The brilliant sequel to Gore Vidal’s acclaimed, bestselling memoir, Palimpsest.
In Point to Point Navigation, the... read full description
In Point to Point Navigation, the... read full description
reviews
Jan 04, 2009
Pris
rated it: 
Between Obituaries, 10 Dec 2006
"No other writer has peered so intently under the hood of American Society. None can match his uncanny gift for "telling us what we want to know' about public life, including politics, theatre and the movies. His new book is sad, spotty chronicle that would suggest Gore is stuck in a fog from a dwindling set of landmarks. Vidal's' imagination has always been able to get into the past" James
None of us kn More...
Feb 07, 2011
Karl
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There's no two ways about it, this book reads like left-overs. Vidal's previous memoir Palimpsest is critically acclaimed, and though I haven't read it, one feels as though Vidal is carefully weaving around more important material he likely covered in that book. Vidal carefully avoids writing about topics TOO close to him. For instance, we never get a sense of what caused the falling out between him and his mother. He points to his mother's rejection of his partner, another enigma, but the whole
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Jan 13, 2012
Paul
rated it: 
A melancholy end to Vidal's long writing career. A sequel of sorts to Palimpsest it is part autoboigraphy, part memoir with some wonderful chapters on his friendships with Tennessee Williams and Paul Bowles amongst others, part gossip (a very funny piece about Barbara Cartland and a touching and revealing one about Princess Margaret), part state of the nation address and a valedictory correction to the many false myths and poor biographies about him.
Most moving of all are the chapter More...
Most moving of all are the chapter More...
Feb 05, 2009
Literary celebrity, critic, and prolific author of many works, including the National Book Award?winning United States: Essays 1952-1992 and more than 20 novels, the octogenarian Gore Vidal keeps writing. Although critics unanimously point to the author's memoir Palimpsest (1995) as a masterpiece in the genre, they agree that the writing and much of the content in Point to Point Navigation pale beside the earlier effort. Reviewers take the avowed stylist to task for some lazy phrasing, though mo
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Mar 01, 2009
Jill
rated it:
I became interested in Gore Vidal when Barry and I stayed at Hotel Palumbo in Ravello and I saw Vidal's villa perched on a cliff overlooking the gulf of Amalfi.
I am amazed at how much I have in common with an 83 year old gay man from a prominent southern political family. I obviously don't agree with everything Gore believes but I love the way he has lived his life.
His writing is full of references to great writers and philosophers from history, many of who he has known.
His v More...
I am amazed at how much I have in common with an 83 year old gay man from a prominent southern political family. I obviously don't agree with everything Gore believes but I love the way he has lived his life.
His writing is full of references to great writers and philosophers from history, many of who he has known.
His v More...
Aug 13, 2009
Oleg
rated it:
Listening to Gore Vidal read from his second autobiography was like sitting with an aging celebrity on his patio and hearing him tell random stories about his past.
Point to Point Navigation only partially went in chronological order, that is, except when Mr. Vidal digressed to remember related or unrelated things and share his opinions, of which he has, to be sure, many.
Someone interested in Vidal's social set would be particularly drawn to this book, but I found it engaging besides. Anecdotes More...
Point to Point Navigation only partially went in chronological order, that is, except when Mr. Vidal digressed to remember related or unrelated things and share his opinions, of which he has, to be sure, many.
Someone interested in Vidal's social set would be particularly drawn to this book, but I found it engaging besides. Anecdotes More...
Dec 20, 2008
Gail
rated it:
Vidal continues, sort of, where he left off in Palimpsest. His writing is as always biting, occasionally cruel, and quite funny. It's always interesting to get an "inside" version of some of the movers and shakers of our recent past.
A previous reviewer mentioned that this book jumps around. Yes, it does. The title and the forward explain that Vidal uses one person, idea, or event to lead to another, gently wandering through the past.
This starts a bit slowly; I t More...
A previous reviewer mentioned that this book jumps around. Yes, it does. The title and the forward explain that Vidal uses one person, idea, or event to lead to another, gently wandering through the past.
This starts a bit slowly; I t More...
Oct 11, 2010
Dan
rated it:
I found this to be a fascinating book. I listened to the audio version read by the author which made it even better because of the accents and because there was no doubt when he was being ironic. He has been everywhere and done everything and is related to all kinds of people. He also has a very amusing, and unfortunately true, outlook on American politics.
