Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics - Anonymous (Joe Klein)

Written by Anonymous (Joe Klein)
Read by Lloyd James
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Release date: August 6, 2012
Duration: 14:46:58

Primary Colors has its rich rewards as a savvy insider’s look at life on the stump. But it travels far beyond mere gossip and exposé to discover a convincing world of its own, peopled by smart cookies, nutcases, and wheeler-dealers, whose public and private lives illuminate each other—sometimes by casting dark shadows. This story spans the novelistic spectrum from bedroom farce to high moral drama, and it paints a picture of the political state of the nation so vivid and authentic that one finds in it the deepest kind of truth—the kind of truth that only fiction can tell.

The book begins as an idealistic former congressional worker, Henry Burton, joins the presidential campaign of Southern governor Jack Stanton, a thinly disguised stand-in for Bill Clinton The plot then follows the primary election calendar beginning in New Hampshire where Stanton’s affair with Cashmere, his wife’s hairdresser, and his participation in a Vietnam War era protest come to light and threaten to derail his presidential prospects.

In Florida, Stanton revives his campaign by disingenuously portraying his Democratic opponent as insufficiently pro-Israel and as a weak supporter of Social Security. Burton becomes increasingly disillusioned with Stanton, who is a policy wonk who talks too long, eats too much and is overly flirtatious toward women. Stanton is also revealed to be insincere in his beliefs, saying whatever will help him to win. Matters finally come to a head, and Burton is forced to choose between idealism and realism.

There are so many characters to follow. Try to identify all the people whom characters may represent, and then check your guesses with the entry in Wikipedia.