Dirty Tricks [Paperback]

Rita M. Bleiman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 27, 2005

What happens when a young, lonely, ambitious political idealist comes up against a handsome, brilliant, powerful, older, married Texas State Senator? Ideals are dropped almost as quickly as clothes in this laugh-out-loud novel about sex and politics in the ’60s With a zany cast of characters that could only originate in the Lone Star State, or in the mind of someone who grew up there, Dirty Tricks presents an insider’s view of the perceived high stakes of grassroots politics and the lengths to which ordinary people will go in order to promote themselves and their causes once they are infected with the virus called power. Rita M. Bleiman left Texas in the sixties for Washington, D.C., where she worked for Senator Walter F. Mondale and the Carter White House. She currently resides in western Massachusetts where she has served as an elected official. She is a graduate of the Ada Comstock Scholars Program at Smith College.

Editorial Reviews

Review

... sometimes hilarious, sometimes poignant. -- Jewish Ledger, December 2, 2005

A lighthearted debut with a fitting comic voice and well-constructed plot. -- Kirkus Discoveries, December 2005

Alternately steamy and hilarious... -- Sunday Republican, October 9, 2005

Product Details

• Paperback: 281 pages
• Publisher: PublishAmerica (June 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413760783
• ISBN-13: 978-1413760781
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,572,504 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like chocolate, you can never get enough of this!, March 30, 2006

By 

Melinda Womack "M. S. Womack, Ph.D." (Orange, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dirty Tricks (Paperback)

Where do I begin? I read and reread the first four pages because the descriptive language took me back in time to the 1960s that I remember, as if I were walking down the street and observing these characters. The entire book is like this. The dialogue is priceless. Rita is gifted with the ability to write conversation as if it were happening right here, right now. The politics of the novel are intriguing, to say the least. The feminist issues pivotal, to say the least. But even if you are not necessarily focused on political and social issues, YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK. The characters are so well developed. The reader goes down memory lane of the 1960s. The relationships are both hysterical and "mind blowing."

Dear Rita Bleiman, my literary/political/feminist/theatrical heart cries out to you, "THANK YOU, THANK YOU. NOW, WRITE THE SEQUEL!"

And you reading this...."GET OFF THIS REVIEW AND ORDER THE BOOK!"

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly entertaining!, September 19, 2005

By 

Rachel Melody (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dirty Tricks (Paperback)

What do you get when you cross Bridget Jones with Molly Ivins? Gloria Warren, the outrageous narrator of Rita Bleiman's novel, Dirty Tricks.

A defensive, insecure misfit, Gloria straddles two worlds - each bizarre in their own way.

She lives with her girlhood friend, Veronica Lloyd (a former beauty queen) in a "swinging singles" apartment complex in Dallas, Texas, in the late sixties, where she is a spectacular social failure -- either ignored or detested by the young men looking to hook up. Veronica's girlfriends don't like her, either - they find her crude and embarrassing and make it clear they'd rather not have her tag along.

But Gloria's obsession is politics. She is most at home in the company of the whacky, hard drinking, (or just downright insane) activists and officeholders who people this environment.

So where do the dirty tricks come in? Everywhere! Everyone in the book is involved in schemes or pranks, even the narrator - actually, especially the narrator. Some of these pranks are as juvenile as calling the County Chairman repeatedly at five in the morning, or stealing a stash of campaign buttons from a political enemy, or hiring a transvestite to seduce a particularly vile womanizer. Then one of Gloria's "harmless jokes" crosses a line and ends up destroying some lives and getting her into some very hot water.

For all her flaws, Gloria is an endearing character. Actually, all of the nut cases in this book are charming.

Almost makes me want to live in Texas.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More of Gloria Warren, please., March 19, 2006

By 

concernedwoman "Women's Studies Instructor" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dirty Tricks (Paperback)

I am still wondering what Gloria Warren will do next and hoping that Rita Bleiman will take us on yet another journey into the world of power and politics. This was great romp of a read-- funny, not-so-funny and ultimately painfully honest about the forces that shape political players of all eras.

Rita's characters and dialogue reflect her strong playwright background; these are real people who are very believable. I won't reveal the ending, but let me say that just when I was wondering and worrying about Gloria, she did the right thing. Now I want more.