Declare Out Of Books Memories of the Ford Administration
| Title | : | Memories of the Ford Administration |
| Author | : | John Updike |
| Book Format | : | Unknown Binding |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 152 pages |
| Published | : | May 26th 1999 by Penguin Books (first published 1992) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Literature. Novels. Historical. Historical Fiction. 20th Century. American. Literary Fiction |
John Updike
Unknown Binding | Pages: 152 pages Rating: 3.32 | 469 Users | 39 Reviews
Explanation As Books Memories of the Ford Administration
Alfred Clayton, the hero of John Updike's fifteenth novel, has received a request from the Northern New England Association of American Historians for his memories and impressions of the Gerald Ford Administration (1974-77). "Alf" obliges with his memories of a turbulent period in his personal history, as well as pages of an unpublished book he was writing at the time, on the life of James Buchanan, the fifteenth President of the United States (1857-61). The alternating texts body forth an arresting contrast between the life-styles and social dictions of two American centuries. The contemporary characters include Clayton's wife, Norma, whom he thinks of as the Queen of Disorder, and his mistress, Genevieve Mueller, whom he thinks of as the Perfect Wife, as well as his various colleagues on the faculty of Wayward College in New Hampshire. The characters around Buchanan include his doomed fiancee, Ann Coleman, and such eloquent contemporary politicians as Andrew Jackson, Edwin Stanton, and (in his capacity as American Consul in Liverpool) Nathaniel Hawthorne. All come unsettlingly to life in Clayton's wide-ranging confessions, which bring us down to the year 1991.
Specify Books Conducive To Memories of the Ford Administration
| Original Title: | Memories of the Ford Administration |
| ISBN: | 0140178589 (ISBN13: 9780140178586) |
| Edition Language: | Spanish |
Rating Out Of Books Memories of the Ford Administration
Ratings: 3.32 From 469 Users | 39 ReviewsPiece Out Of Books Memories of the Ford Administration
In a desperate effort to find an audience for John Updikes terrible: Memories of the Ford Administration I have what might be two possibles.1. Given that we are a society dedicated to discrediting and especially discrediting institutions, Memories of the Ford Administration can be used by those wish to prove that the Pulitzer Prize Committee are a bunch of political hacks. The Pro-Pulitzer folks can show that there are a scattering of finely written paragraphs, but they come with a curse. TheThis is a fun read. The overlapping stories are of course fun in the way that Updike leaves them in stark contrast at points and as two sides of the same ribbon at others. His always sardonic take on sex and its impact on human lives is splendid.
This is quite a book... uh... the first I've ever read by John Updike. I didn't really know anything about him, but I was led here by some combination of having read so many other modern American authors - most recently, John Irving, of course.So I read some of the various reviews, and I figured this really wouldn't be a very good place to start. It doesn't sound very interesting. And for a while, it isn't. And then every now and then, also for a while, it isn't very interesting again. But for
I generally like John Updike, but this one was just too dry and too contrived. A professor is writing of his memories of the Ford Administration, a time when he was trying to write a biography of our only bachelor President, James Buchanan. Most of his memories of the Ford administration had to do with the woman he was having an affair with at the time. Unfortunately, neither story captivated my interest. I set it aside so that I could move on to something else, with the intention of going back
My wife likes Updike and my Dad gave me this book. Last time I tried to read it I got to page 30. Let's give it another go!So this book is good. I very much enjoyed how much Updike made me hate the narrator and the narrator's voice yet still want to read the book to the end. The narrator might be unlikable and his style hard to read but it is so truly him that you can't argue. There was also a lot of sex.I really enjoyed how Updike makes the two historical periods mix together and compliment
An unusual book and one with considerable merit. I had known little of James Buchanan so enjoyed that part of it, plus the descriptions of Alf Claytons contemporary life. I did not feel comfortable with the sexusl explicitness and feel that this aspect of the book is somewhat overdone. Very Updike, however.
You almost need to be a Buchanan history enthusiast to really enjoy this book - but for those who like the history of the 1850s it's great fun.
0 Comments