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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An excellent character study in the backdrop of Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign. There is some exceptional writing throughout, but I was often wondering when the story would be moved forward. You experience the passage of time through various campaign and social events but our character’s arc doesn’t venture far from where we began.
The novel is strongest when it is in the present and often when David is interacting with multiple characters. In my opinion, the strongest part of the novel is David’s basketball dialogue and reflecting on how character traits (even glimpsed from afar) can tell us so much about a person.
I was often puzzled by the reminiscing tangents into David’s past when exploring his past encounters didn’t really tie into the overarching story and seemed wedged into the novel. I wanted a reason to care about these characters and their motivations, but it never really developed.
Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was very excited about this book because I've enjoyed Cunningham's journalism, but, unfortunately, this was not for me. The narrative takes repeated detours into the protagonist's thoughts without a clear reason why the author is doing so; I felt that David's extended musings too often interrupted the narrative instead of moving it forward. This made it difficult for me to remain engaged. I also thought that numerous characters were surface-level, including and disappointingly, the senator himself. With the exception of Beverly, too many of David's colleagues are limited to the descriptors with which they're introduced and there is little that distinguishes them from one another. The points of this book that interested me most were about the granular workings of campaigns and I wish there had been more of that unique perspective included in the novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this e-ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this e-ARC.