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 ...
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Sep 21, 2008
Brooke
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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 situat 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 situat More...
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Oct 06, 2008
Jeffrey
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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.
Su More...
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Jan 01, 2009
Jennifer
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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 P More...
A modest sampling of this silliness:
"Hanratty of Massachusetts had tried to nail Pepper for her atheism, to which P More...
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Aug 14, 2008
Drgibson63
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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 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 More...
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Nov 16, 2008
Steven
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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
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Jan 08, 2009
Schnaucl
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Nov 24, 2008
Jeff
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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 lin
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Dec 12, 2011
Tim
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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 Courtsh More...
In Supreme Courtsh More...
Dec 02, 2011
Ensiform
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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
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Sep 18, 2011
Keith
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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
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Jul 06, 2011
Kristine
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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 – More...
US President Donald Vanderdamp is in a supreme pickle. He needs to nominate somebody to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court – More...
Jan 11, 2011
Debbie
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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 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 More...
Sep 03, 2010
MacK
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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 f 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 f More...
Mar 10, 2010
Emily
rated it:
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
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Dec 24, 2009
Jasmyn9
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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
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Oct 22, 2009
Patrick
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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 More...
Every single character More...
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Oct 19, 2009
Mike
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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 agre 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 agre More...
Oct 02, 2009
Consuela
rated it:
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 anyth
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Aug 30, 2009
Richard
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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 obviou
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Apr 30, 2009
Eric
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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May 15, 2009
Clif
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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 ye
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Oct 10, 2009
John
rated it:
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, bo 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, bo More...
Sep 01, 2008
Andrea
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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.
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Feb 05, 2009
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
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Jan 07, 2011
Prateek
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Feb 27, 2009
Mike
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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 eve More...
In “Supreme Courtship” Buckley writes about a President that is among the most unpopular with the citizenry in American history. He is eve More...
Mar 16, 2010
Margaret
rated it:
Oddly enough, although their "tones" are very different, I liken Christopher Buckley's novels to John Grisham's: they both push the extremes. In Buckley's case, he pushes the extreme in politics, specifically Wash, D.C. politics. He's very funny and I read him as a slightly (but only slightly) dumbed down American version of Eveyln Waugh's British satire. This is an enjoyable tale of a T.V. judge who becomes a U.S. Supreme Court justice plus of various other POTUS shenanigans. Not
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Jul 11, 2011
Josh
rated it:
I've long wanted to read some Christopher Buckley, so when I found a mint-condition hardcover copy of Supreme Courtship for a dollar at the library sale, buying it was a no-brainer.
I laughed out loud at certain parts - there are definitely funny scenes in this novel and some very funny dialog. But taken as a whole I wasn't particularly impressed. I've had to think long and hard about why this is, and I finally came to the following conclusion:
Modern American politics an More...
I laughed out loud at certain parts - there are definitely funny scenes in this novel and some very funny dialog. But taken as a whole I wasn't particularly impressed. I've had to think long and hard about why this is, and I finally came to the following conclusion:
Modern American politics an More...
Dec 17, 2008
Kathy
rated it:
This is my favorite of the Buckley political satires. I would have given it five starts, but the end wrapped up a bit too quickly and too neatly. But, he is still the master at witty, political banter.
An added bonus is that the audio version is wonderfully and adeptly read by Anne Heche.
This book concerns another topic regarding the folly that is Washington. Two highly qualified presidential nominations for the Supreme Court are rejected by the Senate for specious reasons. " More...
An added bonus is that the audio version is wonderfully and adeptly read by Anne Heche.
This book concerns another topic regarding the folly that is Washington. Two highly qualified presidential nominations for the Supreme Court are rejected by the Senate for specious reasons. " More...
May 31, 2011
Lani
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I think the premise of this book may have been better than the execution. Having read several of Buckley's books, I fell in love with Florence of Arabia and really enjoyed Thank you for Smoking, and keep hoping the others I'll pick up will live up to those high standards.
None of this is to say that this book is bad. And the idea of a TV judge becoming a Supreme Court justice is pretty entertaining. But it actually seemed like Buckley spent too much time on the personal - the breakup More...
None of this is to say that this book is bad. And the idea of a TV judge becoming a Supreme Court justice is pretty entertaining. But it actually seemed like Buckley spent too much time on the personal - the breakup More...
