jessicawoofter's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
brooklynbrianreads's review against another edition
4.0
Smart and thoroughly engaging novel about the George W. Bush presidency. As part of my attempt to better understand post-9/11 America, this was a great place to start and get introduced to major and minor characters in W's administration (Karen Hughes, Brett Kavanaugh, Condi, Rumsfeld, Laura Bush etc).
W is self-aware, self-deprecating and conscious of how his staffers set him up for failure or success. A staffer reckons that "Half the time he was without self-confidence; the other half he spilled an excess of it.." Laura, on the other hand, worries about "how long it would be before the quick, constant movements between overindulgence and athletic self-punishment broke the spring of her husband’s metronome."
Cannot wait to read the two other Mallon books about Reagan and Nixon.
W is self-aware, self-deprecating and conscious of how his staffers set him up for failure or success. A staffer reckons that "Half the time he was without self-confidence; the other half he spilled an excess of it.." Laura, on the other hand, worries about "how long it would be before the quick, constant movements between overindulgence and athletic self-punishment broke the spring of her husband’s metronome."
Cannot wait to read the two other Mallon books about Reagan and Nixon.
whitneyborup's review against another edition
3.0
I’m really appreciating the way these Mallon books ask me to examine some of my cliches about politics and political figures. Not the best way to learn about history, but a great way to gain some sympathy.
canada_matt's review against another edition
4.0
I’d go so far as to offer 4.5 stars!
The subject matter of Thomas Mallon’s most recent novel is both captivating and poignant, much like the others I have read over the years. Using a political era as a backdrop, Mallon injects his own fictional story to pull the entire time period together. During the 1978 congressional campaign of a young George Bush, teenagers Allison O’Connor and Ross Weatherall meet at the candidate’s “Bush Bash”, which ends up as an indelible mark on the family and helps to sink the young man’s campaign. Fast-forward to January 2005, it is now President Bush, who is about to deliver his second inaugural address. Full of hope for a newly democratized Iraq, Bush delivers a speech that he hopes will bring the country together and show that America remains a leader in democratic development. Bush’s coterie of senior officials include a Defence Secretary—Rumsfeld—who floods the air with memos and his twist on events. and a newly shuffled Secretary of State—Rice— with innovative ideas to ensure Iraq and much of the rest of America’s interests are not drowned out by protestors. Though, nothing can top the apathetic vice-president—Cheney—who seems to be there, but not. The Bush Administration is working on all they can, spinning and shaping how America and the world will judge them in the years to come. Allison O’Connor returns to the narrative with a place within the National Security Agency (NSA) on Rumsfeld’s recommendation and uses her military background to help shape the future of a democratic Iraq that is months away from a referendum on its new constitution and eventual parliamentary elections. Ross Weatherall reappears after being appointed to sit on the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, which has him quite busy, both in Washington and down in Louisiana. During a chance encounter, O’Connor and Weatherall remember that time they spent together and forge a new connection. During a trip to New Orleans, both come to terms with their relationship as weather off the coast is bringing Hurricane Katrina towards land. Separated and panicking, both O’Connor and Weatherall do all they can to survive, knowing that their roles in the Bush Administration will change drastically, as will the connection they share. With reaction to Katrina slower than might have been hoped, Bush and his closest advisors seek to distract with news about Iraq and how they can spread democracy around the world. Full of narratives that give the reader the feeling of actual events, Mallon paints an interesting picture of situations during this compacted time using a number of highly recognisable figures. Recommended to those who love recent historical fiction, as well as the reader who likes politics in all its machinations.
I have enjoyed a few novels by Thomas Mallon, all of which bring the story to life and resurrect some interesting historical happenings. He is able to breathe life into events like no other, offering a smooth connection with events and the fictional narrative he wishes to add. While Allison O’Connor and Ross Weatherall remain the recurring protagonists on the fictional side of the coin, there are many who play a central role throughout this piece, too many to list here. Mallon develops all his characters together effectively and tells stories not only with their words, but the actions and interactions they have with one another. In a story whose title led me to believe this would be about the Bush Administration foibles in New Orleans, the story is more about the democratic containment of Iraq and how America made landfall in this newly ‘released’ country and how setting about morals and political systems were seen by some as political liberation and others as neo-colonialism. Mallon does a brilliant job of blurring fact and fiction, taking liberties throughout by using characters and situations that suit his needs. The narrative flows so smoothly and the vignettes are wonderfully chosen to prove a larger point, while not entirely vilifying anyone. The underlying plot involving O’Connor and Weatherall is not lost on the reader, though it is a thread that is intertwined with so many others that it does not stick out. With a mix of chapter lengths, the reader will surely lose themselves and want to devour the book, even if they know the gist of the historical pathways being explored.
