The Public Image: Photography and Civic Spectatorship
Robert Hariman and John Louis Lucaites
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Even as the media environment has changed dramatically in recent years, one thing at least remains...
The Conscience Economy: How a Mass Movement for Good is Great for Business
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A generation of people around the world, from Boston to Bangkok, from New York to New Delhi, are...
The Outside Edge: How Outsiders Can Succeed in a World Made by Insiders
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The brand new book from the international bestselling self-help author Robert Kelsey's...
The Dating of Beowulf: A Reassessment
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"This book will be a milestone, and deserves to be widely read. The early Beowulf that...
The World of Myth: An Anthology
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Since its publication in 1991, The World of Myth has provided thousands of students with a...
Steppenwolf
Hermann Hesse and David Horrocks
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A modernist work of profound wisdom that continues to enthral readers with its subtle blend of...
Designed for Hi-Fi Living: The Vinyl LP in Midcentury America
Daniel Miller, Janet Borgerson and Jonathan Schroeder
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The sleek hi-fi console in a well-appointed midcentury American living room might have had a stack...
Eco-Sonic Media
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The negative environmental effects of media culture are not often acknowledged: the fuel required to...
Scrape (Reveler #8)
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The last battle will be a nightmare... The Sandman has broken through to the waking world,...
Urban Fantasy Romance
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Hopefuls in Books
Feb 13, 2018
I was intrigued by the premise of this book--a relationship set to the backdrop of the Obama campaign and administration. Living close to the DC area, I can say that Close's description of many DC citizens is spot on: the Blackberrys, the obsession with security clearance and work standing, the fashion. She's excellent at weaving a story in the details.
The problem, however, is that Beth--the novel's narrator--is just so dull. She's beyond passive, willing to watch life unravel as she watches. It doesn't seem as if Beth is interested in anything, beyond whining. After a while, I just became so frustrated with her, I wanted to scream. It doesn't help that her husband, Matt, is similarly self-absorbed, and Jimmy and Ashleigh aren't any more likable. The book sort of bumps along, with no real movement to swing it along, or a character with any redeeming quality of any sort (good or bad). Even the DC details can't save this often frustrating novel from its own irksome and passive characters. 2.5 stars.