Status
Available
Genres
Publication
New York : A.A. Knopf, 1994.
Description
Fiction. Literature. Thriller. HTML:From the author of Jurassic Park, Timeline, and Sphere comes an electrifying thriller in which a shocking accusation of sexual harassment triggers a gripping psychological game of cat and mouse and threatens to derail a brilliant career. #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A fresh and provocative story.”—People An up-and-coming executive at the computer firm DigiCom, Tom Sanders is a man whose corporate future is certain. But after a closed-door meeting with his new boss—a woman who is his former lover and has been promoted to the position he expected to have—Sanders finds himself caught in a nightmarish web of deceit in which he is branded the villain. As Sanders scrambles to defend himself, he uncovers an electronic trail into the company’s secrets—and begins to grasp that a cynical and manipulative scheme has been devised to bring him down. “Crichton writes superbly. . . . The excitement rises with each page.”—Chicago Tribune “A heart-stop story running on several tracks at once. Disclosure is up to [Crichton’s] usual locomotive speed.”—The Boston Globe “Expertly crafted, ingenious and absorbing.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member bushard
excellent reading, may be the most enjoyable book I've read. Sexual harassment in a business - hi tec industry. Merideth Johnson is a gold digger lying woman who tries to get Tom Sanders fired from his job.
LibraryThing member buffalogr
Book is about office politics and sexual harassment...based on real story. Both heroes and villains are believable. And, it's about high tech 20 years ago. I saw the movie about 10 years ago and thought that I recalled the plot--but it was different than I recall...better. In my opinion, the
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theme/lesson is that anyone can throw out the sexual harassment flag, is instantly believed, and it shouldn't be so. Show Less
LibraryThing member roryridleyduff
This was a novel ahead of its time examining an issue that is becoming more relevant with each passing year. The basic plot is a workplace dispute over the behaviour of a female manager towards her male subordinate. She claims he sexually assaulted her; he claims she made a sexual advance towards
At the time, Crichton raised an issue that touched his friends/family and made him re-examine what he had learnt about sexual power. The screen play that was written for the subsequent film is a slick and authentic articulation of the book.
At the same time, the characterisation is a bit clunky and simplistic. The plot might have been more compelling if you did not know in the advance that the woman was lying. The insights and debate might have been thought provoking if the female lead is less of a pantomime villain. Crichton claims that 'sexual harassment is about power'. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In practice, it can also be about misunderstanding, rejection and punishment. A more interesting angle - one amply explored through this story - is that false accusations are about power too.
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him.At the time, Crichton raised an issue that touched his friends/family and made him re-examine what he had learnt about sexual power. The screen play that was written for the subsequent film is a slick and authentic articulation of the book.
At the same time, the characterisation is a bit clunky and simplistic. The plot might have been more compelling if you did not know in the advance that the woman was lying. The insights and debate might have been thought provoking if the female lead is less of a pantomime villain. Crichton claims that 'sexual harassment is about power'. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In practice, it can also be about misunderstanding, rejection and punishment. A more interesting angle - one amply explored through this story - is that false accusations are about power too.
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LibraryThing member LBM007
Even though this book came out over 15 years ago, the story line reads like it could have been just published. (Technical aspects of the main character's job in electronics manufacturing may be dated, but this is only the backdrop for the story, not the focus of the book, so it didn't matter) The
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story develops in such a way that you care about what happens to the main character and want to keep reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member mooseymoo332
I read this book in less than a day! I just couldn't put it down! Best book I have read in a while.
LibraryThing member Borg-mx5
I am always a little surpised at how much I like Michael Crichton's work. Writing with a bent toward technology always runs the risk of being dated. The work may then fade. Disclosure is about computers, but is it also about the law and fidelity. A very good book.
LibraryThing member abitmorejerry
Interesting story about harassment in the workplace during a corporate takeover. It's amazing to compare how attitudes have shifted in the 16 years since the book was published. This book is, if remotely true (and it is based upon a true story) a reminder of how attitudes are shifting quite
Its also really interesting to hear the views and predictions on technology at the time.
An interesting aside to the story is that the company doing the takeover is a print/publishing company while the company being bought out is a high-tech company. Remarkable coincidence for me as I had no idea when I picked the book up.
The book was a real page turner, even if a little predictable. Worth reading despite how dated it has become within a short time.
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dramatically within a few years. Its also really interesting to hear the views and predictions on technology at the time.
An interesting aside to the story is that the company doing the takeover is a print/publishing company while the company being bought out is a high-tech company. Remarkable coincidence for me as I had no idea when I picked the book up.
