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482nd out of 1,663 books
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2,419 voters
Supreme Courtship
President of the United States Donald Vanderdamp is having a hell of a time getting his nominees appointed to the Supreme Court. After one nominee is rejected for insufficiently appreciating To Kill A Mockingbird, the president chooses someone so beloved by voters that the Senate won't have the guts to reject her -- Judge Pepper Cartwright, the star of the nation's most po...more
Hardcover, 285 pages
Published
September 3rd 2008
by Twelve
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Buckley is back, this time taking on the Supreme Court. The set-up revolves around a TV court judge who gets nominated to the Supreme Court after the President gets pissed about his two previous nominees being turned down (one for a report on To Kill A Mockingbird from his elementary school days).
I enjoyed Supreme Courtship more than Buckley's last two novels, possibly because I'm just a little obsessed with the Supreme Court. It moved quickly as absurd situation after absurd situation piled on...more
I enjoyed Supreme Courtship more than Buckley's last two novels, possibly because I'm just a little obsessed with the Supreme Court. It moved quickly as absurd situation after absurd situation piled on...more
Christopher Buckley returns just in time for the new session, with a charming satire on the Supreme Court and the politics of confirming a Justice. Buckley is the current champ of political satire that is truly comedic. His tale of lobbyists , Thank You for Smoking was pure genius, and Supreme Courtship is a great addition to his body of work. The best part is that many of the far reaching parts of the book do not seem that far-fetched in the current political season.
Supreme Courtship starts w...more
Supreme Courtship starts w...more
Another very entertaining skewering of contemporary politics from Buckley, this one tackles the Supreme Court. The president, stung by the rejection of two eminently qualified jurists nominates a "judge judy" type character, the Texan Pepper Cartwright. She turns out to be unexpectedly popular...and near bullet proof in the confirmation hearings.
A modest sampling of this silliness:
"Hanratty of Massachusetts had tried to nail Pepper for her atheism, to which Pepper had calmly replied, 'Well, Sen...more
A modest sampling of this silliness:
"Hanratty of Massachusetts had tried to nail Pepper for her atheism, to which Pepper had calmly replied, 'Well, Sen...more
Aug 14, 2008
Drgibson63
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone
Recommended to Drgibson63 by:
I received a review copy
Supreme Courtship is Christopher Buckley at his witty, laugh-out-loud best. The hilarious tale involves a president, frustrated that his two previous Supreme Court nominees were rejected by a petty senator for venal reasons, nominates the popular TV judge star of a Judge Judy-type show.
The characters' personalities are vivid, and readers will have fum deciphering which real DC or pop culture characters are being spoofed. Buckley has a spare, short-chapter, heavy dialogue pacing style that keeps...more
The characters' personalities are vivid, and readers will have fum deciphering which real DC or pop culture characters are being spoofed. Buckley has a spare, short-chapter, heavy dialogue pacing style that keeps...more
Nov 16, 2008
Steven Harbin
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of humor, parody, political satire
Shelves:
fiction
I really enjoyed this book, author Christopher Buckley has his father's sense of humor and style, while writing in his own voice. While the premise is a little farfetched, it's not "that" far fetched, which lends believability to the humor and parody of the story. If you like subtle humor (ala P. G. Wodehouse) then I think you'll like this story of a television judge who gets elevated to the Supreme Court. I think anyone who's read some recent histories of the Supreme Court, such as "The Brethre...more
In law school, I dreamed about being a judge. It was not to be, but this book was a humourous fulfillment of my daydream. All the judicial and political inside jokes and the clever use of Latin and footnotes winked at the way Washingtonians take themselves WAY too seriously. I love to laugh out loud when I read a book, and the clever writing in this book definitely had me guffawing.
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Christopher Buckley is a conservative by genetics (after all, he is the son of William F. Buckley) and by inclination. He is the kind of conservative a liberal can love - the kind that endorsed Barack Obama for President. But this post is not about Christopher Buckley's politics; it's about his political satire. Buckley is a deft writer, with a quick wit and a thorough knowledge of the Washington establishment that he skewers in his novels. His latest effort, Supreme Courtship, blurs the line be...more
I'd probably give this book more like 2 3/4 stars if I could. The premise, as well as the first half of Supreme Courtship are absolutely hilarious then it did that thing so many great comedies do: it got serious on us. The idea of a television judge from a daytime courtroom show being nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court is one of the funniest ideas I've heard in a long time and Buckley pulls of this goofiness for the first half of the novel.
