Dog Days

by Ana Marie Cox

Melanie Thorton's promising career as a campaign staffer for presidential hopeful John Hillman is compromised by a renegade political group that possesses scandalous information about the candidate and a gossip columnist who would exploit Melanie's affair with a married political journalist. 75,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Politics, Chick Lit

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 5, 2006

About the author

Ana Marie Cox is an American author and blogger who was the founding editor of the political blog Wonkette and is widely considered synonymous with the title.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you really like politics and are looking for a mindlessly entertaining novel (and won't be made too miserable reading about a fictional version of the 2004 presidential race), this book may be for you. The plot was pretty silly for the most part, but I enjoyed the writing style, which made the main character likable enough that you didn't always notice how shallow and self-involved she generally was. And plenty of clever and amusing observations about politics, which I definitely had a few chuckles over! On the other hand, I also found myself thinking more than once, "Oh God, no, not ANOTHER cocktail party scene."

[Ari · Rating 2 out of 5]

"None of these people had gotten to where they were by being interesting. 'Interesting' rarely translated into power. 'Interesting,' in fact, often gave people ammunition to get you out of power. And if 'interesting' got your foot in the door, you unlearned 'interesting' on your way up."

Not as much of a grand send up of DC as I'd imagined. The tone isn't nearly as acerbic as I had hoped and I actually wish Julie had been the main character. The ending also made no sense, at first I thought it was clever and then I realized it was just strange, maybe with 50 or more pages more could have been done with the last minute plot twist. But it was interesting to read a thinly veiled account of the Kerry campaign/Swift Boat controversy since I barely remember that election. And as the years go on it will probably be harder to identify other people in the story so that might be good but I finished it thinking I'd missed some key references and perhaps that was why it wasn't as funny as I'd hoped. Every so often moments like the quote in the opening sentence shine through (another favorite was her commentary about the uselessness of women carrying small backpacks) but there aren't enough to keep you entertained by every page.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I forgot to even add this one to my "currently reading" list.

I had a very hard time getting into this book. The writing is really very good, but the characters are all truly horrible, selfish people. There was no one to "root" for.

That may seem childish, but I couldn't find a single character that I felt vested in enough for me to really enjoy this book.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I literally just finished reading Dog Days by Ana Marie Cox, the creator of Wonkette and original contributor to that must-read sassy political blog. The book received a lot of fanfare prior to its release and really hasn’t fulfilled all the hype and excitement. That is, if you listed to the DC political community which reads Wonkette religiously but feigns disinterest whenever the topic comes up. I’m willing to say that I loved the book. In some ways, I totally understood where the main Melanie character was coming from. I felt in the know while reading the tidbits that occurred in her life as she pinballs around campaign life, cocktail party life, and oh-so-infrequent social life.

This novel begins in the crazy post-Democratic convention period of August, and how a staffer in the Democratic campaigns careens from high to low and everywhere in-between. She’s trying to deal with the crazy right wing attacks on her candidate and her discrete but insane personal life. When the two are played together, the novel kicks into high gear. I flew through the book, though felt the ending was a bit rushed. Another 20-30 pages could have cleaned up the various plot lines with a little more depth and nuance that were very evident in the first few chapters.

I have to say, I put down the book a few nights ago, about half-way through it, so I could google up price plans for a BlackBerry! Get this book and read it, especially if you’re a political hack. Players should read it too, but I’m okay with you pretending that you wouldn’t deign to read such prattle. Read it, learn it, live it!

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will readily admit that I am a big fan of the wonkette blog. Wonkette is one of those sites that I visit at least two to three times a week – sometimes more. So, when I saw this book on sale at the dollar store while I was looking for sudoku puzzles for my grandmother, I had to pick it up.

I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. When I finished undergrad with my degree in political science, I think I always dreamed of something like the life that is described here, but alas life for me and most of the fellow poli sci majors I know has turned out quite different. The District during the throes of a presidential campaign is just a great setting for a book. This one was a little chick litty with the same themes that you might find from one of those pink or light blue covered books on sale at target, but I don’t hate the whole chick lit thing, so that was not at all bad for me. I will, however, conquer with the criticism I read elsewhere that the final ¼ of the book falls apart just a little bit after a much more impressive start.

All hail Ana Marie Cox and the most entertaining political gossip blog out there – wonkette.

[Katey Aquilina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off great. Its a really funny and scandalous read about campaigns and the crap that you can sometimes easily get tangled up in. B/c its from Wonkette, its done very honestly and very "DC". All the landmarks and streets and such are for real, so if you know DC its kinda nice to have a mental map as a frame of reference.

