turn the page, you will like it.

In the late (and dearly missed) Noel Perrin's book A Reader's Delight, (essays about minor/obscure classics he enjoyed) he wrote about a book called Democracy by Henry Adams. (Adams' grandfather was John Quincy Adam and obviously his great-grandfather was John Adams. Not a bad little blood line if I do say so myself) It is about a widow from New York who having grown bored with life has decided to live in Washington D.C. to get close to politics and possibly come to understand it. She is only thirty years old and takes along her unmarried sister and they quickly become part of the political social scene. In particular she becomes acquainted with an older senator from Illinois. There are a number of interesting characters (some European, some from old Virginian families and others who come from not so old families) and the books themes deal with power and the use/abuse of said power. It takes place after the civil war (there are several mentions of it through-out the book) and another significant part of the book is a new president has been elected. The President's surname is never revealed (but is said to be based on a few different presidents of the period) and is more of a far-off figure vs. the various lawyers, elected officials and diplomats that figure more deeply. It is a short novel and when it came out it was published anonymously. (and only revealed upon the death of Henry Adams)

It is still a book that holds up well. The characters approach and discuss subjects that still carry a lot of weight and controversy to this day. I said the other day to someone else that I wish Noel Perrin was still alive as I would love to write him a letter and thank him for suggesting this book and tell him how much I am enjoying it. There are no distinct political parties in the book -because really that isn't so important. It is more about the universal experience of politics and the same sort of people over and over again that appear in such an arena. Whether it is 1880 or 2008 -the nonsense never really changes.
The other element of the book has to do with society and the interactions of men and women. Whether it is alliances made for personal advancement/gain or genuine love and admiration of the other person. It is a sly little book. Adams sort of makes me think of Thackeray sometimes. In particular how he (Thackeray) wrote Vanity Fair; in that there were no heroes/heroines and that everyone had some sort of flaw or failing that could/would bring about some aspect of ruin or disappointment in the end.

I picked this up at the library sale -for twenty five cents. It is truly worth more than that when it comes to the reading experience.