Scan barcode
jenikki's review
3.0
2.5 stars. I bought this book the day it came out, and began reading it shortly after... and it's taken me six weeks to actually get through it. Wolff is a great writer, but unfortunately, this book came out quickly, and with a lot of hype. The hype gave away most of the revelations in the book, and otherwise, if you've paid attention to CNN for the past year, you pretty much know the rest. There were very few things that he told us that I didn't already know about the Dumpster fire that is the Trump presidency, and the problem with reading a book completed in the fall, that was edited... never... and was published in January is he's still talking about people — like Hope Hicks, Rex Tillerson — as if they might be on their way out and they're already out. (Those are just two of MANY exits that have already dated the book.) The story of Mueller's Russian investigation was already outdated by the time it was published. The editing is atrocious, as many have pointed out. When you're a big publisher like this one and you need to rush a book to print, you don't skip the editing stage; you bring in all your best editors over one or two days, give them each a chapter, and have them comb it, then pass to the left... it's something I've done, it's something a lot of editors have done. Henry Holt just decided bah, who needs an editor. Will anyone REALLY notice if we mention he was running for "pubic office?" Nah.
I found the book to be a bit of a slog to get through, and it just confirmed that America is clearly full of a LOT of stupid people who will follow an idiot on a pathway to destruction. I think this book could have been better written if Wolff and his publisher hadn't been so interested in the royalties for a sensational tabloid book and instead had written a history of the Trump presidency in a few years, because it's already out of date and offers little perspective.
I found the book to be a bit of a slog to get through, and it just confirmed that America is clearly full of a LOT of stupid people who will follow an idiot on a pathway to destruction. I think this book could have been better written if Wolff and his publisher hadn't been so interested in the royalties for a sensational tabloid book and instead had written a history of the Trump presidency in a few years, because it's already out of date and offers little perspective.
carnivorous_mower's review
4.0
Trump's obviously an idiot, but it was disturbing to see it put down in black and white.
nancyadelman's review
3.0
Author Michael Wolff was allowed more or less unfettered access to President Trump and his handlers, but most especially Steve Bannon. The book starts on election night 2016, when the Trump family finds out they're going to the White House, and ends with the dismissal of Steve Bannon. Along the way Mr. Wolff enlightens the reader about Trump, his hair, his personality, and his motives for doing the things he does. I have followed the Trump campaign more or less from the beginning through today and there was something new on every page, something that made me say "OMG," "Seriously?!" or "WTF." Though I have followed Trump's shenanigans for some time, I am not a fan nor a voter of him. I feel like this book was rushed to the presses without adequate proofreading, as there were numerous misspelled words and frankenstein-like words that I'm not even sure exist. And yes, I know you can proof something 100 times and still find errors, but the misspellings in this are egregious and it is for this reason that I can only give this book three stars.
cathi77's review against another edition
2.0
There are 2 sides to every story and so I take a lot of it with a pinch of salt. I don't live in the USA so I didn't know a lot of the names and not really understanding all the politics. It was an insightful read into how a delusional bully was used as a puppet by so many people who wanted to run the country. I still don't know how he won or how he managed to last his term.
quintusmarcus's review against another edition
Really, no surprises here: every member of this hell-spawned administration is exemplary of the very worst that humanity can produce. The willful and bottomless ignorance of Trump, his family, and his vile apparatchiks can scarcely be comprehended. We are probably all doomed.
glenncolerussell's review
When I wrote my surreal microfiction in years past, many the time I would remember a dream I had the previous night and stumble down to my computer to convert the dream into words, sometimes with very little editing.
After reading a number of reviews of this book here on Goodreads, I had a dream about the book last night that I turned into the following microfiction – no editing, this was the actual dream, beginning to end. Apologies to fans of our current president – please keep in mind the muse can work in strange ways. Anyway, here it is:
THE BABOON CONCERTO
The musicians in a symphony orchestra are all set to play their next piece of classical music to a full house. It’s a concerto for bassoon.
Out comes the bassoonist in his tuxedo. None other than our current president.
There’s murmuring among both the audience and the members of the orchestra for the bassoonist isn’t holding a bassoon, he’s carrying a baboon. The conductor cries: “What on earth are you doing!”
The bassoonist replies calmly: “A bassoon is a reed instrument. I stuck a reed in the baboon’s throat. When I squeeze its belly, it plays beautiful bassoon music.
The conductor raises his baton and the orchestra starts playing. The bassoonist doesn’t miss a note.
Following the last rousing phrases of the concerto, the orchestra stands to bask in the glow of a standing ovation. The bassoonist and his baboon likewise stand and take their bows, both grinning their silly grins.
After reading a number of reviews of this book here on Goodreads, I had a dream about the book last night that I turned into the following microfiction – no editing, this was the actual dream, beginning to end. Apologies to fans of our current president – please keep in mind the muse can work in strange ways. Anyway, here it is:
THE BABOON CONCERTO
The musicians in a symphony orchestra are all set to play their next piece of classical music to a full house. It’s a concerto for bassoon.
