Run Before the Wind (Will Lee Novel)

I like Stuart Woods - this book was a bit different for him, but I did enjoy it. He incorporated a character from another book which was interesting.Kept you interested enough to keep going and not put it down.
I would reccommend the book, but it's not a best seller

I actually read this Stuart Woods book before I ordered it from the store. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and then decided to order a copy of the book to give to a friend of mine who is an avid sailor and has his own large sailboat. It made him a happy skipper.

Somehow I had missed reading this one year's ago. I loved Palindrome and Chiefs, but this one was a bit long. Too much description that took away from the story. However, much better than the Stone Barrington novels he is churning out these days.

Perusing my local library this week I noticed that nearly 4 feet of shelving space were devoted to books from this author, so I figured "what the heck...if I try one of his books and like it, I'll have quite a few more to keep me entertained for awhile." I chose this one because it appeared to be one of his first books and I usually like to start at (or near) the beginning rather than randomly choosing something from the middle of an author's career.

I was impressed with Woods' writing style, and will definitely be back for more. In fact, as I write this review, I'm already on my 2nd book by Woods', a novel called "Chiefs" that I'm actually enjoying much more than "Run Before the Wind."

"Run Before the Wind" is a coming-of-age story about a recurring character in several of Woods' books: Will Lee.

We find young Mr. Lee, the son of a wealthy Georgia politician, in law school, sitting in the dean's office. Lee isn't there to receive an "atta boy." Qutie the contrary -- he's being expelled. The dean sees much potential in the young Lee, but not enough effort and an inability to persevere. He's told to go out, take at least a year off, and come back again only when he's ready to approach his endeavors with a significant change of attitude and study habits.

Lee finds himself in Ireland, where his grandparents live, and quite literally stumbles into a job as a boatbuilder, drawing on his skills as an experienced sailor. His project is a 60' racing yacht, whose owner is as mysterious as he is wealthy. While Lee befriends several of those on the boatbuilding crew, it soon becomes apparent that others on the crew are involved with the IRA -- and that they have a grudge to settle with both the boat's owner and some of the other builders. The ensuing story is more the tale of Lee finding himself than a deep mystery, but isn't withoug its action and intrigue.

It was enjoyable read, but I'm afraid I can't call it a gripping read. Suspense but not thriller.

The book does not have a particularly satisfying ending. I won't spoil it here for those who haven't read it, but suffice to say that "happily ever after" isn't the template for most (if any) of the characters.

After finishing the book, I visited Woods' website (..) and it features a very nice tool that I've never seen before: a printable checklist that you can take the library (or bookstore) that organizes Woods' books according to year of publication and main character. Unlike many authors that have only one or two protagonists and one or two series, Woods' has quite a range that currently encompasses 9 "stand alone" novels that aren't part of a series, as well as 24 other novels that fall into 5 different series. I like this very reader-freiendly approach to organizing the author's work.

As I said, this was a good book, but not a great book. And, as I mentioned, I am currently reading one of his other books (Chiefs) and although only 1/3 of the way through the book, it will easily garner 5 stars if it finishes as strongly as it has started. Seems I'm not the only one who likes it, given that a 25th anniversary edition has been printed and it was made into a CBS mini-series a number of years ago. I'm surprised I hadn't heard of this author before, given his prolific writing, but regardless of how I discovered him (in this case, just perusing the library shelves), I'm glad I did. He'll be part of my reading diet for quite some time as I work my way through his 30+ novels.

In my opinion, this earlier effort of Stuart Woods is one of his best. While not exactly a rip-roaring thriller, it's good enough to hold one's interest from beginning to end. Woods clearly knows his way around the world of boats and boat building, and the character of young Will Lee, later to become a U.S. president, is reasonably well fleshed out, as are the other major players.

The bed-hopping and cheesy sex scenes that are so redundantly present in his later books have been kept to a halfway believable minimum in "Run Before the Wind", which generally bears scant resemblance to the shallow silliness of the Stone Barrington books. It shows that Woods is indeed capable of producing a worthwhile read into which he has actually put some thought. It's unfortunate that he chose quantity over quality in much of his subsequent work.

Technically, the first book to feature Will Lee as a main character ( he makes a brief appearance in Chiefs as a kid) and also the only book Woods' has written in first person POV. It all begins with Lee at law school bored. So he asks his father if he can take a year off and travel to Ireland to see his maternal grandfather. It is there he finds his dream job, building sail boats. He makes friends with a couple who are going to sail a large yacht across the ocean in a race. He also has time to court two women, one who has a past with IRA. Soon, bodies start falling and Will becomes imbroiled in a sinister plot of revenge. The pacing in the novel is slow at first but picks up. The first person narrative really makes the story flow smoothly, unlike some novels.

A very different Stuart Wood book. Introducing Will Lee, a young man struggling thru law school, but not yet ready to finish it. He is off to England, Ireland and the Continent to sow some oats before finishing his last year. Then starts the adventure which contains suspense with a branch of the IRA doing dirty tricks, detailed descriptions of sailing and sail boat building and wonderful descriptions of the Irish and English countryside, primarily seaports, interwoven with lovely personal friendships and romances. What's not to like?

"Run Before the Wind" is part suspense novel and part adventure. Will Lee (a character also in "Grass Roots" and "The Run") is in Ireland to help Brits Mark and Annie Pemberton-Robinson build a boat that will sail in the race from England to Newport, RI. Mark's venture is funded by the mysterious Derek Thrasher. Robinson is hated by the IRA and there is a plot to kill him. This is one of Woods' earlier novels, and the writing is very clear, and "Run Before the Wind" is a very good book.

To really appreciate Run Before the Wind, you have to read Mr. Woods Memior, Blue Water Green Skipper first. He has taken a great deal of what took place during (and before)the 1976 OSTAR race and turned in into a stunning novel. I found myself unable and unwilling to put it down.
I admire Mr. Woods ability to put some of these more difficult events into such a gripping novel and wonder if maybe it had a cathartic effect for him. I had previously been a devoted Stone Barrington fan, but since reading many of his backlist, I am now an enthusiastic Stuart Woods fan!

I really enjoyed this thriller book. I think that is is a little less suspense full than some of the other books written by Woods. This is my first time reading a Will Lee novel and greatly enjoyed this character. I think it had a good plot and good characters. This is a good book to read on the back porch during a nice night. I would reccommend it to anyone who enjoys this author.

Another Stuart Woods book that was awesome. I have either bought every book I can find or been to the library to check them out that Stuart Woods has written. Just wish there was a site that would tell me in what order to read them.