Posted on 06/09/2003 10:27:36 PM PDT by daviddennis
According to a friend of mine who reads scripts for a living, you can tell whether a script will be decent or not by simply reading the first few pages. "I don't know of any film that's been able to salvage a bad first act," she said.
It is in this spirit that I picked up Hillary's book in Borders this afternoon. I think it's safe to say that you'd have to idolize Hillary to get through it without falling asleep.
Rrom the first sentence on, it reads like a whitewashed memoir, perhaps of the head of some bland corporation. Hillary has had a pretty interesting life, as these things go, but she is so determined not to burn any bridges that she's sucked all possible life out of the narrative.
The analysis I've read of the book here on FR makes me all too aware that this is essentially a work of fiction. If you actually think she believed Clinton's denials about Monica, well I have a nice bridge I can sell you on an easy payment plan.
So the only thing that could salvage it is if it was an entertaining read. But it feels like it was written by someone who'd ghost-written biographies of particularly dull corporate executives, using the drab style corporations love, and then sent to the Board of Directors for vetting by ten different people.
What's left has been squeezed hard and tight of any form of brilliance or eloquence.
This is not based on any extensive examination, but I gave it a nice 20-page best shot, flipping all over the place. Bland, bland, bland.
Then I put it back on the shelf. I don't think the bookstore's sold any copies, even at the usual promotion of 30% off. They had a display with about 20 copies in the front that I walked right past without noticing. So I don't think Borders is expecting blockbuster sales of the thing. Certainly nothing like the Harry Potter Midnight Madness that was being promoted all over the place.
One thing that does seem to have been missed in the enthusiasm for the confession of Bill's adultery is that yes, she is continuing to stand behind Bill. She says several times that the relationship will continue, that this is yet another exciting chapter in it, and so on and on. You can read this for yourself in the chapter covering their wedding. Something like this: "Many people have asked why I stay with Bill ... he's the most magnetic and compelling man I've ever met ... looking forward to more exciting chapters in our life together ...".
So for those of you who are expecting an immediate divorce, don't count on it. It is my belief that Hillary has personal characteristics Bill needs and vice versa; they are much more valuable as a team than separate. They can't get along with each other, but they do need each other, in their own tortured dysfunctional way.
I would recommend this book only to masochists and insomniacs.
Hope this helps.
I'm on FR when I'm going through an insomniac stage. ;-)
--------------------
I wouldn't consider her a doormat, except in the fictional accounts that have been written. She has got nearly everything she wanted.
-------------------
One writer didn't. It took a crew of writers to do it.
I wrote it because I thought people would be curious about the book, and not want to go through the tiresome effort of reading it themselves. So I made the sacrifice of spending 20-odd minutes checking it out. That I was not surprised would be an understatement. Well, I was a bit surprised since I was really expecting more from a supposedly professional publishing establishment, a supposedly brilliant woman, and a $2.6 million advance. But I wasn't that surprised - what could she do, tell the truth?
I always knew my beloved husband was a liar and an adulterer, but he had that amazing animal magnetism, and I really dug that as a more intellectual type. And he had such incredible people skills, he could make anyone think he cared!(The preceeding is as close to her real feelings as I can tell. Doesn't paint a pretty picture, does it?)And if he hadn't been so careless, he could have had all the bimbos he wanted and still kept my loyalty. But that (deleted) (deleted) guy that I adore just couldn't resist taking (deleted) risks .....
I also wrote a slightly modified version of this review for Amazon. I just hope they print it.
One reason she does stay relevent is that The Economist has an editorial this week saying she could win the Presidency in 2008. I have my doubts, but serious people are not dismissing her candidacy.
D
Must be why Hitlery's book sales are down
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.