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Book Review By James Craver
Primary Colors by Joe Klein

Told through the eyes of young political consultant Harvey Burton, Klein's debut novel, a thinly-veiled portrait of the 1992 Democratic presidential primaries, is a biting satire of the political game.

When Harvey Burton is approached by representatives of Jack Stanton, the youthful, charismatic governor of a small southern state, he thinks it's just another job. But then a strange thing happens. He actually begins to believe in his candidate. And that could be a problem, because Jack Stanton's candidacy seems to be doomed before it even begins.

As the episodic plot careens from crisis to crisis, Henry and his motley crew of oddball campaign workers must deal with the threat posed by the governor of New York, whose mere existence as a possible contender is enough to drain their funds. Then he has to fend off reporters asking about Stanton's draft-dodging during Vietnam. Then the news of an extramarital affair hits the papers.

And then there are the other candidates to deal with. Most of them aren't serious contenders, but one of them, Lawrence Harris, a retired senator from New Hampshire with an attractive platform and a slick campaign, threatens to snatch victory from Stanton's grasp before the first primary has ended.

When Senator Harris suffers an unexpected heart-attack and slips into a coma, it seems that Stanton and his campaign will win. Until the fallen senator's wife unveils a replacement candidate.

Fred Picker used to be Jack Stanton, a long time ago. Now he's Stanton's worst nightmare: a charismatic campaigner with a knack for playing to the cameras and the help of the sympathy vote. Soon the Stanton campaign finds itself hampered by scandal after scandal as it fights the ultimate uphill battle against a brilliant political mind.



Plot & Themes
Tone of story - Dry-cynical
Time/era of story:
Spying/Terrorism Thriller Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets:
Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
descript. of violence and chases - 0 %
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 %
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30 %

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status:
Age: - 40's-50's
Ethnicity/Race

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 60's-90's
Profession/status:
Eccentric: Yes
Motive of antagonist - kicks
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast - Southeast
City? Yes
City: - wealthy
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Misc setting - fancy mansion

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Explicit sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references - descript of kissing - touching of anatomy - licking - impregnation/reproduction - actual description of sex
Unusual forms of death - perforation--bullets
Unusual form of death? Yes
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
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