Customer Reviews

Fluke

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In addiiton to being a lawyer and a judge for the past 19 years, I am also a history buff. Two years ago I received a masters in history and am currently working on a PHD in American. As an Ohio resident I have always had an interest in our Ohio Presidents, writing my masters thesis on the funeral of Ohio's James A. Garfield. I've also done some reading on Warren Harding and took the time last summer to visit his home in Marion, Ohio. So it was with great interest that I discovered FLUKE on the shelf of my local library. In light of the Clinton situation, the story of Harding and Nan Britton becomes even more interesting. All in all I found FLUKE very readable. It took a couple of pages to get used to the technique used the author of mixing the first person of a character into the narataive, but all in all I thought it worked very well. There are several books out on Harding, in light of the release of some of his papers several years ago that dispute various points made by the author. Of course the family claims that Harding had the mumps as a child and could not get anyne pregnant. There seems to be some validity to the argument that Harding was fairly well known and could not have been seen in public as much as Nan Bitton contends, but in all the author does a great job and tells a very interesting story. I tend to believe it but this is a novel. It was not written as the gospel. I would recommend this book highly. It's a quick read and well done. For what ever reason, the author left out Florence's son who lived with the Hardings and proved to be a disappointment but other than that its fairly close to the fact. It's most enjoyable!!! I just can't figure out why he picked the name FLUKE. In my opinion it distracts from the novel. The author should sell the movie rithts. It would be great on screen - but under a different tittle.

Martin Blinder's detailed accounts of the political history of President Warren G. Harding's administration are remarkable. Even more remarkable is his psychological insight into an historical woman's obsessive passion. Blinder goes beyond documentary evidence, using sensitivity to human passion to combine fact and fantasy. With vivid imagination and psychological genius, he creates Harding's mistress, Nan Britton, with a contemporary woman's growth potential. It is inspiring indeed to watch Blinder's Nan grow in her ability to be a self-affirming and autonomous individual. If you are a student of history, this is the book for you; and likewise if you are a student of obsessive love.

This book is well-written with an interesting perspective. It took me a few chapters to adapt to the story-telling "slant", but then the story became totally engrossing.

In light of the present-day presidential scandals, one can only wonder how history will treat our current president in years to come. This book gives the reader a great deal of food for thought, a desire to further explore history, and an enjoyable and interesting read - all in one neat package. I look forward to Mr. Blinder's next book.