acarman1's review against another edition
4.0
Michael Wolff has had a front row seat for the chaos that was the Trump Error. The book is an excellent retelling of the Election and its aftermath but suffers a bit from seeming to try and do two things. For most of the book, Wolff's aim seems to be to convince readers that nobody was really in charge, there was no deep conspiracy and Trump was just off his rocker. In this view, the January 6th terrorist attack on the Capitol and various post-election shenanigans were not serious plots to subvert democracy but just the thrashing of someone who didn't get it. (Sometimes he seems to be suggesting this makes it less scary but I don't know that it does.) By the end though he takes a more bleak tone as he notes Trump's ongoing popularity with the Republican base and lawmakers and suggests that he remains a very real threat to recapture power or at least be a kingmaker behind the scenes. Not that anything will convince a diehard Trumpist but maybe this peek behind the curtain could at least show how senile and out of control the last administration was.
bookhawk's review
3.0
Landslide was an impulse pick up when I spied it sitting on a library shelf while browsing through my local library after picking up Frederik Backman’s “The Winners” novel. Wolff told the tale of Trump’s last 6 months as president in an informal, nearly gossipy manner without naming sources, endnotes or other usual historical methods. Despite not naming the sources directly, the book intuitively feels accurate and remains nominally entertaining because of the clownish antics of Trump and his cohorts. Wolff’s book felt like a rush to publication to beat other writers to the punch in telling the events. I suspect the book will be one of the less well thought of histories in five to ten years because others like Haberman, Woodward and their contemporaries will have done the more exhaustive research and benefitted from more information gathering before publication. This was a low 3 star that probably was a higher rating if read before others wrote on the same topic. Nonetheless, Wolff offers some of his own perspective that is valuable and rings true.
bethboo's review against another edition
informative
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Rather than a political commentary, it was more a collection of eye witness accounts within President Trump's staff, colleagues, informers, commentators, and fans. It stretched the time of the election of President Biden through Jan 6 and Trump's eventual retreat to mars lago. There were times where it felt biased of course, but it was fairly good. In the audio version, you get actual recordings of Trump and reports which was cool.
melrose2323's review against another edition
4.0
3 1/2 stars. My biggest takeaway from Landslide is how utterly incompetent the Trump White House was across the board. This book really drives that home. Just sheer stupidity and incompetence at every level. Having said that, this book insinuates Trump can't be held responsible for 1/6 precisely because of his incompetence and stupidity which is ridiculous. He can be and should be held accountable. If he was mentally fit to act as president, he was mentally fit enough to know how his words would be interpreted that day and every day. The book is well worth a read.
yourfavavery's review
informative
reflective
3.25
So I've been on a strange kick of reading about modern Republican politics lately. This book follows the story of the lame duck Trump administration from just before the 2020 election to just after Biden's inauguration. It covers the different movers and shakers in the White House and the election challenge efforts, as well as who ducked out the back door in November.
The only issue I had with this book is that I read American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump first. In comparison, this book seems too limited in its scope and not as well researched.
The only issue I had with this book is that I read American Carnage: On the Front Lines of the Republican Civil War and the Rise of President Trump first. In comparison, this book seems too limited in its scope and not as well researched.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
4.0
This is the last part of the Fire and Fury trilogy by Michael Wolff. Missing is his main point of view character Steve Bannon. I like the behind the scenes view of what the president was doing during his gonzo presidency (mostly talking/tweeting about himself and what a victim he is). There is lots of opinion throughout the book. I still can't believe this guy became president.
berthe33's review against another edition
3.0
Only if you are a die-hard politico who NEEDS to know every nuance of the final days leading up to Jan. 6, would I recommend this final entry of the Wolff trilogy. Perhaps it's tRump fatigue but it was a heavy slog.