My guess is some editor convinced him, however, that t...more
My guess is some editor convinced him, however, that t...more
If someone were to ask who I would recommend for a good laugh, several authors come to mind: Christopher Moore is a must, Carl Hiaasen is a hoot, David Sedaris is hilarious. Now I can add one more name to this comic collection, Christopher Buckley. I have seen his books on the shelf and have watched the film version of Thank You For Smoking, but I finally got around to reading one of his novels and I am forever glad I did. Supreme Courtship made me laugh out loud, a lot. Mr. Buckley shares the s...more
What a strange book, but somehow entirely in keeping with Buckley's oevre: the first half of the book? Brilliant. Scathing and funny, unique and fun. The second half? Disjointed heap of fail. A collapse of Greg Norman-like proportions.
The idea driving the concept of the book is sound: what if a President, annoyed with the whole Supreme Court nomination process, nominated someone who wasn't supposed to win? Who would that person be and what would happen if they, quite obviously, won? This is a g...more
The idea driving the concept of the book is sound: what if a President, annoyed with the whole Supreme Court nomination process, nominated someone who wasn't supposed to win? Who would that person be and what would happen if they, quite obviously, won? This is a g...more
My very first job was washing the plate glass windows of my uncle's law firm on the small-town main street of my hometown. I loved coming in twice a month and just being around the smell of old books and leather that exuded from the conference room made me a happy camper.I now understand that the practice of law is more than just a cool office, leather-bound books and unisex bathrooms. (At least that's what my friends in the field tell me - I've heard it both ways.)
In Supreme Courtship, author C...more
In Supreme Courtship, author C...more
With his previous nominees destroyed by an egocentric Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman, unpopular president "Don Veto" Vanderdamp nominates Pepper Cartwright, a tough-talking TV courtroom judge to the Supreme Court. Bowing to her popularity, the chairman, Dexter Mitchell, cedes to her election, then quits to star as a president in a TV show before running for actual president himself. Pepper, out of her depth, and her marriage floundering, has her loyalties tested when Vanderdamp wins re-elec...more
For those who find the machinations of modern American politics not only unfathomable but often absurd and yet difficult to laugh at because the outcome affects so many lives, I recommend that you read this novel. I’m certain that you’ll find more than one point where you’ll guffaw out loud. The author manages to see just how often the serious business of government is not just humorous but only a short step away from a well written “Saturday Night Live” sketch. Here, the President of the U.S. i...more
Do you feel like smiling, chuckling, chortling, groaning, and, perhaps, even breaking out in a gigantic guffaw? Well, then, maybe it’s time to risk cracking up (just a bit) by cracking open Supreme Courtship: A Novel by author Christopher Buckley, winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor and the Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence.
US President Donald Vanderdamp is in a supreme pickle. He needs to nominate somebody to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court – and get him or her c...more
US President Donald Vanderdamp is in a supreme pickle. He needs to nominate somebody to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court – and get him or her c...more
Amazon.com review
In bestselling author Christopher Buckley’s hilarious novel, the President of the United States, ticked off at the Senate for rejecting his nominees, decides to get even by nominating America’s most popular TV judge to the Supreme Court.
President Donald Vanderdamp is having a (terrible) time getting his nominees onto the Supreme Court. After one nominee is rejected for insufficiently appreciating To Kill a Mockingbird, the president chooses someone so beloved by voters that th...more
In bestselling author Christopher Buckley’s hilarious novel, the President of the United States, ticked off at the Senate for rejecting his nominees, decides to get even by nominating America’s most popular TV judge to the Supreme Court.
President Donald Vanderdamp is having a (terrible) time getting his nominees onto the Supreme Court. After one nominee is rejected for insufficiently appreciating To Kill a Mockingbird, the president chooses someone so beloved by voters that th...more
In the midst of a rather sullen return to Ohio, away from my family, away from my fiancee, away from a place that has become a real home, I turned to Chris Buckley to lighten the load, flipping on my ipod and letting the story of the absurd fusion between politics and celebrity envelop me and my car throughout the journey.
Driving through Wisconsin, it seemed that TV Judge Pepper Cartwright's quest to become a Supreme Court Justice is a mere opportunity to be smugly derisive to rustic folksiness....more
Driving through Wisconsin, it seemed that TV Judge Pepper Cartwright's quest to become a Supreme Court Justice is a mere opportunity to be smugly derisive to rustic folksiness....more
Maybe it was a mistake to read this immediately after rereading How I Became a Famous Novelist, which is a very, very funny book. I liked the plot of Buckley's satire of the Washington scene, but Buckley tries hard for witty dialogue and observations and I found these so broad that they fell flat. A few moments, like his prison rape joke, edged towards cringeworthy. His characterizations were equally broad and at times I lost sight of the fact that it was intentional and was instead reminded of...more
Pepper Cartwright is a popular television show judge that has just been nominated for the Supreme Court by a President that doesn't seem to want to be president anymore. In fact, he plans on not running for a second term. Pepper's nomination is in response to the Senate Judiacary Committee turning down two highly qualified nominees just because Senator Mitchell, commitee chair, doesn't like the President. Pepper's nomination sparks a media uproar and some very suprising results in an approval po...more
Before I start talking about the book I have to admit my own ignorance. When I got this book from the library I didn't notice the author's name. As I got into the book I thought the political talk was extremely heavy handed. That is when I noticed the author's name and it made me think "Huh, wonder if it is any relation to that other Buckley?" Of course it is. And, well, it did not make the heavy handidness more enjoyable, but at least it explained it.