The book was a real page turner, even if a little predictable. Worth reading despite how dated it has become within a short time.
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LibraryThing member spectralbat
Very different from the first book I read by Michael Crichton, although Disclosure also has that technology theme. Disclosure kept me flipping the pages long into the night and I loved that the focus wasn't entirely on the lawsuit itself, but also tied in with the parallel plot of corporate
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sabotage. Show Less
LibraryThing member burnit99
A taut and satisfying story of corporate malfeasance, sexual harassment and cover-ups, in which Tom Sanders, a moving-on-up executive at a Seattle tech company, becomes the victim of a sexual pass by his new boss, a former lover. When he makes a formal complaint he finds himself accused of the
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misconduct, and as he struggles to fight the gossip and assumptions of guilt that pervade his company, he discovers that the harassment is only a means to achieving a larger, more sinister end. A good, quickly-moving story written at a time when the glass ceiling was a lot thicker than now, and corporate sexual harassment was more likely to be considered one of the perks of power. Show Less
LibraryThing member Anagarika-Sean
Good story and plot. A great read.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
Crichton is one of my favorite sci-fi authors. This novel is a good suspense/thriller with topical interest (sexual harassment), but little to no science... Perhaps if I had expected that, I'd be rating it higher.
LibraryThing member aqeeliz
The book starts pretty slow, but if you stick around long enough it becomes quite interesting. It took me few months to read first 50-80 pages, and just a couple of days to finish rest of the 400 pages.
LibraryThing member brysoncrichton
Loved it. Interesting take on the topic of sexual harrassment. Read like a screenplay because of the short chapters. Started reading it and couldn't put it down.
LibraryThing member ashishg
Book is about office politics, purportedly based on real story. And story is realistic, in sense that both heros and villains are realistic. There are some lucky coincidences but perhaps acceptable. Book isn't boring, but isn't interesting either. You can have decent timepass with it, but you won't
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miss anything in life if you don't read this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member sandra.k.heinzman
Very good book. It's my first by Michael Crichton, and now I want to read more. It was one of this month's selections (didi not win) for one of my book clubs. I could hardly put the book down, because I wanted to know what was going to happen!
LibraryThing member sandra.k.heinzman
Very good book. It's my first by Michael Crichton, and now I want to read more. It was one of this month's selections (didi not win) for one of my book clubs. I could hardly put the book down, because I wanted to know what was going to happen!
LibraryThing member sandra.k.heinzman
Very good book. It's my first by Michael Crichton, and now I want to read more. It was one of this month's selections (didi not win) for one of my book clubs. I could hardly put the book down, because I wanted to know what was going to happen!
LibraryThing member sandra.k.heinzman
Very good book. It's my first by Michael Crichton, and now I want to read more. It was one of this month's selections (didi not win) for one of my book clubs. I could hardly put the book down, because I wanted to know what was going to happen!
LibraryThing member misty13
What a nice way to see how a woman can control a situation. Every time you want to interrupt and tell him how to handle the situation. Great reading, don't forget to see the movie, although the book is much better.
LibraryThing member Carl_Alves
In Disclosure, Tom Sanders, a very flawed protagonist, is vying for the same position at Digital Communications as beautiful and talented Meredith Johnson. Meredith gets the promotion and then later tries to seduce Tom. He then files a sexual harassment suit against the company. This sets up a
The plot was well thought out and the pace of the novel was good. For the time, there were some cutting edge high tech aspects to the novel. The worst aspect of the novel is the characterization. None of the characters in this novel are especially likeable. That made it hard to root for any of the characters, and the novel fell a little flat as a result. A solid but unspectacular novel.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
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series of events involving large conspiracies, sabotage, and corporate espionage. The most memorable part of this novel is when Tom links into a virtual reality module in an attempt to save his reputation and career.The plot was well thought out and the pace of the novel was good. For the time, there were some cutting edge high tech aspects to the novel. The worst aspect of the novel is the characterization. None of the characters in this novel are especially likeable. That made it hard to root for any of the characters, and the novel fell a little flat as a result. A solid but unspectacular novel.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
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LibraryThing member petrichor8
unnerving tale of the other side of corporate workplace sexual harrassment
LibraryThing member zarasecker18
I have had this book sitting on my bookshelf for sometime now but until just recently I didn’t feel I wanted to read it. It wasn’t until after I picked this book up that I found out that Crichton wrote the famous Jurassic Park series. I had only ever watched Jurassic Park on TV so I was
Throughout this book (and this is a good indication of how well written it was) I found myself being pulled so much into the book that I lost all sense of where I was, at least whilst reading. I was very much in the book and couldn’t wait to read it every chance I got. As a result of this I managed to finish it in 3 days! I loved the book's whole premise and the way it was dealt with allowed the reader to see how notoriously fraught with difficulty sexual harassment cases are.
