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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
The tone of this is really weird - neither censure nor approbation, but also not really neutrality? The foreword and afterword also somehow give "pick me journalist", which is not something I could have described before reading this.
The focus is as much on Bannon as on Trump.
The focus is as much on Bannon as on Trump.
the more of these l read the rougher it gets. 3 stars for the superfluous use of big words just for the sake of big words and always choosing the dramatic over the factual
challenging
tense
slow-paced
Ugh. I was so slugged down by this book, both in reading it and thinking about its contents. It's so hard to write a review for this.
Is it well written? Meh. It was certainly and obviously rushed to publication.
Is it salacious? Sure, but that's not surprising.
Does it provide hope or understanding for our current global climate? No, and this is where I struggled. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Is our country (and quite possibly the world) becoming a hot dumpster fire? I can't say for sure and I don't know that any author could quite articulate that sense of hope. I struggled throughout this book wondering, "Why write this?" Everything is fake news this, and fake news that. Everyone believes whatever they want anyway, so believe this if you will or discredit it if you choose.
Now on to a read that doesn't make me want to pound my face into my steering wheel and shout into the void :))))
Is it well written? Meh. It was certainly and obviously rushed to publication.
Is it salacious? Sure, but that's not surprising.
Does it provide hope or understanding for our current global climate? No, and this is where I struggled. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Is our country (and quite possibly the world) becoming a hot dumpster fire? I can't say for sure and I don't know that any author could quite articulate that sense of hope. I struggled throughout this book wondering, "Why write this?" Everything is fake news this, and fake news that. Everyone believes whatever they want anyway, so believe this if you will or discredit it if you choose.
Now on to a read that doesn't make me want to pound my face into my steering wheel and shout into the void :))))
I hesitate to say I enjoyed this book, because it's a terrifying look at the complete ineptitude running rampant in the White House - but FIRE & FURY is a brisk, entertaining read that basically confirms most of the news reports you've read about DJT and his coterie. Probably due to the fact that he served as a major source for Wolff, Bannon gets off pretty easy - most of the book's major events are seen through his eyes or at least shown in contrast to what his preferences were. The sourcing is suspect, as many have noted - Wolff prefaces the whole book by explaining his methods in a vague and confusing way, so it's hard to pinpoint what bits come from direct interviews or second-hand. Still, it isn't written any differently than some "insider" White House news reports printed in the NYT, WaPo, and so forth. And, honestly? I believe most of it. There are, of course, new tidbits of info and some broad accusations, but by and large, the behavior of the main players - DJT. his kids, Kushner, Bannon, Preibus, etc. - is consistent with what we've seen reported in the mainstream press for years. The book reads like a tabloid-style take on the more reverential presidential postmortems we've read over the years, and, from my POV, that's only fair. If any president is deserving of an early, salacious recap of a presidency, it's Trump - and I'm glad it shows it for what it is: a major, complex operation being handled by inexperienced and foolhardy neophyte blowhards desperate for acclaim. If you're a political junkie, or even mildly curious about just who is in power, this book is worth your time - though you should go in with eyes wide open. It is not perfect, but at least it wears its flaws where they're easily seen. Oh, and a proofreader was needed.
no idea how accurate all of this is, considering the questionable credibility of the author, but if half of it's true, everything is worse than we thought. i will say that based on trump's words, actions and tweets over the past 3 years, most of it certainly rings true. all that said, it was an enjoyable read.
Absolutely riveting. I more or less keep adrift of the Trump presidency (how can one not?) but I don't live in the States so I don't get the constant deluge and it was helpful/entertaining to get a condensed snapshot of the first 6 months. Interesting to see how the rest will play out huh?
I don’t know why I was expecting more from this book, but the writer came off as nothing more than an opportunist riding the Trump train. The whole book felt like a gossip column, with implied/imagined personal feelings these “celebrities” were supposed to have felt. In a way, the book made me realize how Trump has come into our lives as a crazy tornado that just keeps occupying our minds with its ridiculous and dare I say “addicting” form of attention grabbing. It IS like a reality show that shouldn’t even surprise us anymore, but yet we continue to say ” Oh, what else did he/they do this week? “
Abandoned. Truly forgetable. I feel this would be more interesting if it had been published later.
I consider this a must-read, if only because the administration railed against its release. This was hard to put down. While there is certainly much speculation and embellishment in the book, it fills in the events of the past year with a compelling narrative. It will be interesting to see how much of this holds through future investigation.
Really more of a 3.5. The writing can be clunky with meandering sentences, the content was more or less just a verification of what most people already know, but fuck if it wasn't fun hearing a first hand account of the backstabbing, total incompetence, and idiocy that's been going on since day 1.