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Title: Primary Colors: Anonymous by Lloyd James, Joe Klein ISBN: 0-7861-1091-0 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks Pub. Date: February, 1997 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 11 List Price(USD): $76.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.75 (75 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: To Bill, or Not Too Bill?
Comment: This is easily one of the finest pieces of literature I have ever read. Whether or not it is an account of Bill Clinton's road to the White House is irrelevant, the story is amazing. I read this book twice because, to this day, I wonder what the main character, "Henry Burton" thought of "the Candidate."
"The Candidate," Jack Stanton, was the enigmatic southern governor, "of a state no one has heard of," who happened to be running for the presidency. He was a brilliant but flawed man, who truly loved people. He really cared about "folks," as he needed them to survive both politically and just plain physically. He fed off the energy of the people with a charisma that was infectious to all those around him. It had its advantages and disadvantages. The fact that he was wonderful people helped, the fact that he was promiscuous did not.
The characters were so vivid and well told. Richard, the campaign manager, Daisy, the media person, and subsequently Henry's girlfriend, and Libby. . .Who could ever forget Ms. Olivia Holden? She was amazing. The Stantons were amazing too. Susan, the Governor's wife, was so strong and intelligent.
Now, this book could be taken from one of two perspectives. The first is conviction. This book suggests terrible things about the governor and if you are looking for an open attack on "The Candidate," you have got it. The second perspective is to look at it as a book by a staffer who really loved his employer, even though some of his traits were less than admirable. Henry said early on in the book, that he looked too favorably the Governor, and felt he could not do his job as best he could.
Whoever this book is about, whatever it is about, it doesn't matter. It is a great story about a man who, though not perfect, feels the people, and truly wants to help them in an effort to give them a better life.
epc
Rating: 4
Summary: A novel of politics, but still a novel
Comment: Primary Colors is supposed to be a novel of politics, but it also creates interesting characters and a wonderful story about choosing right from wrong, and love over a career. It begins with Henry, who finds himself involved in the Presidential campaign of Jack Stanton, an unknown southern governor. Through the course of the book, Henry has to deal with the moral issues raised by the campaign and his budding love with another worker named Daisy. He must decide if he wants to ruin the life of another candidate who is a good man that has made some mistakes, or stick to his morals and quit Stanton's campaign. I can't say that I've read a lot of political novel's or any of Joe Klein's previous work, but based on this book, I would. I am an avid reader and Klein does an excellent job of showing a behind the scenes look at a campaign, as well as creating an intersing and humanistic plot. This book was really well written. It is a novel of politics, but also included the feelings and aspirations of normal people. It was written to entertain as well as to raise questions in the readers mind about the direction of politics in America today. It makes one think about the validity of today's debates and news articles, whether or not a candidate should really promise things to the people. It also makes one think about all of the mud slinging that goes on during a presidential race. Is it really necessary? Does the American public have a right to know all of the mistakes a candidate has made? The author uses simple methods of writing to get his message across. He doesn't use extravagantly large words, or complex political terms. It was written for the average citizen, so that he can have a better understanding of American politics and make better choices and ask more questions about the morality of campaigns. Klein also uses imagery and flashbacks to get to a hidden meaning in the story. "It reminded me of a time at the beach when I was very young. I was with my father... He had me in the waves; he was behind me, holding me by the shoulders, walking me - pushing me - out, deeper, chuckling...Calm, casual, sort of mocking - as if my fear were a silly thing, a kid thing. But the waves that capped his knees crashed me chest; to me they were scary, brute explosions, a buckshot of sand and shell fragments." Throughout the book Henry often flashes back to times with his father, and then relates these stories to what is going on in the campaign, or how Stanton may be using him like a slave. There are times when the book can be a little vulger. Klein is not afraid to use inaproprate words or have his characters make obscene metaphors out of situations in the campaign. At one point a campaign worker compares something going on in the campaign to going to the bathroom in the woods and encountering a bear. If the reader doesn't like vulgarity and is offended by it, I wouldn't recommend this book. However, I feel that it adds to the atmosphere Klein created with the campaign; the cut-throat do or die attitude that most everyone involved has about winning. I liked this book. It helped me understand more about a presidential campaign as well as making me think long and hard about the way things are going in America today. It raised questions that I hadn't thought about as well as helping me become a more intelligent voter.
Rating: 4
Summary: An outsider's view
Comment: I am not an American. I am not really into politics. And i first read this in 2003, in the era of Dubya rather than Bill. But i still found this to be an entertaining novel. The premise is a good one - the presidential candidate in question, Jack Stanton, is obviously meant to represent Bill Clinton - a southern governor commited to Kennedy style politics with a strong wife and many weaknesses, a major one being the inability to keep his hands off other women.
The narrator of this story is Henry, a political animal who is roped into Stanton's campaign, thriving on the politics, never quite sure if Stanton is sincere or a purely political animal. There are other interesting characters, from the mad 'dustbuster' Libby who has been with the Stantons from the start to Daisy who works in communications and becomes Henry's on-again off-again love interest. (A plot device that doesn't always work)
Henry is the grandson of one of the black leaders of the civil rights movement, yet this never seems to get a full outing in this book - it is one of the many complexities of Henry's character that needs further exploration. There are times when you wish the author would either stick purely to the campaign and politics or work more on Henry as a character, rather than trying to mix both.
Even for those who don't necessarily read 'Political fiction' (is there such a genre? There is now!) 'Primary Colors' is worth a look, even as an insight into a period of American politics where the gloves were off and people still voted for a candidate coated with slime. It will have you questioning the motives and appearances of your politicians, wherever you are voting.
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Title: The Natural : The Misunderstood Presidency of Bill Clinton by Joe Klein ISBN: 0767914120 Publisher: Broadway Pub. Date: 11 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Running Mate by Joe Klein ISBN: 0385335601 Publisher: Delta Pub. Date: 10 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: All the King's Men (Harvest Book) by Robert Penn Warren, Joseph Blotner ISBN: 0156004801 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: September, 1996 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Last Hurrah by Edwin O'Connor ISBN: 0316626597 Publisher: Little Brown & Co (Pap) Pub. Date: July, 1985 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title:Primary Colors ASIN: 0783227973 Publisher: Universal Studios Pub. Date: 04 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $13.03 |
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