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True Believers (2012)

by Kurt Andersen(Favorite Author)

3.59 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1400067200 (ISBN13: 9781400067206)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Random House

review 1: This novel tells the story of a distinguished woman in her 60s preparing to write her memoir, and as she researches her own life, coming to terms with a huge indiscretion in her past. I nearly rated this 5 stars based on sheer readability -- the author does a great job of meting out information at just the right pace to keep you wanting to read more. Though I'm too young to remember it firsthand, I would imagine that this book does a really good job of capturing the craziness and excitement of the late '60s. A few of the cultural markers seemed a bit forced (particularly the Jimi Hendrix concert) and things wrap up a little bit more neatly than I had hoped, but overall this was a really fun read, and left me with lots to think about in terms of the nature of memory, to ... morewhat extent we are the product of the time in which we exist, and the limited extent to which we can escape our pasts.
review 2: I rate this book somewhere between a four and five. I think Andersen does a great job in capturing the mind-set of the 1960s, both the early and late stages. The frequent references to books, music and events are essential to recreating the mood of the era and the development of the story. The telling of the story from the adult Karen adds a reflectiveness that would be missing from the 18 year old Karen. The book has a few notes, that if not false, were a little hard to believe. The biggest one for me was the character of Stewart. It seemed too convenient that Karen would have an ex-beau who just happened to be a CIA agent who is willing to put his career on the line for an old friend and lover who he hadn't seen in years but apparently had a very amicable separation. (Yet without such a character, how would the story proceed?) Another false note for me was the death of one of her co-conspirators who she would expose with the publication of her memoir. I think a bit of remorse would have been appropriate here. These are small quibbles in an otherwise very entertaining story. less

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