Every single character was an over the top c...more
Every single character was an over the top c...more
Supreme... pulp? This book is purely for fun only; despite being a story about supreme court justices, presidents and TV executives. It could easily be a serious drama with all those characters, but this is far from serious.
Most of the book is easy to read, and fun to follow the plot lines. The twists and turns are fairly predictable and never too sharp or outrageous. There are some nice little bits though. My favorite was the supreme court justice who was black, and as a lawyer agreed to defend...more
Most of the book is easy to read, and fun to follow the plot lines. The twists and turns are fairly predictable and never too sharp or outrageous. There are some nice little bits though. My favorite was the supreme court justice who was black, and as a lawyer agreed to defend...more
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Boy, I needed this book -- I laughed out loud every few pages. It is hysterically funny. The story, as improbable to swallow, is the POTUS (President of the United States) who actually says what he thinks, nominates to the Supreme Court a Judge (really a lawyer) from a popular TV show call Courtroom Six. This woman, Pepper (named after Shakespeare's Perdita) also says what she thinks. During her mock hearing preparations when staffers pose as senators and grill her, one asks "Is there anything i...more
I recommend this book, fine political farce, with some clever sprinkling of Shakespeare. It might have been better as more serious satire or parody of politicians, but instead it's one long-running joke, which is very well done. Interestingly, Buckley makes absolutely no reference to "Democrats" or "Republicans" even though there are many other allusions to current events (mostly political) and television culture. The only intelligent explanation I have for Buckley's obviously deliberate omissio...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
What better way to prepare for the upcoming Supreme Court nominee hearings than to indulge in the ironic-humor-on-every-page writing of Christopher Buckley. This book imagines that political polarization has reached a point where it is impossible for anybody nominated by the president to be confirmed by the Senate. Then through a surprising twist of fate only possible in the context of American politics, a popular but enormously unqualified woman (combination of Judge Judy, Sarah Palin, and yell...more
Good idea, but failed to put it into action properly. Definitely a book that I read because it was there, in front of me, not because I wanted to keep reading it. If the books I had on hold at the library had come through earlier, I probably would have returned this and not bothered with it.
Christopher Buckley writes of an unpopular president who vetoes every spending bill that comes his way, and so congress wants him out. He puts forth two solid nominees for the supreme court, both of which are...more
Christopher Buckley writes of an unpopular president who vetoes every spending bill that comes his way, and so congress wants him out. He puts forth two solid nominees for the supreme court, both of which are...more
Sep 01, 2008
Andrea
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
politcal humor junkies
Shelves:
politics
This is the first book I've read in ages that actually made me laugh out loud - when I wasn't busy heaving sighs of painful recognition. The book started out with a bang and managed to sustain that level right to the very end, a rare happening these days. The only bad thing about it is that the scenario could actually happen, a truly scary prospect. But other than that, this was a wonderfully entertaining, fun book.
Feb 05, 2009
Bookmarks Magazine
added it
Sometimes, the real-life actions of politicians and celebrities are so absurd it seems that satirists like Christopher Buckley must struggle to stay one step ahead of the headlines. In Buckley's newest novel, Hollywood and Washington overlap (reminding some reviewers of Senator Fred Thompson's White House bid and television career), and the vote of a single Supreme Court justice decides a presidential election (drawing inevitable comparisons to Bush v. Gore). The novel pleased most critics, who
...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Christopher Buckley has got to be the best political satirist writing today. The novels he writes are just a small step closer to crazy than our reality presently is. His stories are just crazy enough for you to accept that it’s all totally fiction. They’re also just plausible enough to make you slightly uncomfortable about the whole thing.
In “Supreme Courtship” Buckley writes about a President that is among the most unpopular with the citizenry in American history. He is even more unpopular i...more
In “Supreme Courtship” Buckley writes about a President that is among the most unpopular with the citizenry in American history. He is even more unpopular i...more
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Christopher Buckley graduated cum laude from Yale University in 1976. He shipped out in the Merchant Marine and at age 24 became managing editor of Esquire magazine. At age 29, he became chief speechwriter to the Vice President of the United States, George H.W. Bush. Since 1989 he has been founder and editor-in-chief of Forbes Life magazine.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Good...more
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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Good...more
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“How many times had those awful words - "I know what I'm doing" - been uttered throughout history as prelude to disaster? ”
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15 people liked it
“Nothing raises the national temperature more than a VACANCY sign hanging from the colonnaded front of the Supreme Court. ”
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2 people liked it
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28. Februar, 07:22 Uhr