There are many characters throughout but it never felt like it was overdone. We meet Meredith Johnson who is the woman who harassed the male protagonist, Tom Sanders. Tom’s lawyer proved to be a force to be a reckoned with and she didn’t hold any prisoners. She certainly knew her stuff and rarely allowed herself to be ruffled by people who should have known better. This book also showed how nasty office politics can get especially when there’s a company merger on the table. I’m sure that this sort of thing can also happen outside of a merger as well. The characters in this book were well described and developed and they came across as very real and believable.
I absolutely loved this book and now I want to get, and read, many more of Crichton’s books. I have added him to my list of favourite authors. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
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interested to see what I thought of Crichton’s writing style. It didn’t take long for me to decide that I absolutely loved his writing. He had my interest piqued when he spoke about CD-ROMs and CD-ROM players etc. It was so fascinating to read about the problems associated with developing these products with 2017 eyes. It was like stepping back in time and guided through what the early development of these products involve to get where we are today some 23 years later. It was also interesting to find that, like today, many of the tech people were young (in their 20s) indicating that some things stay the same regardless of the number of years that have elapsed in the meantime.Throughout this book (and this is a good indication of how well written it was) I found myself being pulled so much into the book that I lost all sense of where I was, at least whilst reading. I was very much in the book and couldn’t wait to read it every chance I got. As a result of this I managed to finish it in 3 days! I loved the book's whole premise and the way it was dealt with allowed the reader to see how notoriously fraught with difficulty sexual harassment cases are.
There are many characters throughout but it never felt like it was overdone. We meet Meredith Johnson who is the woman who harassed the male protagonist, Tom Sanders. Tom’s lawyer proved to be a force to be a reckoned with and she didn’t hold any prisoners. She certainly knew her stuff and rarely allowed herself to be ruffled by people who should have known better. This book also showed how nasty office politics can get especially when there’s a company merger on the table. I’m sure that this sort of thing can also happen outside of a merger as well. The characters in this book were well described and developed and they came across as very real and believable.
I absolutely loved this book and now I want to get, and read, many more of Crichton’s books. I have added him to my list of favourite authors. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
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LibraryThing member JoniMFisher
Suspenseful, engrossing, and agonizing to see a manipulator in action, using assumptions and company policy to destroy her boss. Brilliantly written. This would generate discussion at a book club.
LibraryThing member nilbett
Excellent reading. Just shows what can happen in the wokforce. Sexual behaviour can be used as a powerful weapon of control. Female bosses can be just as devious as Male bosses. Great story!
LibraryThing member nbmars
In State of Fear, Michael Crichton does a fine job of weaving intellectual discussion of global warming into the story line. I had hoped for a similar treatment of gender discrimination in employment to appear in Disclosure.
I was disappointed--or I should say I was so disappointed in every respect
By page 57 the author had introduced about 15 characters, none of whom sparked any interest, and all of whom spoke to each other in trite businessese, like newly-minted MBA's from lesser schools on their first job.
The book was written in 1993. It covers the high tech electronics industry of Seattle and the Bay area. The technology described, the novelty of which may have helped carry the narrative in 1993, seems pedestrian today, and so adds no zing or flare for a reader in 2007.
Most disappointing was the caliber of the writing, which was far below the author's standard. Interestingly, Crichton employs more profanity in this book than usual, perhaps in an effort to bring zest to numbingly dull discourse.
Fortunately, I bought the book at a sale at the Los Alamos Library for only $.50, so I don't feel I was robbed. (JAB)
I was disappointed--or I should say I was so disappointed in every respect
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by the first 57 pages (which took about 20 minutes to read) that I elected not finish the book. By page 57 the author had introduced about 15 characters, none of whom sparked any interest, and all of whom spoke to each other in trite businessese, like newly-minted MBA's from lesser schools on their first job.
The book was written in 1993. It covers the high tech electronics industry of Seattle and the Bay area. The technology described, the novelty of which may have helped carry the narrative in 1993, seems pedestrian today, and so adds no zing or flare for a reader in 2007.
Most disappointing was the caliber of the writing, which was far below the author's standard. Interestingly, Crichton employs more profanity in this book than usual, perhaps in an effort to bring zest to numbingly dull discourse.
Fortunately, I bought the book at a sale at the Los Alamos Library for only $.50, so I don't feel I was robbed. (JAB)
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