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Face-Time Paperback – January 1, 2000

by Erik Tarloff (Author)

27 customer reviews

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A humorous novel of life and love in the White House follows the adventures of Ben, a White House speechwriter, and his girlfriend Gretchen, who refuses to end her affair with the President. Reprint.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

The Wall Street Journal Marvelous. -- Review

About the Author

Erik Tarloff has published short fiction and pieces in the Paris Review, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other publications. He has written for both the stage and screen and contributed, on a pro bono basis, to speeches for President Bill Clinton, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Vice President Al Gore, among others. Tarloff is married to Laura D'Andrea Tyson, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers and the National Economic Council during President Clinton's first term. They live in Berkeley, California, with their son, Elliot. This is Tarloff's first novel.

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Product details

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Pocket (January 1, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0671039784
ISBN-13: 978-0671039783
Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.8 x 8.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
Average Customer Review: 27 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,139,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #9686 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Political
- #86833 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Suspense
- #104532 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars

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I haven't enjoyed a book this much in many moons.

January 16, 1999

Verified Purchase

I bought this book from Amazon because I've read some of the author's exchanges in SLATE magazine and heard about it there. I liked PRIMARY COLORS well enough but thought it was generally pretty flat.
This is a far better book than PRIMARY COLORS on the politics level, which is not to say that the book is purely about politics. Its facility with politics seemed like an afterthought when I'd turned the last page.
As a story about interesting people and their relationships, the book has few parallels. No doubt there will be much hyperbole about the realness of the characters, the subtlety of the dialogue, the insights into the ways not of power but of powerful people. Most of that hyperbole will be justified. Tarloff hits every important note dead on.
Is the book perfect? No, the sequence in Paris felt somehow out of place to me, and the telephone conversation between the narrator and his brother was jarring and disruptive. But these stumbles are inconsequential compared to the book's other countless passages, passages which occasionally left me breathless with their insight -- and green with envy at Tarloff's mastery of his craft. He manages to keep his story moving and (t)his reader caring about the characters, while lacing each sequence with meaning that often takes time to sink in.
When I read a book like this, I am reminded of why I did not become a writer -- this is the competition.

3 people found this helpful4 people found this helpful

A customer

February 19, 1999

Verified Purchase

Dreadful and depressing. I laughed out loud at some places where this foolish author tried to pretend he understood how men think and act. Worst line (in a fit of anger at his girlfriend): "Don't think that just because I'm a liberal Democrat I'm not capable of domestic violence." If that's your idea of good dialogue, you'll like this turkey; otherwise, give it a pass. (There's an obvious alternate title for this book. It is two words long and the first word is "Sloppy"). "Nuff said.

4 people found this helpful5 people found this helpful

October 2, 2012

Verified Purchase

As an old English teacher, I return to this book because it holds a kind of timeless perspective. I think of Gatsby and those few books that capture a fundamental and unique character of our culture. It seems like a writer stumbles into something like that and it just happens. Facetime has that uniqueness of vision. I find it is a book so well written and inevitable that i wonder if, like Camus, who wrote the Stranger in two weeks, Tarloff had a similar experience as if the book wrote itself. But so much for the lofty point of view. I think I liked sneaking into the presidency and seeing what constellates around power.

2 people found this helpful3 people found this helpful

an excellent read!

October 7, 2012

Verified Purchase

I have just revisited this book in its e-book format. A well written political satire which was originally published when it ironically proved to be reality. Buy it, read it today. Good reading demonstrating a truly excellent vocabulary by author, Erik Tarloff. More books needed by this writer!

2 people found this helpful3 people found this helpful

Joanna Bressler

March 7, 2013

Verified Purchase

This is an immensely readable book. Erik Tarloff writes with authority and knowledge, the characters he creates are fascinating, and frankly, I couldn't put the book down. I hope to see more from him.

One person found this helpful

great book, great read

October 1, 2012

Verified Purchase

This is a wonderful book - great characters, great plot and really, really funny. But also because of the totally convincing inside knowledge the book is fascinating from a political perspective, too. The only complaint I have about the book is that once you pick it up you can't put it down, and so forget about accomplishing anything for the duration.

One person found this helpful

A customer

Washington Outsider Taken In By Tale

March 11, 1999

I admit it. I'm a Washington Outsider! Frequently, after reading media accounts of events in our Nation's Capital, I find myself wondering: What on Earth is going on there? What in the heck are these people thinking? I may have found some answers. Face Time gave me a glimpse of what is must be like to live among the Insiders....so many, junkies for power.
The relationship between Ben and Gretchen drew me in. The author aptly captured many of the emotions that are part and parcel of personal relationships.....the exhilaration, joy, angst and heartache. But what really kept the pages flipping for me was the curious way in which power snaked its way through the lives, thinking and emotions of the characters.
Fortunately, Tarloff gives us an engaging and accessible narrator, Ben, to guide us on this wacky ride. And even better, the story is punctuated with wildly hilarious dialogue and a heady choice of words!
After reading Face Time, I know I don't want to go there (DC), but I really enjoyed the read!

One person found this helpful2 people found this helpful

Neither black nor white nor much fun

December 10, 2001

This sure sounded good. Joe Klein made an excellent novel out of similar material. Tarloff begins with an interesting premise and keeps his characters in the intriguing gray area of believable human behavior, their hats neither clearly white nor black.
So why is the novel not much fun, and eventually interminable, despite its brief length? Perhaps because it doesn't read like a novel, but rather like a prose outline for one: we are told everything, shown little. In theory, the story presented is interesting, but theory is all we get, and eventually it all gets kind of whiny and annoying. And although the book remains well-balanced, it almost never, ever funny.
Without humor, or anything resembling a satiric edge, we're left with an earnest sexual/political soap opera in which not much happens. This book feels as if it contains a good story struggling to break free, but it never quite manages to do so.

3 people found this helpful4 people found this helpful

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