Kudos, Mr. Mallon, for another brilliant piece. I cannot wait to read more of your work, which always keeps me on the edge of my seat.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
The subject matter of Thomas Mallon’s most recent novel is both captivating and poignant, much like the others I have read over the years. Using a political era as a backdrop, Mallon injects his own fictional story to pull the entire time period together. During the 1978 congressional campaign of a young George Bush, teenagers Allison O’Connor and Ross Weatherall meet at the candidate’s “Bush Bash”, which ends up as an indelible mark on the family and helps to sink the young man’s campaign. Fast-forward to January 2005, it is now President Bush, who is about to deliver his second inaugural address. Full of hope for a newly democratized Iraq, Bush delivers a speech that he hopes will bring the country together and show that America remains a leader in democratic development. Bush’s coterie of senior officials include a Defence Secretary—Rumsfeld—who floods the air with memos and his twist on events. and a newly shuffled Secretary of State—Rice— with innovative ideas to ensure Iraq and much of the rest of America’s interests are not drowned out by protestors. Though, nothing can top the apathetic vice-president—Cheney—who seems to be there, but not. The Bush Administration is working on all they can, spinning and shaping how America and the world will judge them in the years to come. Allison O’Connor returns to the narrative with a place within the National Security Agency (NSA) on Rumsfeld’s recommendation and uses her military background to help shape the future of a democratic Iraq that is months away from a referendum on its new constitution and eventual parliamentary elections. Ross Weatherall reappears after being appointed to sit on the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, which has him quite busy, both in Washington and down in Louisiana. During a chance encounter, O’Connor and Weatherall remember that time they spent together and forge a new connection. During a trip to New Orleans, both come to terms with their relationship as weather off the coast is bringing Hurricane Katrina towards land. Separated and panicking, both O’Connor and Weatherall do all they can to survive, knowing that their roles in the Bush Administration will change drastically, as will the connection they share. With reaction to Katrina slower than might have been hoped, Bush and his closest advisors seek to distract with news about Iraq and how they can spread democracy around the world. Full of narratives that give the reader the feeling of actual events, Mallon paints an interesting picture of situations during this compacted time using a number of highly recognisable figures. Recommended to those who love recent historical fiction, as well as the reader who likes politics in all its machinations.
I have enjoyed a few novels by Thomas Mallon, all of which bring the story to life and resurrect some interesting historical happenings. He is able to breathe life into events like no other, offering a smooth connection with events and the fictional narrative he wishes to add. While Allison O’Connor and Ross Weatherall remain the recurring protagonists on the fictional side of the coin, there are many who play a central role throughout this piece, too many to list here. Mallon develops all his characters together effectively and tells stories not only with their words, but the actions and interactions they have with one another. In a story whose title led me to believe this would be about the Bush Administration foibles in New Orleans, the story is more about the democratic containment of Iraq and how America made landfall in this newly ‘released’ country and how setting about morals and political systems were seen by some as political liberation and others as neo-colonialism. Mallon does a brilliant job of blurring fact and fiction, taking liberties throughout by using characters and situations that suit his needs. The narrative flows so smoothly and the vignettes are wonderfully chosen to prove a larger point, while not entirely vilifying anyone. The underlying plot involving O’Connor and Weatherall is not lost on the reader, though it is a thread that is intertwined with so many others that it does not stick out. With a mix of chapter lengths, the reader will surely lose themselves and want to devour the book, even if they know the gist of the historical pathways being explored.
Kudos, Mr. Mallon, for another brilliant piece. I cannot wait to read more of your work, which always keeps me on the edge of my seat.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
zachkuhn's review
3.0
Refreshed my memory of a couple of decades with some of the worst people to work in government in American history. From both sides, but mostly from Bush 2's cabinet on down. :/
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