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Rating: Summary: The Truthhunter Review: Fiction can sometimes be more revealing than a bare recital of fact. (One need only think of Dickens' novels and how he described 19th century England to see how this can be so.) Buckley's book accomplishes this with his portrait of Senator Joe McCarthy. The novel's subplot, involving the fictional Harry Boncteau (sp?), is compelling, and is woven nicely into the overall story. The McCarthy Buckley describes is ambitious, blind to some aspects of human nature, and prone to excess, but basically good, and, as we now know, right in his basic thesis: Communists had systematically penetrated American institutions, with subvursive intent. Art imitates life in Buckley's portrayal of the seething class hatred for McCarthy on the part of the Left/Establishment. It was/is part and parcel of their animus toward anyone who dared to expose the truth: Nixon, Chambers, and sepecially McCarthy. This novel, which I read in one sitting, finishing in the wee hours, is both compelling literature and thought-provoking in terms of it's ideas. Hopefully, with Soviet archives open and their records validating much of what he said, this book will become the basis for a reexamination of a controversial American life. -Lloyd A. Conway
Rating: Summary: The Truth Hunter Review: The novelist can sometimes unfold truth before a reader's eyes in ways that a historian cannot. This is well known: Dickens' "Bleak House" was perhaps as much a critique of classical economics (a la Mill) as a novel, for example. Buckley's latest work is in that tradition. Rehabilitating Senator Joe McCarthy is a long-overdue labor. This novel painted a compelling picture of a three-dimensional hero, warts included, who lived a quintessinal American success story, until his fall. There is no doubt in my mind that certain elements in our society will view with disfavor a novel that seeks to humanize one of the all-time bogeymen of the Left. The objective reader will have to give careful thought to the thesis of this book, however. That thesis is that there was organized Communist penetration of our government, that their intentions were treasonous, and that McCarthy did right and good in exposing them. He went to excess, but his sins pale next to those of the Establishment types who ignored the threat, and who probably viewed it with sympathy. (Class haterd seeps from many of the characters in the book, both historical and fictional, for the upstart chicken farmer from Wisconsin who shook up their little world.) Political considerations aside, I read it in one day, staying up until the wee hours to finish it. This is a classic yarn, and a compelling page-turner. -Lloyd A. Conway
Rating: Summary: The best summer read of '99. Review: This is a wonderfully written account of a great but flawed American Hero. Bill Buckley still writes better then anyone. Even though, most are aware of the trials and tribulations of Senator McCarthy - this book is un-put downable. I never thought Mr. Buckley could top his Blackie Oakes stories, till I read "The Redhunter". Regardless of what you may think of the late senator - this is a great read. The book explains the early 1950's and the very real threat from Stalin led Russia in a way that not only entertains but teaches as well. I give this book five stars!
Rating: Summary: A view you don't hear much. Review: Until I read some of the reviews, I thought that Harry was a real person. It seemed to tell a reasonable tale that you never hear because everyone seemed to think McCarthy was a nut. Well from what history really tells us is that a lot of it was true. Like the atomic secrets from reading "The Making of the atomic Bomb" by Richard Road to finding out how they were copying all our industrial processes from spys in civil production plants. I got that from "Dark Sun" from the same author. I found the story to be interest like the problem with Harry and his girl. Also I didn't know the whole thing fell apart because of that David Schine thing. What a load of crap that was. What I didn't like about the books were all the obscure references. I'm only not 60 so I didn't recognize everything that was going on. I felt like I had to do research while I was reading the book. The author could have helped by adding a notes section in the back to explain the references like I have seen in books like Crime and Punishment or The Jungle that explained some of the references of the time. I don't know why there was such a big deal about McCarthy after this. You may enjoy it if you don't know the history.
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