Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza

Are you a political junkie? Looking for an entertaining and timely novel to finish off your summer reading? Consider CHARLOTTE WALSH LIKES TO WIN by Jo Piazza. This novel chronicles the US Senate campaign by Charlotte Walsh, a 40-something Silicon Valley titan who moves her young family back to Northeast Pennsylvania to compete against Ted “Tug” Slaughter, an aging, bigoted incumbent and philanderer.  The combination of Charlotte’s dysfunctional childhood and successes in the technology field means that she strives for approval. It is painful to observe her transformation during the campaign as actions, although often rational, become increasing self-serving and engineered to up her odds of winning.

I loved the rural PA setting and reference to life there, including details like this: “‘Nice of you to get your doopa out of bed in time for dinner.’ Charlotte muffled a laugh at the local slang word for backside.  It had been years since she’d heard anyone use the word doopa.”  The snarky comments about politics are both sad and amusing: “Tell people one true thing before you tell them a lie.  Then it will be easier for them to believe the lie.” OR “But you’re not lying. You’re just telling people what they want to hear. There’s a difference.”  OR “Each day on the campaign trail was like a scene from Groundhog Day – the same stock speeches, the same requests for cash, the same smile for every photo op.”

Charlotte does seem to change and so does her marriage to Max. He takes a leave of absence in order to care for their three daughters who are five and under. Issues of trust, partnership and purpose abound.  Leila, Charlotte’s long-time executive assistant, also faces some tough choices. Piazza, an award-winning journalist, weaves contemporary issues both big (abortion and gun reform) and small (e.g., type of shoes being worn) along with rumors, sound bites and candid photographs to create an intense, complex campaign story.
Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy in order to write this honest review; you can read an excerpt here.

The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close

The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close is a very reflective, melancholy book which tells the story of a newly married 20-something named Beth, and her husband, Matt. He has political ambitions and ends up running the campaign of a good friend, Jimmy Dillon. Beth follows Matt to Texas where they move into the basement apartment in Jimmy and Ashleigh’s (his wife and Beth‘s friend) huge house. All seems well, but resentments seethe and tempers eventually flare. Throughout it all, Beth seems to not really care very much about herself, about working, about her marriage. She sets herself at a distance – maybe so as to not be hurt?  I felt compelled to keep reading because I was hopeful that *something* would happen to lonely Beth; be wary of her ennui.  

The Hopefuls may actually have sparked more interest if told from Matt’s viewpoint or in tandem.  Otherwise, recent pop culture references (e.g., Tim Riggins and Friday Night Lights) are fun. And, in this election year, insider discussions of political strategy should also appeal to readers. The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close received a starred review from Booklist.