“Fear” is a typical Woodward book in that named sources for scenes, thoughts and quotations appear only sometimes. Woodward has never been a graceful writer, but the prose here is unusually wooden. Wooden Woodward
I can go with that. Wasn't aware it was "typical though.
Woodward dispenses in “Fear” with most of the small human details that brightened his earlier books. There is no moment like the one in “Bush at War” (2002) in which George W. Bush said to a Navy steward on duty in the West Wing, “Ferdie, I want a hamburger.”
Don't remember that from B.a.W. "Ferdie, I want a hamburger."? Don't know why I or anyone would remember that. Remember, "History? We'll all be dead." Remember that one. But if fast food is the small human detail that "brightens" books, geez, you'll find plenty of fast food human detail in "Fear."
If this book has a single point to drive home, it is that the president of the United States is a congenital liar.
But you know Dwight (Garner) but I call him Dwight sometimes Ike, Wooduffy bird pumped on even that one. On pages 207-9, two full pages of anecdote, Wooduffy set the scene for the book's biggest non sequitur:
At the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany in early July...Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull...[said to Trump] "If you do ever put steel tariffs on...you've got to exempt Australian steel...You got to let us out..."
"Of course," Trump said, "we'll let you out. That makes total sense...
Gary Cohn, who was in the meeting was pleased.
...
Nearly eight months later, on February 23, 2018, Turnbull arrived at the White House...
In the prep session...for the meeting, Cohn reminded Trump of his pledge.
...
"I don't remember," Trump said..."I'm going to deny it...I never had that conversation with him."
...
"He's a professional liar," Cohn told an associate.
At lunch Turnbull carefully stepped Trump through their time at the G20 the previous summer.
Remember we were in Hamburg?
...
And you agreed to let me out of any steel tariff?
"Oh, yeah," Trump answered, "I guess I remember that."
Cohn laughed
WHERE'S THE BEEF WOODUFFY?! That is I believe the single longest anecdote in the whole goddamned book. The money shot should have been Trump confirming that "He's a professional liar" by denying the steel tariff out. Instead TRUMP DIDN'T LIE TO TURNBULL! The money shot was a dry hump, Wooduffy! LAME!
I wish “Fear” had other points to make.
Yep. Some coherent ones, you know, consistent, that would have been special.
I wanted more context, more passion, a bit of irony and certainly more simple history. Surely Woodward, of all people, has worthwhile comparisons to make between Trump and Richard Nixon.
Double yep but instead of "history" I would want more analysis, more compare and contrast. Didn't get that either.
But this is not Woodward’s way. “Fear” picks up little narrative momentum. It’s a slow tropical storm of a book, not a hurricane.
It's a wet dish rag.
I can go with that. Wasn't aware it was "typical though.
Woodward dispenses in “Fear” with most of the small human details that brightened his earlier books. There is no moment like the one in “Bush at War” (2002) in which George W. Bush said to a Navy steward on duty in the West Wing, “Ferdie, I want a hamburger.”
Don't remember that from B.a.W. "Ferdie, I want a hamburger."? Don't know why I or anyone would remember that. Remember, "History? We'll all be dead." Remember that one. But if fast food is the small human detail that "brightens" books, geez, you'll find plenty of fast food human detail in "Fear."
If this book has a single point to drive home, it is that the president of the United States is a congenital liar.
But you know Dwight (Garner) but I call him Dwight sometimes Ike, Wooduffy bird pumped on even that one. On pages 207-9, two full pages of anecdote, Wooduffy set the scene for the book's biggest non sequitur:
At the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany in early July...Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull...[said to Trump] "If you do ever put steel tariffs on...you've got to exempt Australian steel...You got to let us out..."
"Of course," Trump said, "we'll let you out. That makes total sense...
Gary Cohn, who was in the meeting was pleased.
...
Nearly eight months later, on February 23, 2018, Turnbull arrived at the White House...
In the prep session...for the meeting, Cohn reminded Trump of his pledge.
...
"I don't remember," Trump said..."I'm going to deny it...I never had that conversation with him."
...
"He's a professional liar," Cohn told an associate.
At lunch Turnbull carefully stepped Trump through their time at the G20 the previous summer.
Remember we were in Hamburg?
...
And you agreed to let me out of any steel tariff?
"Oh, yeah," Trump answered, "I guess I remember that."
Cohn laughed
WHERE'S THE BEEF WOODUFFY?! That is I believe the single longest anecdote in the whole goddamned book. The money shot should have been Trump confirming that "He's a professional liar" by denying the steel tariff out. Instead TRUMP DIDN'T LIE TO TURNBULL! The money shot was a dry hump, Wooduffy! LAME!
I wish “Fear” had other points to make.
Yep. Some coherent ones, you know, consistent, that would have been special.
I wanted more context, more passion, a bit of irony and certainly more simple history. Surely Woodward, of all people, has worthwhile comparisons to make between Trump and Richard Nixon.
Double yep but instead of "history" I would want more analysis, more compare and contrast. Didn't get that either.
But this is not Woodward’s way. “Fear” picks up little narrative momentum. It’s a slow tropical storm of a book, not a hurricane.
It's a wet dish rag.