Definitely worth listening to. It is semi-episodic and jumps around in time so it lends itself to listening in short snatches like More...
Definitely worth listening to. It is semi-episodic and jumps around in time so it lends itself to listening in short snatches like More...
Nov 22, 2008
Rod
rated it:
A good read because of the people he knew. Two points. Firstly, he lived with Howard Auster for fifty years but the man doesn’t come over. Secondly, he flits freely back and forth in time. My wife likes this, but I feel it’s lazy here. In my opinion his previous volume, Palimpsest, was better. There comes a time when we all have to stop. I believe Vidal has reached that point, a view reinforced by a recent television interview where he was quirky alright, but somewhat incoherent with it.
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Jul 05, 2008
Mark
rated it:
Maybe not quite as epic and deep (and much thinner) than his first memoir, Palimpsest, this still had me hooked from beginning to end. On top of the usual droll and witty rants, he offers us some wonderful anecdotes about, y'know, Grace Kelly, Huey Long, Princess Margaret (he calls her "PM", LOL), Tennessee Williams , Johnny Carson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rudolf Nureyev, etc... The reason some of these stories didn't appear in Palimpsest was very simple: the protagonists weren't dead yet.
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Dec 02, 2007
Claire
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Wow. I mean, wow. If I could be Gore Vidal for a day, I could die happy. I can't think of any other person who has been at the center of politics, academia, literature, hollywood and pop culture for the last five decades and certainly no one who can write as well as he. It was an enjoyable read because of the anecdotes, the digs about modern America, and the (lack of) organization -- it zig-zagged like a conversation, where one point or person makes him think of something else and suddenly y
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Jul 24, 2007
Bob
rated it:
If you're going to read Vidal's memoirs (and you should certainly consider it), start with Palimpsest, the earlier volume, which follows a more conventional autobiographical chronology and structure through the first 39 years of his life.
Point To Point Navigation is rather loose and rambling and repeats a lot from the earlier book - the death of Howard Austen is in many ways its crux, but I still feel like I scarcely know him ("knowing" only in the sense that one can know anyone More...
Point To Point Navigation is rather loose and rambling and repeats a lot from the earlier book - the death of Howard Austen is in many ways its crux, but I still feel like I scarcely know him ("knowing" only in the sense that one can know anyone More...
Nov 09, 2008
Kirsten
rated it: 
"if the mention of the people whom i have glimpsed on my way past them lacks precision in describing them, it is only because i never really saw them or thought about them, since for me they were manipulable objects to be used or somehow got around, in order to continue my trajectory."
"it has been my experience that writers, myself included, often forget what they have written since the act of writing is simply a letting go of a piece of one's own mind, and so there is More...
"it has been my experience that writers, myself included, often forget what they have written since the act of writing is simply a letting go of a piece of one's own mind, and so there is More...
Apr 12, 2009
Isis
rated it:
A sprawling and gossipy tour of Vidal's life, through literature, show business, and politics. (Hint: they are less different than one might expect.) Sometimes rambling, sometimes repetitive, sometimes incisive, sometimes heartbreaking.
Two things the audiobook gave me that I would not have had from the text version: Vidal's mimicry of the voices of his friends, from Tennessee Williams to Eleanor Roosevelt, and the utter pathos of listening to a man describe the slow death from canc More...
Two things the audiobook gave me that I would not have had from the text version: Vidal's mimicry of the voices of his friends, from Tennessee Williams to Eleanor Roosevelt, and the utter pathos of listening to a man describe the slow death from canc More...
Feb 23, 2008
Rogier
rated it:
I had the opportunity to see GV speak to this book at the 92nd Street Y in NYC... and I'm glad I was there. For 30 years my friend Peter from Holland told me I should read Gore Vidal, and I never did, even though American history was one of my chosen topics for my final high school examination, not to mention, I ended up living there. The personal story is as important as his books and essays, for simply he lays it on the line in all of his books, and if you get into reading Gore Vidal as deeply
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Jan 15, 2011
Brian
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This is a a good follow up to "Palimpsest," but I wouldn't call it anything exciting or beyond exceptional for Gore Vidal. It's mostly 2-5 pages per chapter of genuine memoirs related to his childhood, his father, his life in Italy with Howard, his reflections on leaving Italy, and of course some of that good old name dropping gossip that Gore Vidal is well known for.
