Once again, Buckley returns to his pet theme: the vanity and perfidy of the capital's ruling elite. And once again he delivers serious insights along with antics…part of Buckley's charm is that he seems to wink every time he sends off a groaner. But at his best he is very, very funny. The novel's main courtroom set piece—Cartwright's handling of her first oral argument—succeeds not only as comedy but also as an effective parody of a singular and sometimes bizarre ritual.
You don't read a Buckley novel for the depth of character development. With her rodeo slang and cowboy boots, Pepper is Texas-trite, but no matter. You'll be belly-laughing through Buckley's byzantine plot, which includes Peester v. Spendo-Max Corp., a case in which a male shoplifter stuffing merchandise into a burqa sues the Reno police force for racial and religious profiling, and ends with the Supreme Court deciding a presidential election. As the president sighs, "It's not as though we haven't been there before." Last go-around, it wasn't quite so uproarious.
It's a delicious prospect: what if a beleaguered president decided to nominate a TV judge to the Supreme Court? Buckley effectively ransacks the Washington political machine for his newest novel, disarmingly read by Anne Heche. No stranger to controversy herself, Heche takes a special glee in depicting media gone mad. For Pepper Cartwright, the "plain ole girl from Plano" who finds herself on the bench, Heche effectively channels Annie Potts. Yet Heche is equally effective delivering the rest of the overwhelmingly male characters, ranging from the Midwestern President Vandercamp to a patrician fixer and Pepper's flashy producer husband. Supreme satirical novelist Buckley gives the narrator plenty of clues, and Heche delivers the annoying laugh and calculating tones of justice wannabe Senator Mitchell with hilarious exactitude. Despite the preponderance of men in Supreme Courtship , it is the brilliant casting of Heche-who keeps Pepper present at all times-that gives this audiobook an edge over the print edition. A Twelve hardcover (Reviews, June 9). (Sept.)
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When the Senate Judiciary Committee shoots down two of his Supreme Court nominees, lame duck president Donald Vanderdamp nominates a feisty, tell-it-like-it-is Texan who's also the star of a reality show. What follows is a laugh-a-minute story from New York Times best-selling author/genius political satirist Buckley (Boomsday ) that practically screams "Hollywood box office hit." Actress Anne Heche superbly portrays the zany cast of characters, some who bear an uncanny resemblance to real inhabitants of Capitol Hill. One of the funniest books of the year; highly recommended for public libraries and politicians with a sense of humor. [Audio clip available through www.hachettebookgroup.com ; from the review of the Twelve hc, "Buckley is a master at setting up ridiculous relationships, and he doesn't disappoint here," LJ 7/08.-Ed.]
As before, Buckley (Boomsday, 2007, etc.) blurs the line distinguishing the historical, the plausible and the preposterous amid the political circus of anything-goes Washington. The satiric scenario has plenty of potential, but sketchy characters and slapdash plotting result in a split decision. On a Supreme Court as divided as the country, President Donald Vanderdamp finds his first two nominees to fill a crucial vacancy rejected on the shakiest of grounds (one wrote a grade-school review of To Kill a Mockingbird and found parts of the movie "kind of boring"). With his popularity at an all-time low and with no intention of running for a second term, the president then dares the Senate to reject his third nominee, America's most popular jurist, Pepper Cartwright of television's highly rated Courtroom Six. After she sails through the confirmation process, both the new justice and the novel seem to lose their way. Instead of relying on the common sense and colloquial language that have made her such a hit as a TV personality, she tries her best to apply legal precedent befitting the Supreme Court, thus alienating many of her fellow justices and most of the public. She also becomes estranged from her husband, a reality-show producer, and involved with the chief justice, whose wife left him for a woman immediately after the court sanctioned gay marriage. After a politician-turned-TV-actor challenges for the presidency, the novel inevitably reaches its climax as the contested race is left to the court to decide. Yet questions remain: Why is the president so unpopular? (He vetoes every spending bill, which would surely enrage Congress, but shouldn't upset the public.) Why does Pepper take allthe heat for every split decision? (Four other justices vote with her, and the court had a history of 5-4 decisions before her arrival.) Why does Buckley think it's enough to give his characters funny names (Blyster Forkmorgan, Esquire, et al.) rather than develop them?Even Buckley fans might suspect that he's begun to crank them out a little too quickly. Agent: Amanda Urban/ICM
"One of the funniest writers in the English language."—Tom Wolfe Fortune Sunday Times of London Boston Globe Booklist Supreme Courtship , isn't all that far-fetched. In fact... this novel could more accurately be called near-fetched -- disarmingly, hilariously so ... You'll be belly-laughing through Buckley's byzantine plot , which includes Peester v. Spendo-Max Corp. , a case in which a male shoplifter stuffing merchandise into a burqa sues the Reno police force for racial and religious profiling, and ends with the Supreme Court deciding a presidential election. As the president sighs, "It's not as though we haven't been there before." Last go-around, it wasn't quite so uproarious." —Lisa Zeidner , The Washington Post New York Daily News Christopher Buckley is America's greatest living political satirist. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it . . . Just take my word for it, and the word is: delicious ." Adam Woog , Seattle Times USA Today Supreme Courtship] is full of such tasty nuggets, along with arcane Latin phrases and mirth-inducing names like Blyster Forkmorgan . . . One of the book's telling points is that he never mentions which poltical parties these folks represent, and you realize it doesn't much matetr. When you are sketching a political cartton, donkeys and elephants alike are juicy targets."—Hartford Courant Buckley is a master at cooking up scenarios that are wild without being entirely absurd and populating them with attractive characters..." Chicago Sun Times Blake Wilson , New York Times Review of Books
Narrator Anne Heche has the right edge to her voice to underscore Buckley's wry humor. She also delvers warmth and sensitivity whenever needed....If you're comic sensibilities coincide with Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert, this incisive Buckley lampoon is right up your alley.
