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Advise and Consent
ADVISE AND CONSENT is a study of political animals in their natural habitat and is universally recognized as THE Washington novel. It begins with Senate confirmation hearings for a liberal Secretary of State and concludes two weeks later, after debate and controversy have exploded this issue into a major crisis.
"I can recall no other novel in which there is so well presented a president's dilemma when his awful responsibility for the nation's interest conflicts with a personal code of good morals." (The New York Times)
- GenresFiction
764 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 1972
7 people want to read
About the author
Allen Drury
59 books48 followersIn late 1943, Allen Stuart Drury, a 25-year old Army veteran, sought work. A position as the Senate correspondent for United Press International provided him with employment and insider knowledge of the Senate. In addition to fulfilling his duties as a reporter, he kept a journal of his views of the Senate and individual senators. In addition to the Senate personalities, his journal captured the events of the 78th & 79th Congresses.
Although written in the mid-1940s, his diary was not published until 1963. "A Senate Journal" found an audience in part because of the great success of "Advise and Consent," his novel in 1959 about the consideration in the Senate of a controversial nominee for secretary of state. His greatest success was "Advise and Consent," was made into a film in 1962. The book was partly inspired by the suicide of Lester C. Hunt, senator from Wyoming. It spent 102 weeks on the New York Times' best-seller list. 'Advise & Consent' led to several sequels. 'A Shade of Difference' is set a year later. Drury then turned his attention to the next presidential election after those events with 'Capable of Honor' & 'Preserve & Protect'. He then wrote two alternative sequels based on a different outcome of an assassination attack in an earlier work: 'Come Nineveh, Come Tyre' & 'The Promise of Joy'. In 1971, he published 'The Throne of Saturn', a sf novel about the 1st attempt at sending a manned mission to Mars. He dedicated the work "To the US Astronauts & those who help them fly." Political characters in the book are archetypal rather than comfortably human. The book carries a strong anti-communist flavor. The book has a lot to say about interference in the space program by leftist Americans. Having wrapped up his political series by '75, Drury began a new one with the '77 novel 'Anna Hastings', more about journalism than politics. He returned to the timeline in '79, with the political novel 'Mark Coffin USS' (tho the main relationship between the two books was that Hastings was a minor character in 'Mark Coffin USS's sequels). It was succeeded, by the two-part 'The Hill of Summer' & 'The Roads of Earth', which are true sequels to 'Mark Coffin USS' He also wrote stand-alone novels, 'Decision' & 'Pentagon', as well as several other fiction & non-fiction works. His political novels have been described as page-turners, set against the Cold War, with an aggressive USSR seeking to undermine the USA. Drury lived in Tiburon, CA from '64 until his '98 cardiac arrest. He'd completed his 20th novel, 'Public Men' set at Stanford, just two weeks before his death. He died on 9/2/98 at St Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco, on his 80th birthday. He never married.--Wikipedia (edited)
Although written in the mid-1940s, his diary was not published until 1963. "A Senate Journal" found an audience in part because of the great success of "Advise and Consent," his novel in 1959 about the consideration in the Senate of a controversial nominee for secretary of state. His greatest success was "Advise and Consent," was made into a film in 1962. The book was partly inspired by the suicide of Lester C. Hunt, senator from Wyoming. It spent 102 weeks on the New York Times' best-seller list. 'Advise & Consent' led to several sequels. 'A Shade of Difference' is set a year later. Drury then turned his attention to the next presidential election after those events with 'Capable of Honor' & 'Preserve & Protect'. He then wrote two alternative sequels based on a different outcome of an assassination attack in an earlier work: 'Come Nineveh, Come Tyre' & 'The Promise of Joy'. In 1971, he published 'The Throne of Saturn', a sf novel about the 1st attempt at sending a manned mission to Mars. He dedicated the work "To the US Astronauts & those who help them fly." Political characters in the book are archetypal rather than comfortably human. The book carries a strong anti-communist flavor. The book has a lot to say about interference in the space program by leftist Americans. Having wrapped up his political series by '75, Drury began a new one with the '77 novel 'Anna Hastings', more about journalism than politics. He returned to the timeline in '79, with the political novel 'Mark Coffin USS' (tho the main relationship between the two books was that Hastings was a minor character in 'Mark Coffin USS's sequels). It was succeeded, by the two-part 'The Hill of Summer' & 'The Roads of Earth', which are true sequels to 'Mark Coffin USS' He also wrote stand-alone novels, 'Decision' & 'Pentagon', as well as several other fiction & non-fiction works. His political novels have been described as page-turners, set against the Cold War, with an aggressive USSR seeking to undermine the USA. Drury lived in Tiburon, CA from '64 until his '98 cardiac arrest. He'd completed his 20th novel, 'Public Men' set at Stanford, just two weeks before his death. He died on 9/2/98 at St Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco, on his 80th birthday. He never married.--Wikipedia (edited)
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September 22, 2025
Advise and Consent by Allen Drury
Magnificent chef d’oeuvre
Advise and Consent is a miraculous, astounding, mesmerizing, glorious, radiant Pulitzer Prize Winner, probably the Best Political work ever that describes with singular, superlative accuracy life in the West in the period following WWII, but is is just as life like in matters that pertain to Washington in the outré age of Trump.