Jan 26, 2011
Ke
rated it:
Like most of other Gore Vidal works, I liked the pacing and found the themes and anecdotes interesting, but wondered if it could be better organized. The stories seem to jump from one time to another, with some being repetitive.
The ending became a self-indulgentish. I wonder if Vidal could have gotten deeper into how his critics view him.
The ending became a self-indulgentish. I wonder if Vidal could have gotten deeper into how his critics view him.
Jul 29, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
Only for the hardcore Gore Vidal fan. (me) Half of the book is his trying to get even with his critics - and that part gets old fast. If you're reading the book, your already on his side. The other half is the story of the death of his life partner which I thought was beautifully written.
Jul 28, 2009
Kathleenc
rated it:
This book makes me happy. He is such a great writer. He narrates the book himself and he speaks slowly,every word and sentence has time to be enjoyed.
What detracts is his incessant name-dropping; he seems to be connected in some way to everyone.
Toward the end he stops writing and begins responding and reacting to what others have written about him. He begins to sound tired, probably his intent.
What detracts is his incessant name-dropping; he seems to be connected in some way to everyone.
Toward the end he stops writing and begins responding and reacting to what others have written about him. He begins to sound tired, probably his intent.
Feb 06, 2011
Paul
rated it:
Gore Vidal is a name-dropper. He's a talented writer, with wicked and incisive views on most any subject you care to name . . . but he can't stop trying to impress readers with his constant name dropping. And in doing so, he totally turns me off.
Nov 08, 2009
Dave
rated it:
Been wanting to read this for ages, finally getting a chance. It takes a while to get going — not as well-structured or focused as its predecessor, Palimpsest — but 100 pages in I'm really enjoying it. And the section on the death of his partner, Howard Auster, is of course deeply moving.
Nov 25, 2008
Jeremy
rated it:
Probably would've enjoyed it even more thoroughly if I picked up all of his intellectual, political, historical, pop cultural, literary, and hollywood references. Still, Vidal's writing is always an absolute delight to me.
Aug 02, 2011
Gore Vidal's command of the english language is awesome even when he says nothing he's wonderful to read...
Feb 11, 2010
Mel
rated it:
Enjoyable, but I think Gore's being a tad lazy in this one. It's easy to write engaging memoir when you've been born into this society. Didn't mind skipping around chronologically but he could have done more to weave a stronger narrative thread.
Jun 30, 2007
Bryant
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Vidal's ego is much thicker than this slim follow-up to his more famous memoir, "Palimpsest." At times drippingly name-droppy and navel-gazing, this book is still worth the effort for the moments of spare vulnerability to which Vidal lets us be privy. His has, by his own admission, been a life of almost unending privilege, and he's reveled in all that has meant. In the moments, however, when he speaks of the death of his partner, the loneliness of writing, and the back-stabbing unive
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Sep 01, 2009
Mark
rated it:
Gore Vidal's semi-autobiography. It was OK. Certainly not as god as his books, Burr and Lincoln.
Jun 12, 2009
Darren
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Depressing. Mostly a rehashing of Palimpset plus being sad about being at the end of his life.
Jul 21, 2011
Elly
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Such a name dropper! Such a braggart! Such pomposity! Such a life! Although I found the book a bit boring he is still a fascinating man.
Dec 13, 2008
Jeff
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This was very enjoyable and interesting. I like the non-linear writing style here. It gives the recounting over to the different subjects, and not to following the order of time (and thus we have the title of the book, I think).
Sep 28, 2008
Jennifer
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Vidal is brilliant. I'm forced to paraphrase my favorite quote because I can't find it quickly: I used to say no one should miss an opportunity to have sex or be on television. This is no longer true in the age of AIDS and it's TV equivalent, Fox News.
And he quotes from Nixon's book "Six Crises" as follows: "President Eisenhower was a far more sly and devious man than people suspected and I mean those words in their very best sense."
McCain becomes More...
And he quotes from Nixon's book "Six Crises" as follows: "President Eisenhower was a far more sly and devious man than people suspected and I mean those words in their very best sense."
McCain becomes More...
