouse. Did you expect they would do something like that? Do you think they also planned to dump the ink on Harriet, or was that more a spur of the moment decision? I thought the ink was meaner than the clubhouse. The clubhouse was mean because it excluded Harriet, but the ink was so much more public and caused more damage. The Spy Catcher Club parade past Harriet was pretty cold–it’s so crazy that kids can make up these cruel schemes. 

I understood why Harriet’s parents took away her notebook, but I think having her notebook taken away just made everything worse. Don’t you? At least the notebook gave her some sort of outlet or confidant. Were you surprised that Harriet started skipping school once her notebook was taken away? Do you blame her for skipping school? 

I thought it was a good idea for Harriet to go see a psychiatrist, but I don’t think their session did much good. I think the letter from Ole Golly is what really turned Harriet around, don’t you? What did you think of Ole Golly’s advice that Harriet would have to apologize and lie to her friends? Do you think that was good advice? I don’t think Harriet really apologized for what she wrote in her notebook. I know she published that piece in the paper where she basically retracted all of her previous statements, but it wasn’t very specific or sincere. What did you think? Would you have accepted what she wrote as an apology? 

What did you think of her newspaper column? I really can’t believe that the school actually printed it. The things that she talked about were not very nice! She was basically just using the paper like she used her notebook. Are you surprised that the school would allow her to print a gossip sheet as the school paper? I also don’t think it was fair that she wrote about the people on her spy route. They didn’t ask for their personal business to be spread across the neighborhood. And, they didn’t even have any idea that their personal lives were being talked about. I thought that was really sad that she published those details about the people. What do you think about all of the people on her route? Would they be upset to know that a little girl was talking about them to her classmates? 

Were you surprised that Sport and Janie forgave Harriet in the end? I’m glad that they did, but I’m not sure what is really going to change in the future for all of them. I don’t think Harriet really learned anything by the end of the book, so I’m guessing she will keep spying and keep making observations about those around her. Do you think she will continue to watch the same people? Do you think she will look to find more people to add to her route? 

What are your final thoughts about the book? Was it enjoyable to read? If you want to know what Harriet did next, make sure to read the next book in the series, The Long Secret. If you’d like to read or watch similar titles that are not part of the Harriet universe, check out this list I created. Make sure to let me know if you watch or read anything on the list!

Before you go, did you know there is a more recent screen adaptation of Harriet the Spy? There is a new animated adaptation on Apple TV+. Check out the trailer below to see if this adaptation looks faithful to the book. 

Thanks for following along this month! Make sure to leave a comment to let me know what you thought of the book. And, make sure to check back again next month as we read Without Remorse by Tom Clancy. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments!

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book club discussion of Harriet, the Spy.

The tide really turns for Harriet in this section, doesn’t it? Now we definitely know that the people she write about in her notebook do not like being written about in such an unflattering way! 

What did you think was harder to read about–Ole Golly leaving or all of Harriet’s friends turning on her and treating her harshly? I thought the Ole Golly section was the hardest to read about. I was really upset that Harriet’s mother got so emotional and fired Ole Golly. I understood why the mom was so upset, but I thought that Ole Golly’s years of service would have made the family trust her and her judgement a bit more. I was glad that Ole Golly was actually able to leave on her own terms, but it was sad to see how she was treated initially. It was really hard to read about how hard it was for Harriet to say goodbye to Ole Golly. I think Ole Golly was more of a maternal figure than Harriet’s mother, so I can’t imagine how heartbreaking it would be to lose her. In her notebook, Harriet writes that Ole Golly leaving has left a little hole in Harriet’s life–I thought that was sad to read. Do you think Ole Golly is going to have a happy life? Mr. Waldenstein is a real character. I hope he and Ole Golly are able to have a good time together. 

All of the people that Harriet spies on are so unusual. The Robinsons are so different. They spend their money on the weirdest things. Would you like a 6 foot tall statue of a baby like they had? The Dei Santis are so dramatic, and Harrison Withers is so pathetic. Could you imagine living in an apartment with so many cats? But, the cats seemed to be his family, so it was upsetting when they were taken away. I hope Harriet doesn’t try to get in the dumbwaiter again. I think she deserved to be caught because I don’t think it was right that she was breaking and entering to spy. 