The chef d’oeuvre has inserted some explanations, notes from the sensational author, who explains that one of the few changes he made was regarding the subtitle, which he meant as referring to the Western World and the editors turned into a novel about life in Washington.
The novelist intends to write about life as it refers to basic emotions, people in general and not just politicians, leaders, newspaper men states Allen Drury and this fantastic masterpiece manages that with resplendence, as it describes American senators, some of them role models and others humans with a flawed character, as the junior senator from Wyoming, Fred von Ackerman, who seems to have based in part on the infamous Joseph McCarthy.
The American president appoints a new Secretary of State and the Senate is supposed to Advise and Consent this nomination, which seems to be, if not an easy act, at least to be expected in the beginning of the novel, when various major players discuss the name of Robert Leffingwell with the British, French, Indian and Soviet Ambassadors, the latter an obnoxious epitome, the archetypal vicious communist apparatchik.
To begin with, only the Senator from South Carolina, Seabright Cooley opposes the confirmation of a man who has a reputation for solid, efficient work, but is controversial and his first opponent finds that Leffingwell has lied about his past, where there is a former student willing to testify before the appointed subcomission in this case.
The skilled nominee manages to destroy the credibility of that witness, bringing to the fore a couple of nervous breakdowns and casting doubt over the assertion that they had belonged to a…Communist cell in the past, even if the reader is already upset by the position held by the would be Secretary of State and others in his camp, who like to say: “we would rather crawl to Moscow than die in an atomic attack”…
This perspective makes an eerie connection with the present, wherein the American president no less is a proclaimed admirer of Putin- and other lesser dictators- and the higher echelons of power, advisers to the Donald are under investigation for colluding with the…Russians.
After the first witness is wrongly dismissed as a mental case, Senator Cooley identifies another former member of the same Communist cell and challenges him to call the president of the subcomission, the Senior Senator from Utah, Brig Anderson, one of the Super Heroes of this fabulous book, a man whose integrity, courage, intelligence, determination, loyalty, grit, strong character, wisdom, perseverance are an inspiration and a model to follow.
Whereas before the appearance of this second witness he had been rather favorable to Leffingwell, when he finds out the shocking revelation that James Morton has indeed been part of the same conspiracy, he decides to halt the nomination to investigate further and have a talk with the president, thinking that the latter would withdraw the name and avoid scandal.
This is not alas the case, and the other side in this battle finds a photo from the past, a period when Brig Anderson served in WW II and he has met another man, while in Honolulu and the two had had an affair that has lasted for a few weeks, after which the Senator has never had any intimate rapport of the kind, but that occurrence would nevertheless be used by ruthless operators.
The villains, nudged by the president, dig in the past, find the former lover and then start pressing the Senator from Utah, call his wife, make threats and use blackmail and to convince him that they will destroy his reputation, political career and his life ultimately, shaking the man, but without making him abandon his principles, values and moral stand.
The book has many outstanding, superb moments, one of which is when Senator Cooley, a fierce opponent in the first stage of the hearings and willing to fight and mention James Morton if Senator Anderson would not take the deposition into account, seeing the state in which the president and his clique had brought the rather young politician from Utah, abandons his struggle and says something like- well, if he has pushed you so hard against the wall and your career and future are at stake, I will stop fighting my cause and you better give him what he wants…”
Senator Brig Anderson kills himself in an act of extraordinary valor, opting to keep his honesty, integrity, rather than abandon his principles, meaning of life, he would rather die than accept the dirty deal proposed by the president, which was to step out of the way of the former Communist and everything that happened in the past would be forgotten or face oblivion.