My biggest problem w/the book was how it ended. It was very abrupt. Around about 50 pages to go, I realized that the story wasnt really close to over, but I didnt have that much left. I was wondering how it was going to get wrapped up. Well it did and fast. All of a sudden it goes from everything going haywire to the protagonist flipping out and then its just over. No real resolution, just like "ok, this is how this ended." very dissapointed in that.

But, if you like DC and campaigns and scandalous love, jealously and sex stories....then its a pretty decent read.

[Stop]

Read the STOP SMILING interview with Ana Marie Cox:

10 QUESTIONS FOR ANA MARIE COX
By John Williams

(This interview originally appeared in the STOP SMILING DC Issue)

Ana Marie Cox grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska and graduated from the University of Chicago. She came to fame in 2003 as the founding editor of the political blog Wonkette. In 2006, Cox published Dog Days, a novel that satirized life in the political whirlpool. The New York Times called it “brisk, smart, smutty, knowing and very well-written.” Cox is now at work on another book and contributes to Radar and Time magazine’s Swampland blog.

Read more...

[karenbee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you, Scott Fitzgerald, for teaching me that if I loathe EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER in a book, I probably will not enjoy the reading experience. Sometimes I read on anyway, if the writing style is compelling or it's an Important Book or my spidey senses tell me the characters will undergo some fundamental change that makes them likeable, but Dog Days didn't hit any of those points for me.

I don't care about anyone in Cox's story and I have no desire to read about their political maneuverings and adulterous affairs. I don't care about their graham-cracker heels or their champagne preferences or their stupid Blackberries. The most hilarious thing about Dog Days is that somehow I ended up with two copies, and I can't make it past the first fistful of pages -- I got to page 36. I'm done.

[Bookmarks Magazine]

Wonkette's tenure as Washington D.C.'s favorite blogger doesn't buy much sympathy for the jump into print. Her notoriety certainly precedes her, and she doesn't help her case by delivering a thinly veiled account of her life and times (so far) on the World Wide Web. More damning to her cause is an anemic plot and a fixation on consumer frills (Charles David shoes; the ubiquitous BlackBerry) that keep her debut novel a purely surface-oriented affair. Reviewers praise the few moments Cox is able to capture her trademark snark on the page, but the general feeling is that what works in brief can't be sustained for over 200 pages. May as well turn to www.wonkette.com.

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I could. It was amusing in spots but rarely laugh out loud funny, which I think it aspired to be. The story itself was somewhat engaging. Perhaps it suffered from the timing of when I read it in that there has been so much criticism of the media and how it handles scandals and colorful personalities. I found it to be a little flat. The main character is likable enough, but not so much so that I was really rooting for her throughout the story. An acceptable poolside book, but nothing to seek out.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is based on a real life blog, I believe it's called "wonkette". This is a book based in Washington DC and follows the hot political gossip going around. There's a Hollywood madam-type making her rounds in DC and two friends and political advisors find her and begin to use her to their advantage. It's funny and current - an overall entertaining read.

[Jennifer Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Your basic middle-of-the-road chicklit, except in Washington, DC, instead of New York. Not offensively bad, not going to change your life.

[Ellen]

I know, I'm about 3 years behind on this.

[Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

For all my friends who wonder what I do as a lobbyist and campaign consultant, this is a pretty accurate depiction (though on D.C. speed rather than local gov't).

[Brian Esser · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book that started out as strong as this, it really tanked at the end. Read the first two thirds and then put it down.

[Maggie Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

disarming honesty about the insider's life in DC. I like Wonkette, so thought I'd like this book. It was a bit more realistic than I imagined.

[Loren Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this a while ago, so don't remember the details...but do remember that i thought it was hilarious and witty!

[Khanson919 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3 1/2 stars if possible. Really captured DC in August and what it is like to be a staffer on a campaign.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, enjoyable Summer book. Nothing living changing but worth a read!

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its funny, and gives a very interesting look into what is happening behind all the campaigning that happens in Washington!!! Different book for me to read, but did not leave me disappointed at all!

[Isabel Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is SUCH an insider DC book, lots of laughs if you are DC enough to recognize the people

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy beach read, not much to it.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually like her writing but this was a big disappointment. I really wanted to like it but it lacked the wit that is usually central to her work.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny!!!! Love the wit and GOLDENISMS reminds me of BUSHISMS lol.
I'm also a political blogger, which is essentially how I found out about this novel

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chick lit for the politico set from former Wonkette editor Cox. Smart, funny -- a quick read.