Trudy Hopedale

by Jeffrey Frank

On the eve of the 2000 election, the charmed life of Washington hostess Trudy Hopedale is quietly falling apart. Her daytime talk show is about to be hijacked by a younger, prettier assistant, and then there is the horrifying novel that her husband has written in secret, which contains some rather troubling implications for a former Foreign Service colleague. And what is her mother-in-law telling everyone?

Trudy's dear friend Donald Frizzé has benefited greatly from their friendship. A widely recognized expert on the U.S. vice presidency and a frequent guest on Trudy's program, Donald's latest scholarly pursuit is a highly anticipated biography of Garrett Augustus Hobart, McKinley's VP. Exactly who anticipates this book is hard to say, and soon Donald finds himself dodging the awkward questions of plagiarism and his sexuality, frequently during the same conversation.
Amid tides of intrigue and shifting allegiances, this little town's extraordinary inhabitants swim helplessly, and alarmingly, toward their remarkable fates. With a bewitching sense of nostalgia, Jeffrey Frank has written an exquisitely funny, tender, and deeply perceptive novel that vividly invokes the simpler world of only yesterday.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Worked as senior editor at The New Yorker. Also worked for The Washington Post.

Reviews

[Brianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick read. I wanted the plot to be more engaging, but did come to enjoy the commentary on DC social life. Reading 20 years after it was set, it was an interesting reminder of what politics of 2000, especially in comparison to recent political developments of the past few years. The characters are very shallow and unlikable, and the writing style underwhelming.

[Hank Stuever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure why I put off reading this for so long -- it came out five years ago. Kind of wickedly wonderful satirical takedown of the old Georgetown social set in the waning, pre-9/11 era. Horrible people being horrible to one another but managing, of course, to love themselves. Not just satire; there's a real vein of melancholy under it. Abrupt ending left me cold -- it was meant to, I'm sure.

[Andrea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! Why did I even bother with this book? Boring, plotless, unlikeable characters. Why, oh why, did I bother??

[Pooch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeffrey Frank employs the ballot-counting debacle of the 2000 election as a back drop for the coming change in DC and its ripple effects among the D-list social set. Events swirl around wanna-be socialite Trudy Hopedale, a party-giving friend seeker among the influential people. Irony is so heavily slathered on this story that it is...well, ironic. There's some humor, some recognizable stereotypes, and enough bits of history that kept me reading, finally reaching the bitter end.


Re-reading. May,2015

Satire of Washington DC society and politics.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't understand what was supposed to be appealing about the book. Tongue-in-cheek tone, boring plot.

[Pbwritr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful book--an inside look at Washington society--from two viewpoints. Very shallow characters, but the dialogue is as if they are talking out loud. Very enjoyable and very quick to read.

[Stella Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-read. Well-written and amusing.

[Mary sipp rigby · Rating 1 out of 5]

short read not that great

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing, quick read...with very unlikeable characters!

[Joanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gah, I can't read this. I get that the tone is supposed to be clever and sarcastic, I say it's just annoying.