Tom Alderman - The Huffington Post
"GREAT CHARACTERS, GREAT NARRATOR, GREAT FUN: Politics was never so much fun before Christopher Buckley got a hold of it and gave it a good shake.... Throughout, Garofalo plays this shtick like the maestro of an oddball orchestra, to which we can only say, 'Brava!'"(Praise for BOOMSDAY)
"Once again, Buckley returns to his pet theme: the vanity and perfidy of the capital's ruling elite. And once again he delivers serious insights along with antics . . . Buckley has fun with the court's fractious politics and even more fun riffing on the strange creatures and customs of its marble halls . . . Buckley lampoons as an insider. A onetime speechwriter for George H.W. Bush, he knows the monograms on the linens and has supped with kings. But he's more an anthropologist than a settler of scores. His own libertarian-leaning politics shine through his narratives without weighing them down. And he's admirably fair-minded, skewering politically correct crusaders on one page and holy-rolling bigots on the next. His villains are Washington's ideologues, left and right, whose principles always boil down to self-regard. Buckley's heart belongs to the outsiders and mavericks who see through all the spin. Each of his novels may be light as air, but bit by bit they're building up into a significant social portrait, the beginnings of a vast Comédie-Washingtonienne . . . At a time of high political absurdity, Buckley remains our sharpest guide to the capital, and amore serious one than we may suppose."
Blake Wilson - New York Times Review of Books
"You can't make this stuff up . . . Unless of course you are Christopher Buckley , son of the late William, whose fictional satires are must-reads for those looking to understand our cultural moment, or at least have a few laughs at it. Buckley is a master at cooking up scenarios that are wild without being entirely absurd and populating them with attractive characters..."
"[Supreme Courtship] is full of such tasty nuggets, along with arcane Latin phrases and mirth-inducing names like Blyster Forkmorgan . . . One of the book's telling points is that he never mentions which poltical parties these folks represent, and you realize it doesn't much matetr. When you are sketching a political cartton, donkeys and elephants alike are juicy targets."
"What sets Buckley apart is his ability to mock Washington
"Christopher Buckley is America ."
Adam Woog - Seattle Times
"Hilarious . . . the book is full of wry observations on the follies of Washington Washington
"The premise of Christopher Buckley's new political comedy, Supreme Courtship , isn't all that far-fetched. In fact... this novel could more accurately be called near-fetched -- disarmingly, hilariously so ... You'll be belly-laughing through Buckley's byzantine plot , which includes Peester v. Spendo-Max Corp. , a case in which a male shoplifter stuffing merchandise into a burqa sues the Reno police force for racial and religious profiling, and ends with the Supreme Court deciding a presidential election. As the president sighs, "It's not as though we haven't been there before." Last go-around, it wasn't quite so uproarious."
Lisa Zeidner - The Washington Post
Buckley's ingenious and mischievous tale of a Washington shakeup via an injection of good old American authenticity is funny and entertaining . . . clever, merry, escapist.
"One of the rarest political specimens-- the authentically comic writer."
"An accomplished comic novelist and raucously funny political satirist."
"The quintessential political novelist of our time."
"One of the funniest writers in the English language."
Narrator Anne Heche has the right edge to her voice to underscore Buckley's wry humor. She also delvers warmth and sensitivity whenever needed....If you're comic sensibilities coincide with Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert, this incisive Buckley lampoon is right up your alley.The Huffington Post
You can't make this stuff up . . . Unless of course you are Christopher Buckley, son of the late William, whose fictional satires are must-reads for those looking to understand our cultural moment, or at least have a few laughs at it. Buckley is a master at cooking up scenarios that are wild without being entirely absurd and populating them with attractive characters...
Christopher Buckley is America's greatest living political satirist. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it . . . Just take my word for it, and the word is: delicious . Seattle Times
This political satire tells the story of Pepper Cartwright, a TV judge in one of those shows where people bring real cases for all to see, who is chosen to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. Washington insiders are aghast at the thought of a “real person” actually having a voice in governmental decisions. Sound familiar? Narrator Anne Heche does a marvelous job, using a voice that can move from gravelly to silky smooth in an instant, and she excels at seasoning Pepper’s Texas twang with a dash of hot sauce. There is plenty of dialogue in the book, which allows Heche to highlight a wide range of characters, and enough narration to contrast her real voice from the people she creates. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
