Another fun read by Charles McCarry. Found a hardcover copy of this one at a used book sale for only 2 bucks and snapped it up. At 558 pages I was a little intimidated to begin, so it sat around a while. I'm not one to read "Political Thrillers" either, which also didn't get me to rush to it.What fun it was to read. McCarry has a straightforward writing style, much less esoteric than, say, LeCarre, and he created a very interesting plot for Shelley's Heart. It's quite engaging, with each chapter no more than three or four pages, just enough revealed to make you want to move onto the next chapter. I wouldn't even classify it as a pure political thriller; there's a lot of mystery and, if you will, crime solving aspects to it. There are a few less believable aspects to the plot, and a few scenes that cause one to raise one's eyebrows, but I just suspended my belief and considered it as being part of the fun. I really didn't even care how the story ended; it could have gone in several directions and it would have been fine with me. This is one of those books where it's just the joy of the story unfolding that makes it a pleasure to read, and not so much where it ends up. I looked at some other Goodreads reviews after I finished, just to see what others thought. There are some references in Shelley's Heart to characters from McCarry's previous novels, but this story is not meant to be a continuation of anything. It stands on its own, and none of his other books needs to be read before jumping into this one.A good one to take with you to the beach (even for such a hefty size).
Cognitive dissonance. I'm so used to political fiction where the bad guys are invariably rich, greedy businessmen and it's the conservatives that are the bigots that a novel where elitist left-wingers are behind all the nefarious plots is disorienting, even though I tend to share McCarry's world view. Also, this was written in the 90s, back when the idea of a president ordering the assassination of a foreign terrorist was enough to get him impeached, rather than applauded. Stolen elections and constitutional coups are timely issues as well, but I doubt most progressive readers could get far enough into this to have their assumptions challenged. Turns out there are a bunch of previous books in this series, all of which I was completely unaware of.
What do You think about Shelley's Heart (1995)?
McCarry's latest political thriller is a bit of a disappointment, too long, fairly improbable and badly written. On the eve of his inauguration as President, Frosty Lockwood is told by his political rival, Mallory, that the election results were falsified and that Lockwood should stand down. This sets off a train of events as the 2 political rivals battle it out with their supporters and legal teams. Problem is that I just didn't really get into the character at all till about 150 pages into the book, way too long for what is meant to be a gripping thriller. Maybe the problem is that this is a novel of the now, not set in the past as most of his other novels were. Eventually, the plot captured me enough to finish the book, simply to find out what the conspiracy was all about. Never knew Shelley had any other claim to fame except his poetry. Only in America ...
—Jen
I was disappointed with this book. Did not finish it. Found it ponderous, too full of detail that did not add to the plot or characters, and far too arcanely political. I plodded on for 300 pages or so because I thought I ought to be liking it, and then gave up, unusual for me. A reviewer compared McCarry favorably to John LeCarre, an assessment with which I cannot agree. I was not captivated by any character, nor was there (for me) any suspense. The irony seemed too contrived. I read the end of the book out of curiosity to see how it wound up, and found the resolution unsatisfying and silly.
—Jane Guyton
In a presidential election (2004), Mallory loses to Lockwood because of election fraud that turns out to have been done by Horace Hubbard, a relative of Paul Christopher who by now is dead. In addition to charges of fraud, Lockwood has to deal with a political assassination that it appears that he has ordered (and did not). An impeachment trial is held. The reference to Shelley is to a secret Yale university society named after Percy Bysche Shelley whose members assist each other in causes to bring about a socialist type society, “in the name of the poet ” Hammet, who is Chief Justice of the Supreme court is one of these. It is a good book, with a detailed plot. Not much filler. I read this book originally in October 2002 and it was re-reading. There is a wealth of detail with the author drawing on the precedents of the trials of Nixon and Johnson.
—Ian Robb
