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by: Charles Mccarry
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780679447610
ISBN: 067944761X
Label: Random House
Manufacturer: Random House
Number Of Pages: 385
Publication Date: June 09, 1998
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: June 09, 1998
Sales Rank: 184186
Studio: Random House
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Lucky Bastard is the suspenseful and hilarious story of a gifted politician with dangerous friends and a zipper problem. The author is Charles McCarry, a writer widely acclaimed for his richly perceptive novels of political intrigue.
John Fitzgerald Adams, known by the voters who love him as Jack, has good reason to believe he is the illegitimate son of JFK.
His goal is the same as that of any Kennedy: to reclaim the presidency . . . and enjoy as many women as possible along the way. Jack possesses an instinctual political genius, an unerring knack for charming voters and advancing his own interests.
But Jack, up from poverty, cannot make it to the Oval Office without money and support. Luckily, he becomes the beneficiary of the largesse of two maverick Russians who recognize Jack's talent and invest considerable resources in his rise to power. Jack also relies on a strong-willed wife, an ardent radical who masterminds his political moves while guarding against the threat that his wild libido will destroy his career. As Jack marches toward the presidency, others who realize the truth about his sinister connections try to stop him. But will anyone believe them?
Charles McCarry has long been recognized as the dean of Washington's novelists, 'a magical writer, the very best in this field' (Martha Gellhorn,
Sunday Telegraph). With Lucky Bastard, McCarry has written the novel of his career, a thrilling and imaginative vision of power and conspiracy in the age of Clinton.
Amazon.com Review:
Task: Concoct a plot for a novel about a draft-dodging president with a ready smile and a readier libido; a staunchly feminist, Ivy League-educated First Lady; and a political campaign funded by the suspiciously manipulable accounts of a Midwestern bank.
Result: Primary Colors? Perhaps. Or you might barely have scratched the surface of Charles McCarry's darkly byzantine and wildly perceptive new novel, Lucky Bastard. McCarry rips the skeletons from Clinton's wide-open closet and clothes them with the slightly tattered grandeur of Camelot: his hero is John Fitzgerald Adams ('Jack'), who possesses an instinctual political genius and an unerring knack for charming voters while advancing his own interests. Jack also happens to believe that he is JFK's illegitimate son, and his march to the White House carries the aura of 'divine right.'
Or is that Left? McCarry spins a labyrinthine tale of political influence driven by two maverick Russians who believe that the Communist Revolution 'happened in the wrong country at the wrong time.' They recognize Jack's talent and charisma and sponsor his rise to power in the hope of achieving tradecraft's coup de grâce: a Soviet pawn in the Oval Office.
Perhaps the novel's greatest strength is its narrator, Dmitri, a cynical Russian whose dry wit and world-weary observations anchor the unabashedly excessive (and usually lubricious) machinations of agents, handlers, recruits, and just plain folks. Thanks mostly to Dmitri, you may never again watch the evening news without a raised eyebrow and a 'What if...?' on your lips. --Kelly Flynn
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Funny, Racy and Satrical - A Winning Combination
I bought this book in August of 1998. I know WHY I bought it as I had just finished Shelley's Heart written by the same author and was anxious to read another. What I don't know is why I waited almost eight year's to read it, however it was well worth the wait. Others have outlined the plot and the comparison to "Slick Willie" Clinton. You would have to be brain dead or from another planet not to see the connection, but that is no reason to savage the book as it is funny, racy, satirical and a well ... Read More
Rating:  - Interesting plot idea not fully realized
The idea that a gifted American politician is actually an unwitting tool of an international communist conspiracy that hopes to put him into the White House is certainly intriguing. It would make an interesting book. This isn't quite it, though. The author spends considerable time detailing the machinations behind all this, but I find the characters totally without dimension or interest on their own and serving merely to advance the plot. The question quickly becomes, how will it all turn out. Once ... Read More
Rating:  - His best since Shelley's Heart
Those that are giving this 1 star are inconsoloble Clinton lovers. This is the best book written about the Clinton's....yes the Clinton's. The deal with China in the book spells it all out and is historically accurate. I can't believe this is not in paperback, this is a great thriller and just plain intersting whether you love or hate Bill. Highly recommended. BUY IT!
Rating:  - How Long Has He Been Writing?
The novel features totally unbelieveable plots, cardboard cutout figures whom it is hard to identify with or sympathize with, the strangest motivations masquerading as realism and an off-the-cliff ending that is not satisfying. The sex is near-pornographic and not believeable to the point of being almost funny. The main character has the behaviour of a robot and seems to have no inner life or feelings. The author hates liberals so badly I think he would personally like to go out and kill them bare ... Read More
Rating: - Hmmm, this guy seems familiar...
When I bought this book, it was for my husband. He raved about it so much, I read it myself. It is like 3 stories, rolled into one. First is the story of the young rapist/spy. Second, is the story of spy/politician. Third is the race for the presidency. McCarry wove all three stories together masterfully. The energy didn't keep up all the way to the end, but it is still a great read!
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