This was a time when homosexuality was anathema and meant the end of a political career if made public- for fundamentalists, conservatives and…republicans (?) it still seems to be- although it must be said that this is not a black and white fresco, almost all the characters have flaws and strengths and this complexity adds to the brilliance of the narrative.
At the death of Senator Anderson, his friends vow to avenge the awful, abhorrent maneuver of the president and towering over the Senate is the Senior Senator from Illinois, Orrin Knox, who becomes the leading, main personage for the last part of this luminous, otherworldly novel, which has a few last chapters where the increase in intensity is almost difficult to bear and one or two tears may drop, so unexpectedly for what is a political story- but indeed, so much more than that.
The two camps clash, they have some arrangements seeing as they both- all Americans and the civilized world- have to oppose the Soviets and their moves into space – at that time the flight to the moon was dominating the airwaves and the communist propaganda, now it would be the Ukraine, Crimea, Syria.
Advise and Consent is simply stupendous.
Magnificent chef d’oeuvre
Advise and Consent is a miraculous, astounding, mesmerizing, glorious, radiant Pulitzer Prize Winner, probably the Best Political work ever that describes with singular, superlative accuracy life in the West in the period following WWII, but is is just as life like in matters that pertain to Washington in the outré age of Trump.
The chef d’oeuvre has inserted some explanations, notes from the sensational author, who explains that one of the few changes he made was regarding the subtitle, which he meant as referring to the Western World and the editors turned into a novel about life in Washington.
The novelist intends to write about life as it refers to basic emotions, people in general and not just politicians, leaders, newspaper men states Allen Drury and this fantastic masterpiece manages that with resplendence, as it describes American senators, some of them role models and others humans with a flawed character, as the junior senator from Wyoming, Fred von Ackerman, who seems to have based in part on the infamous Joseph McCarthy.
The American president appoints a new Secretary of State and the Senate is supposed to Advise and Consent this nomination, which seems to be, if not an easy act, at least to be expected in the beginning of the novel, when various major players discuss the name of Robert Leffingwell with the British, French, Indian and Soviet Ambassadors, the latter an obnoxious epitome, the archetypal vicious communist apparatchik.
To begin with, only the Senator from South Carolina, Seabright Cooley opposes the confirmation of a man who has a reputation for solid, efficient work, but is controversial and his first opponent finds that Leffingwell has lied about his past, where there is a former student willing to testify before the appointed subcomission in this case.
The skilled nominee manages to destroy the credibility of that witness, bringing to the fore a couple of nervous breakdowns and casting doubt over the assertion that they had belonged to a…Communist cell in the past, even if the reader is already upset by the position held by the would be Secretary of State and others in his camp, who like to say: “we would rather crawl to Moscow than die in an atomic attack”…
This perspective makes an eerie connection with the present, wherein the American president no less is a proclaimed admirer of Putin- and other lesser dictators- and the higher echelons of power, advisers to the Donald are under investigation for colluding with the…Russians.
After the first witness is wrongly dismissed as a mental case, Senator Cooley identifies another former member of the same Communist cell and challenges him to call the president of the subcomission, the Senior Senator from Utah, Brig Anderson, one of the Super Heroes of this fabulous book, a man whose integrity, courage, intelligence, determination, loyalty, grit, strong character, wisdom, perseverance are an inspiration and a model to follow.
Whereas before the appearance of this second witness he had been rather favorable to Leffingwell, when he finds out the shocking revelation that James Morton has indeed been part of the same conspiracy, he decides to halt the nomination to investigate further and have a talk with the president, thinking that the latter would withdraw the name and avoid scandal.
This is not alas the case, and the other side in this battle finds a photo from the past, a period when Brig Anderson served in WW II and he has met another man, while in Honolulu and the two had had an affair that has lasted for a few weeks, after which the Senator has never had any intimate rapport of the kind, but that occurrence would nevertheless be used by ruthless operators.
The villains, nudged by the president, dig in the past, find the former lover and then start pressing the Senator from Utah, call his wife, make threats and use blackmail and to convince him that they will destroy his reputation, political career and his life ultimately, shaking the man, but without making him abandon his principles, values and moral stand.
