Customer Reviews

A Time to Run: A Novel

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

In this novel, there is no "insider's knowledge of politics," it is not "what politics is reallly like," and it is not "authentic and compelling." Kirkus Reviews offers this admonishment: "Short on subtlety and insider dish." Nor is this novel "compelling, terrific, entertaining, or dramatic." It is, as Publishers Weekly mildly points out, "by-the-numbers stuff." And even with a professional co-writer, and even though this book is a seven-year labor of love - "a story I had long wanted to tell" - it is written in the style of an overwrought high-schooler.

All the liberals are smart, principled, and are dedicated and effective good-deed-doers. All the conservatives are greedy, corrupt, and yes, even evil. An intelligent, accomplished, and conservative Supreme Court nominee is implausibly naive. The story is melodramatic; the characters are two-dimensional. I had high hopes of gleaning genuine political savvy from "someone who really knows," but Boxer decided to write a pedestrian political thriller that doesn't inform or thrill.

One reviewer wrote about the sex scenes in this book. Don't get your hopes up about those, either. And now I know why Boxer, who is my senator, hasn't responded to any of my letters to her office; she and her staff have been too busy working on this novel.

While reading this book, I'm reminded of a high school English class where we tried to impress each other by reaching for words and descriptive phrases, but we would wind up cluttering the ideas in a blob of words. The senator tries to be eloquent but it comes off to me as forced and melodramatic. I'm only half way through because I can only stand reading it ten pages at a time.

I was a bit skeptical when I picked this up but I was drawn into the book almost immediately. It's fun story with engaging characters and the action unfolds quickly enough to keep you interested. But what makes this book really worth reading is that you feel like you are getting an insider's view of DC politics, power brokers, campaigning, and the Supreme Court nomination process. And of course you ARE getting an insider view since this written by Barbara Boxer, but because it's fiction and not a political memoir you get it without all the rhetoric and politicking!

...and who's going to admit to being a Cheney fan these days??
It seems like a couple of the reviews here are about Boxer, not her book. Yes, I bought it because I am a fan--and then I read and got totally into it. Her personality really shines in this book. It's knowledgeable about the scene, witty, sharply insightful, fast-paced. Like the Senator herself. A great plane read, full of the colorful behind-the-scenes politicking and some interesting characters, I just had an enjoyable time reading it. And if you are a Cheney fan, well, that's your issue to grapple with. Just enjoy the book, okay?

I'd say it's actually more like 3 1/2 stars. It's definitely worth the read. It won't win any literary awards, but then neither will a lot of the popular novels out there. I think she did a good job with this, and can't help but wonder if some of the negative reviews have more to do with people not liking Boxer herself as well as her liberal leanings.

I really wanted to like this book, but it was so bad that I can't even think of any redeeming qualities to write about it. Why a self-respecting publisher would waste the paper to publish this is beyond me.

I'm typically not into books of this genre, but when I saw the article about the Senator in the New York Times magazine last weekend, I was very intrigued. So, I wnet out and bought the book and could not put it down! It was so reflective of what is happening with the Supreme Court nominations and an absolute delight to read. I've always admired Senator Boxer, but now that I know that she can write AND have a strong voice in politics, I am a fan forever.

I thought this was a great read, a real page turner and a wonderfully delicious view into the inner workings of the political world. I didn't mind the romantic love triangle angle either although I didn't know Senators think about such things ;). This was an entertaining vacation read for me and I really ended up caring about what happened to the characters which to me is a good sign that this is a good book. I would definitely recommend it!

When Senator Fischer is asked, "If the people can't trust you, who can they trust?" I had to laugh out loud.

This book is Barbara Boxer's opinion of herself. Apparently nobody on her staff has the juice to tell her to her face that she's probably the least intelligent senator in a room full of not-so-luminaries, all convinced they should be the president of the United States.

Keep churning 'em out, Babs. Each tome is a window to your self-congratulatory soul.

This was a great book and I believe Senator Boxer and her co-author did a nice job! The last chapter seemed a bit rushed but the book is still a good read.

After reading some of the other reviews that gave this book 1-star ratings, it seems that people are rating their feelings about Boxer as a person as opposed to rating the book. My advice: look past the partisan divide and read the book for yourself. You may enjoy it!