The kids immediately turned on Harriet after they read her notebook. I don’t really blame them. She really did say horrible things about them. What did you think about the ways that they tried to get back at Harriet? She really didn’t like the notes they passed about her, but she was really bothered by the fact that they stole her tomato sandwich. It seemed that the missing tomato sandwich was what really sent her over the edge. Do you think she was justified in wanting to stay home for days after everyone treated her so unkindly? Do you think Harriet would have been able to handle her classmates better if Ole Golly were still in the house? At the end of this section, Harriet learns that her classmates have some sort of plan to get back at her for all of the things she said about them. What do you think they could have planned? Do you think they are going to do something mean to her? I hope they don’t do anything that causes anyone to get injured!

What do you think is going to happen to Harriet? I don’t think she’s learned anything or is planning to change her actions. She’s still writing things in her notebook, and I don’t think she’s going to stop spying. I think she thinks that she has been wronged–she doesn’t realize that she has wronged anyone. Do you think Ole Golly is going to come back into the story? Do you have any hopes for the end of the story? Do you have anything that you’re really hoping to see in the last section? 

Before you go, check out the link below to see how the notebook reading scene played out in the movie version. I can’t imagine how violated Harriet felt when everyone was reading her private thoughts. 

Thanks for reading along this week! I hope you let me know what you thought of the section by leaving a comment. Make sure to finish the book for next week! 

Welcome to the Week 2 discussion of Harriet, the Spy.

Did you all read this book when you were younger, or is this your first time reading? I read the book often when I was younger, but I haven’t read through it for probably 25 years. So, it’s been really fun rediscovering a book that I really enjoyed as a child! It’s funny how many of the scenes and lines I remembered so vividly. 

What do you think about Harriet in this first section? Do you think she’s a very likeable character? She definitely knows her own mind and isn’t afraid to be true to herself. What about Sport? I think he’s a sad character since it seems like he has to be the grownup at home. I think Janie is terrifying. I really think she would blow up her house if she felt like it would be a good experiment. Finally, how do you feel about Ole Golly? She’s very mysterious, but it’s evident that she loves Harriet a lot and is a very dependable person in Harriet’s life. 

The beginning of the book is so interesting to me. I remember feeling like the game Harriet was playing at the beginning was really cool. I used to love playing pretend like that when I was a little girl. It’s interesting that she was able to play pretend with a pretend town without having any dolls or toys. I can’t believe she was able to keep all of those details together without having physical objects to play with. I guess she wouldn’t be able to keep things straight if she didn’t have her notebook!

Why do you think it started with Ole Golly taking the kids to see her mom? That was really interesting. It definitely showed the kids a different way of life, but I kind of wished there was more of an explanation about why Ole Golly’s mom was the way she was and how Ole Golly was able to become the woman she became. What did you think of that scene? Do you think it matched with the rest of the section? 

I think it’s great that Harriet is engaged in the world around her and is so observant, but some of her observations are not very flattering. I know she expects her thoughts to stay private, but still, it’s amazing that she felt so comfortable expressing all of her observations in such a way. Do you think the other kids at school have any idea what Harriet thinks of them? I don’t think they do. At least they don’t treat her with open disdain like I imagine they would if they knew what she thought of them. 

What do you think of her spy route? I really can’t believe she feels comfortable spying on people in that way. What did you think when she got in a dumbwaiter to spy on Agatha Plumber? I think that was definitely crossing a line. I feel like all of these stops on her route are like a reality show for her. She gets to see how other people live on a daily basis. I wonder if she ever goes back and reads her old notes about the people she spies on. And, I wonder if she always has something to write about on each of her stops. Surely the people she watches don’t do interesting things all the time. 

It’s interesting that Ole Golly has a boyfriend. What do you think his story is? Do you think he and Harriet will get along if they get a chance to meet? I can’t imagine that Harriet will like having to share Ole Golly with anyone. 

What do you think will happen in the next section? Do you think Harriet will have to go to dancing lessons? Do you think she will get to meet Ole Golly’s boyfriend? What will happen on her spy route? 

Before you go, check out these interesting articles about the real townhouses that are like the house that Harriet lives in in the book. She the inside of the inspiration house here, and then check out this interesting article about the value of some of the houses that have shown up in children’s books. 

Make sure to read until chapter 11 for next week! I hope to hear your thoughts on this first section in the comments!