The book has many outstanding, superb moments, one of which is when Senator Cooley, a fierce opponent in the first stage of the hearings and willing to fight and mention James Morton if Senator Anderson would not take the deposition into account, seeing the state in which the president and his clique had brought the rather young politician from Utah, abandons his struggle and says something like- well, if he has pushed you so hard against the wall and your career and future are at stake, I will stop fighting my cause and you better give him what he wants…”
Senator Brig Anderson kills himself in an act of extraordinary valor, opting to keep his honesty, integrity, rather than abandon his principles, meaning of life, he would rather die than accept the dirty deal proposed by the president, which was to step out of the way of the former Communist and everything that happened in the past would be forgotten or face oblivion.
This was a time when homosexuality was anathema and meant the end of a political career if made public- for fundamentalists, conservatives and…republicans (?) it still seems to be- although it must be said that this is not a black and white fresco, almost all the characters have flaws and strengths and this complexity adds to the brilliance of the narrative.
At the death of Senator Anderson, his friends vow to avenge the awful, abhorrent maneuver of the president and towering over the Senate is the Senior Senator from Illinois, Orrin Knox, who becomes the leading, main personage for the last part of this luminous, otherworldly novel, which has a few last chapters where the increase in intensity is almost difficult to bear and one or two tears may drop, so unexpectedly for what is a political story- but indeed, so much more than that.
The two camps clash, they have some arrangements seeing as they both- all Americans and the civilized world- have to oppose the Soviets and their moves into space – at that time the flight to the moon was dominating the airwaves and the communist propaganda, now it would be the Ukraine, Crimea, Syria.
Advise and Consent is simply stupendous.
December 29, 2014
Admittedly, I often shy from lengthy books and when I discovered that this book was nearly 30 hours of listening time, I was slow to start it. However, Drury won the Pulitzer Prize with this novel and it was made into a big screen movie in 1962, which while showing my age, I still
remember for its powerful dramatic performances. So strengthened, I began the book.
I found it mesmerizing. Why? It’s plot revolves around a conflict of opinions and ideologies in the United states Senate, a body
I admittedly have spent little time studying, in spite of its significance to my American way of life. Next, the story is superbly told, the author obviously a master of his subject (as I discovered researching Drury on Wikipedia_. Lastly, the human conflict underlying the outward struggle in the senate is
marvelously keen and believable.
At its roots, “Advise and Consent,” is the story of the continuing challenge of the American democracy, the constant struggle of differing ideals to live in mutual respect, the ever present threat of the powerful elite to the freedoms of the masses, and the underlying virtues of fundamental American character.
What struck me most about this story is that although it was written more than fifty years ago, it is just as relevant in today’s America as it was when written. I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to increase their knowledge of how American democracy works for better or worse.
Approximate Listening Time: 29:40 hours
Narrator: Roy Avers (Superb)
remember for its powerful dramatic performances. So strengthened, I began the book.
I found it mesmerizing. Why? It’s plot revolves around a conflict of opinions and ideologies in the United states Senate, a body
I admittedly have spent little time studying, in spite of its significance to my American way of life. Next, the story is superbly told, the author obviously a master of his subject (as I discovered researching Drury on Wikipedia_. Lastly, the human conflict underlying the outward struggle in the senate is
marvelously keen and believable.
At its roots, “Advise and Consent,” is the story of the continuing challenge of the American democracy, the constant struggle of differing ideals to live in mutual respect, the ever present threat of the powerful elite to the freedoms of the masses, and the underlying virtues of fundamental American character.
What struck me most about this story is that although it was written more than fifty years ago, it is just as relevant in today’s America as it was when written. I recommend this book to anyone who wishes to increase their knowledge of how American democracy works for better or worse.
Approximate Listening Time: 29:40 hours
Narrator: Roy Avers (Superb)
October 14, 2020
Such a great novel. I was honestly not expecting Brig to turn out to be gay and knew what the end result would be since this was written in the 50s. I wonder what a modern take on it could be. Brig was still an honorable man and that was what was so frustrating about that portion of the novel but alas different times.
Loved Orrin and only wish we had a politician like him right now. I wish Fred could have been dragged a little more though.
Loved Orrin and only wish we had a politician like him right now. I wish Fred could have been dragged a little more though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews