Publisher/Format: Fidelis (2010), Paperback, 408 pages
Characters: way too many to list
Subject: Politics framed around a Supreme Court nomination hearing
Setting: Washington D.C.
Genre: Fiction
Source: LibraryThing.com Early Reviewers program
Meh. This has all the makings of a TV script. For anyone who has ever lived "inside the Beltway" in the Washington DC area, it is more of the same-oh, same-oh.
Written by a so-called Washington insider, with book blurbs by such auspicious beings as Karl Rove, and a dedication to Oliver North (among others) I did not want to read it at all (my political leanings are on the other side of the fence.) However since I got it for the Early Review program, I read the whole thing. It's not a bad book, but if there was the equivalent of political chick-lit, this is it! The characters are caricatures and there are far too many of them. I had to get a paper and construct a scorecard to keep track of who was who. There were 27 major players introduced in the first 35 pages.
The plot is dully predictable, and for cripes sake, the editor can't even recognize that THERE IS NO LETTER "J" in the Italian alphabet! The author has one of the main characters traveling through Italy sprinkling "Bon Journo" all over the place. HELLO---it's "Buongiorno" or at least if he's speaking french, it's "Bonjour". This is the kind of sloppy publishing that makes me less than positively disposed to recommend a book to others.
Basically it's the story of an unpopular president (he was elected by the House of Representatives after capturing only 37%? of the vote), who must fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court. The Senate of course is going to take its constitutional responsibilities very seriously and make sure that they are really the ones doing the appointing. There are the usual scandals, lobbyists, back door doings, lives ruined, check-ins to rehab, etc etc etc. When you get to the end, you're just glad to have it over with. Sorta sounds like real life in DC right?
If you are a political junkie, don't mind cardboard characters and a plot that trudges along like a deadlocked senate, you might like this one. If you're looking for a thriller, there are lots better ones out there.
Posts
think I will put this in my "be sure to skip" list. Even if it might be on my side of the fence. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI am sick of politics, sick of D.C (even if I am considering a trip there...) and have not time for bad editing or dull predictability.
With your first word - "meh" - I knew this one wouldn't be a good read. I am a political junkie but even if this one were on my side of the political fence, I would skip it. We have enough cardboard characters in D.C. I don't need to read about more of them.
ReplyDeleteWell, that sounds like a tired old plot. I've had enough politics and we still have a month until the election... but I did enjoy your review.
ReplyDelete