Out comes the bassoonist in his tuxedo. None other than our current president.
There’s murmuring among both the audience and the members of the orchestra for the bassoonist isn’t holding a bassoon, he’s carrying a baboon. The conductor cries: “What on earth are you doing!”
The bassoonist replies calmly: “A bassoon is a reed instrument. I stuck a reed in the baboon’s throat. When I squeeze its belly, it plays beautiful bassoon music.
The conductor raises his baton and the orchestra starts playing. The bassoonist doesn’t miss a note.
Following the last rousing phrases of the concerto, the orchestra stands to bask in the glow of a standing ovation. The bassoonist and his baboon likewise stand and take their bows, both grinning their silly grins.
physicsphilip's review
3.0
A White House run by people with no relevant experience is chaotic? Who would have thought?
I liked this book. Can't say I loved it. Certainly a lot of it feels more like Truman Capote-style fictionalised nonfiction than literal reports based on transcripts. A good portion of this book - particularly in the early stages - feels like it didn't need to be written by a White House insider and any insider tidbits act more like window dressing.
As the book moves on, it focusses on the power struggles between different factions trying to control Trump, which perhaps makes for the most interesting part of this book. In one form on another, the majority of the book is about these power struggles, particularly between Steve Bannon and "Jarvanka". Especially Bannon. The main narrative of the book concludes when Bannon leaves the White House. I wonder who might have been Wolff's main source?
Come to think of it, I've read a book that is largely Bannon's opinions on things. And I'm not retching. Why is this? Am I transforming into an alt-right keyboard warrior? How long until every person I disagree with assumes the form of a SJW-shaped snowflake scared of The Gospel According to Breitbart?
I liked this book. Can't say I loved it. Certainly a lot of it feels more like Truman Capote-style fictionalised nonfiction than literal reports based on transcripts. A good portion of this book - particularly in the early stages - feels like it didn't need to be written by a White House insider and any insider tidbits act more like window dressing.
As the book moves on, it focusses on the power struggles between different factions trying to control Trump, which perhaps makes for the most interesting part of this book. In one form on another, the majority of the book is about these power struggles, particularly between Steve Bannon and "Jarvanka". Especially Bannon. The main narrative of the book concludes when Bannon leaves the White House. I wonder who might have been Wolff's main source?
Come to think of it, I've read a book that is largely Bannon's opinions on things. And I'm not retching. Why is this? Am I transforming into an alt-right keyboard warrior? How long until every person I disagree with assumes the form of a SJW-shaped snowflake scared of The Gospel According to Breitbart?
knaglieri's review against another edition
4.0
Ya know, I know this book is basically just a collection of gossip but I can't help thinking that it jives with damn near everything that we've witnessed this year. This paints Trump as a moron who never expected to or wanted to win, who is only concerned with his media coverage and who likes him, who is surrounded by people who all know that he's completely unfit for the job but keep trying to make it work for their own gain. Basically what I've always assumed. But this book really drives home that the real decisions were made by Bannon or "Javanka" and that those two parties were constantly fighting for power. It basically gives a pass to Spicer and Priebus. I wish he had touched on Sarah Sanders. I'd love to know the behind the scenes gossip on her.
But mostly this feels a lot like Bannon's book... he was clearly a main source. And as despicable as he is, if what is attributed to him is true, he really was the smartest guy there.
God, what a long year it's been... I kept being reminded of terrible things that happened that I had forgotten about, there have just been SO many unbelievable things.
But mostly this feels a lot like Bannon's book... he was clearly a main source. And as despicable as he is, if what is attributed to him is true, he really was the smartest guy there.
God, what a long year it's been... I kept being reminded of terrible things that happened that I had forgotten about, there have just been SO many unbelievable things.
pzriddle's review against another edition
4.0
Seems plausible to me, and a good read.
I understand that the author has a bad reputation for his journalistic ethics, but when Maggie Haberman sniffs that he got some facts wrong, as well as needing a copy editor, she seems to be praising with faint damns. Given that we’re all living in the fog of war, I’ll add this to my provisional picture of the administration.
I understand that the author has a bad reputation for his journalistic ethics, but when Maggie Haberman sniffs that he got some facts wrong, as well as needing a copy editor, she seems to be praising with faint damns. Given that we’re all living in the fog of war, I’ll add this to my provisional picture of the administration.
cyndireadsbooks's review against another edition
I still feel dirty for having read this, but I just had to. It is, hundreds of rambling parentheticals included, shabbily written but I will gift the author with assuming this has more to do with a rushed production schedule than anything else. The short answer is yes, he is that bad and everyone knows it. Some have just sold their souls, some didn’t know at first, and some think they are being valiant and taking one to help protect America from Trump. The author seems to both love and hate Bannon, and the only ones who come off relatively unscathed are the generals (Flynn excepted). If Trump scares you. Then the final scene in the book should give you nightmares. Mostly preaching to the choir. Those “shoot someone on fifth avenue” people won’t read this anyway.