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jsisco's review
4.0
Absolutely loved it. The sharp bite and acidic mind of the author was refreshing. He defended and skewered the tobacco industry in the same book.
I brought this with me to Beach Week and found it immensely satisfying and pleasurable as a book for laying out/having a few beers. If you want an intelligent book that looks at how DC, Hollywood, and Winston-Salem operate, then look no further.
Oh, and the movie's not too bad, either.
I brought this with me to Beach Week and found it immensely satisfying and pleasurable as a book for laying out/having a few beers. If you want an intelligent book that looks at how DC, Hollywood, and Winston-Salem operate, then look no further.
Oh, and the movie's not too bad, either.
rocketiza's review against another edition
4.0
Feels a lot like a Preston Sturges movie - snappy dialogue, very witty. A great sarcastic take on the dog and pony show of lobbyist.
mattycakesbooks's review
3.0
The movie was way better - and I HATE people who say that. The movie seemed more sincere and generally made better points about the world of spin than the book did, which tried to make Nick Naylor more likeable, and as a result, made him infinitely less so than he was when he was being played by Aaron Eckhart. The movie's ending is better, it's less apologetic, and it's generally better executed. Overall, kind of disappointing, considering how much I loved the movie.
andrewmerritt00's review against another edition
4.0
A fun and quirky satire of lobbyists and their methods. Quick and easy read
jammasterjamie's review against another edition
4.0
A really fun read if you enjoy sarcasm and dated 90's references. I happen to enjoy both of those things, so this was a very enjoyable book for me. This was actually my second reading - I first read back in those now-dated 90's and I remembered loving it enough that I knew I would never see the movie, and that opinion hold up. Nick Naylor is exactly who you want him to be - An arrogant, yuppie douche-bag whose moral compass is set to 'wrong', and while his character arc does shift quite a bit from beginning to end, his ultimate motivation never really does, and that is his quest to get ahead in his career and to always be the smartest guy in the room. I'm not going to say any more as I don't believe in reviews that spoil the story at all, but if you're anti-corporate, anti-government, anti-crusader, and basically anti-establishment in general, you'll probably enjoy this as a nice summer read.
jaxon465's review
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bookishuniverse's review
4.0
Very sarcastic and funny. A little dated, but not by much if you consider all the other "merchants of death" that are out there. The last part of the plot is a little ludicrous, but overall I liked it.