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Title: Washington, D.C. : A Novel by Gore Vidal ISBN: 0-375-70877-4 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 01 August, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.75 (8 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: My favorite of the American Chronicle
Comment: Apparently others disagree, but I thought this was the best novel in Vidal's American Chronicle series. It's also the best one to start with if you haven't read any others in the series, although it's near the end chronologically. I feel that it provides a good background for the other books, making it easier to understand and get into them.
Washington, DC will also stand alone as a great political novel. I'm not generally a fan of historical fiction, but I love Vidal, and this book is one of his best.
Rating: 5
Summary: History, Politics, and Literature at Their Finest
Comment: Gore Vidal is one of America's most erudite and imaginative historical and political thinkers. He also happens to be one the most intelligent, witty, and capable literary craftsmen this country has ever produced.
In Washington, D. C., Vidal has created a novel that is simultaneously informative and entertaining. The story takes place between the 1930s (FDR era) and WWII. For anyone interested in that historical period, this book will be a fascinating read. The amazing thing is, however, that even if you're not interested in that historical period, you'll enjoy the satirical nuances of the book. Also, Vidal draws his characters with such authenticity that you'll get lost in the interpersonal relationships and forget the historical backdrop.
A vague outline of the novel is as follows: Senator Day twarts FDR's attempt to pack the Supreme Court; he then gets involved in an attempt to be elected president; while all this is happening his daughter's ex-fiance Clay Overbury (who is also Senator Day's aide) marries another woman whose father is extremely rich; and the political intrigue and madness ensue.
This, and all of Vidal's American Chronicle series, should be required reading for every American citizen.
Rating: 2
Summary: Disjointed
Comment: The books that comprise the "Narratives of Empire" series were not written in order, and if you're reading them in order the cracks show up here in the sixth and final volume. In each volume, Vidal includes a preface telling you the story of the book you're about to read, and proudly reminding you that the entire series is the chronicle of a single family, direct in descent from Aaron Burr to himself. Yet when we get to "Washington DC" we learn that it was Blaise Sanford who purchased the Washington Tribune all those years ago and launched his publishing career, not his half-sister Caroline. In fact, Caroline Sanford has utterly ceased to exist, despite having been our main character during the previous two novels, during which she, yes, purchased the Washington Tribune and launched HER publishing career, only allowing Blaise to buy a 48% share years later when he was desperate. What's more, it was Caroline's mother who was descended from Burr, not Blaise's, as readers of volume three know perfectly well, which means that there are no more descendants of Burr left by volume six. Hmph.
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Title: Empire : A Novel by Gore Vidal ISBN: 037570874X Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 01 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: 1876 : A Novel by Gore Vidal ISBN: 0375708723 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 15 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Lincoln: A Novel by Gore Vidal ISBN: 0375708766 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 15 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: The Golden Age : A Novel by Gore Vidal ISBN: 0375724818 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 18 September, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Burr : A Novel by Gore Vidal ISBN: 0375708731 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 15 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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