Supreme Courtship

Enjoyed the book and the easy writing style. A good book to take on a trip. Funny lines.

All his books remind me of the guy at the Christmas party with a lampshade on his head trying SO hard to be funny! Oh, he's got all the stereotypes down pat but he adds nothing interesting. If I can be so bold, he's the exact opposite of his father whose every word is thought-provoking. None of Christopher's is. Like all his other books, this is silly, boring, and just not worth your time. I find the destruction of our government based on the original Constitution not nearly as amusing as does the author.

And it is. If Buckley-the-younger's other stuff was good, this is great. Remember when Earl K. Long, thinking about the Louisiana law what said a governor could only succeed himself once? Earl came up with an almost Einstein-like thought experiment: has asked--rhetorically, of course--"what would happen if, maybe 6 months before an election, I stepped down from being governor?"

A. J. Liebling, in his wonderful book, The Earl of Louisiana, says, "Even Huey [Earl's older and far more famous brother] didn't think of that." Blaze Starr was never as good-looking as Lolita Davidovich, who played opposite Paul Newman in Blaze, but most of the history was accurate. I remember--I grew up in New Orleans and was in a very political family, so I saw it all happening in what passed for real time back in the day.

President Vandercamp, bowling enthusiasm notwithstanding, inspires the opposite in his Congressional adversaries: they propose and, in Congress, pass a term limit amendment. Then it gets interesting....

Christopher Buckley is an author who earns the title. In this book there are subtle literary references, laugh-out-loud situations, and the overall unfortunate feeling that it hits a bit too close to the reality of today's world. A must-read for anyone who can still laugh about politics.

Over the past few years, I have become a fan of Buckley and the fun he has had at the expense of political absurdity. I am a confessed reader of heavier fair both fiction and non-fiction and enjoy the time out his lighter books always provide for a good laugh. After sitting on three separate juries over the years, watching the law rob our household blind from my husband's child support payments to a crazy ex --as we supported said child--, and studying the idiocy I remember from all my business law classes, I count myself among the folks that don't find the law and especially lawyers to be at all funny. Still, I was hopeful a new book from CB would fill the humor vacuum. The first few chapters had me laughing out loud. The female court TV babe was a girl after my own heart. She is smart, acerbic, and pretty down to earth. Pepper was a gal I could believe in and like. That is, until the plot development disaster. I hate to second guess an elitist like Chris and since I am a state university grad living in a western suburb of Cleveland, I am sure I don't have the right Yale grad, blue blood-member of who knows who in Manhattan credentials to question such a skilled observer of society et all. It is worth noting, however, that in Texas/Ohio..we see things from a moral perspective that helps to interpret the law. Mostly, those of us bumpkins from flyover land (tightly toting our guns and oh yes religion while we secretly hide our racist roots) would never have supported letting a criminal whose gun malfunctions during a crime sue the gun manufacturer. No Latin or French needed to help us understand the wrongness implied with the supposed Supreme Court ruling the book derives the proceeding story from. Even in real life they don't get it that wrong (except maybe Roe vs. Wade but there I go again being predictably simplistic and obtuse). The elitist know everythings can interpret the law to justify this stupidity but us common sense nut jobs would give this a big thumbs down..no high level interpretation of the law needed. The TV babe would not desert her roots to be accepted by the elites and mass media. Her grandfather would have been proud in the real world..she never would have sold out. Whole plot is based on a real "no freakin' way, dude". I also admit to being offended at his over the top portrayal of Pepper's dad gone Crazy Evangelist Preacher. Note to Chris: the stereotypical Jimmy Joe Bob saving lives and raising $$$ for Jesus (read preying on the poor and unenlightened) is so been there done that. At this point, it is just condescending. Check out the movie "The Apostle" with my hero Robert Duvall. Some authenticity actually exists in the faithful masses. An author should not be so transparent with their daddy rebellion diatribe. Maybe, Mr. Buckley, faith matters. Maybe, your dad had a few points about religion that should not be so easily dismissed. I was pretty irritated with this not-so-fun read and found the writing simplistic and the plot clunky. Perhaps I read this from my perspective of "tired of you insiders making fun of my moral compass and values living here in Ohio not in the beltway." Conceivably, that is because it is the author's intended tone. I think CB should try again in a few years and take more time writing his next (hopefully) funny satirical novel. Skip this and try something else from this usually consistent author. (loved Boomsday and Florence of Arabia)