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Windy City: A Novel of Politics
The acclaimed author of the intensely powerful novel Pretty Birds , Scott Simon now gives us a story that is both laugh-out-loud funny and heart-piercing–as sprawling and brawling as Chicago, where politics is a contact sport.
The mayor of Chicago is found in his office late at night, sitting in his boxer shorts, facedown dead in a pizza. The mayor was a hero and a dynamic, charming, ingenious, corruptible, and a masterly manipulator. The city mourns. But it’s discovered that the mayor was murdered–shortly after he may have begun to squeal on some of his colleagues at City Hall. Over the next four days, police race to find the mayor’s killer, while the politicians who bemoan his passing scramble for his throne.
At the center is Sundaran “Sunny” Roopini, forty-eight, alderman of the Forty-eighth Ward, and vice-mayor. Sunny is an Indian immigrant, a restaurant owner, and a recent widower. He is getting tired of politics and wants to hold on just long enough to do the best for his two restive teenage daughters. But as acting interim mayor for a few days, Sunny must deal with forty-nine other aldermen who have their own clashing ambitions.
How will Sunny do what’s best for both his family and city in a time of crisis?
As The Last Hurrah embodied urban politics for a previous generation, Windy City captures politics in the multiethnic tumult of today’s big city, where a stalled subway raises fears of a terrorist attack and smoke-filled rooms are abolished by no-smoking statutes. The story takes a raft of colorful characters–pinky-ringed pols, pious reformers, money-grubbers, and wheeler-dealers of every creed, color, and proclivity–through City Hall corridors, neighborhood restaurants and clubs, weddings, sex scandals, gospel churches, police stations, and sting operations to deliver an ending that is unexpectedly noble.
Windy City is a roller coaster of a novel that dips and soars through the amusement park of politics. With echoes of Primary Colors and Thank You for Smoking , Windy City will win votes as the best political novel in many years. Its personal story–about a flawed, decent man thrust suddenly under hot lights–will also win hearts.
Praise for Windy
“Delectable… Offers an insider’s view of the kind of urban political fray–albeit fictional–that Barack Obama emerged from as an Illinois state legislator representing Chicago’s South Side…. Windy City’s articulate and witty protagonist … must juggle dirty secrets and deal making…”– USA Today
“Comic but sneakily affecting… The rich multiculturalism of the American city is not a new phenomenon… rarely, however, has it been depicted with such unabashed affection... The zeal with which he celebrates the city, warts and all, is hard to resist.. Simon’s choice of hero…is an immensely appealing figure.”– Washington Post Book World
“Pitch-perfect… Scott Simon, NPR host, knows his way around politics… His dialogue throws off sparks and shrieks like a Chicago El-car…Recommended to all political junkies.”– The Roanoke Times (Virginia)
“A hilarious satirical novel about politics.”–Clarence Page, The Chicago Tribune
“ Entertaining and well-observed … renders the inner workings of City Hall with wit and aplomb….Some of Simon’s Chicagoans may be con artists, crooks, amoral opportunists or blowhards, sometimes all of the above, but the author still treats them with great affection and respect, creating an impressively large and diverse cast of characters”–Adam Langer, The Chicago Tribune
“[A] great novel … filled with emotional turmoil, gritty political decisions, murders, homicide attempts, a suicide and even a touch of romance…[a] human and fully realized portrait of the people caught up in contemporary public life.”– Time Out Chicago
“[A] big-hearted bear-hug of a novel … embracing roots and family, eccentricities and failings, and dappled with the sights, sounds and grit of the Windy City–makes this an energizing and loving contemporary urban fable.”– GO Magazine, AirTran Airways
“A rather sentimental, positive picture of the democratic process.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“ Windy City is funny and tender … full of boisterous love for the sport of politics and Chicago. The best political novel in years.”–Christopher Buckley, author of Boomsday and Thank You for Smoking
The mayor of Chicago is found in his office late at night, sitting in his boxer shorts, facedown dead in a pizza. The mayor was a hero and a dynamic, charming, ingenious, corruptible, and a masterly manipulator. The city mourns. But it’s discovered that the mayor was murdered–shortly after he may have begun to squeal on some of his colleagues at City Hall. Over the next four days, police race to find the mayor’s killer, while the politicians who bemoan his passing scramble for his throne.
At the center is Sundaran “Sunny” Roopini, forty-eight, alderman of the Forty-eighth Ward, and vice-mayor. Sunny is an Indian immigrant, a restaurant owner, and a recent widower. He is getting tired of politics and wants to hold on just long enough to do the best for his two restive teenage daughters. But as acting interim mayor for a few days, Sunny must deal with forty-nine other aldermen who have their own clashing ambitions.
How will Sunny do what’s best for both his family and city in a time of crisis?
As The Last Hurrah embodied urban politics for a previous generation, Windy City captures politics in the multiethnic tumult of today’s big city, where a stalled subway raises fears of a terrorist attack and smoke-filled rooms are abolished by no-smoking statutes. The story takes a raft of colorful characters–pinky-ringed pols, pious reformers, money-grubbers, and wheeler-dealers of every creed, color, and proclivity–through City Hall corridors, neighborhood restaurants and clubs, weddings, sex scandals, gospel churches, police stations, and sting operations to deliver an ending that is unexpectedly noble.
Windy City is a roller coaster of a novel that dips and soars through the amusement park of politics. With echoes of Primary Colors and Thank You for Smoking , Windy City will win votes as the best political novel in many years. Its personal story–about a flawed, decent man thrust suddenly under hot lights–will also win hearts.
Praise for Windy
“Delectable… Offers an insider’s view of the kind of urban political fray–albeit fictional–that Barack Obama emerged from as an Illinois state legislator representing Chicago’s South Side…. Windy City’s articulate and witty protagonist … must juggle dirty secrets and deal making…”– USA Today
“Comic but sneakily affecting… The rich multiculturalism of the American city is not a new phenomenon… rarely, however, has it been depicted with such unabashed affection... The zeal with which he celebrates the city, warts and all, is hard to resist.. Simon’s choice of hero…is an immensely appealing figure.”– Washington Post Book World
“Pitch-perfect… Scott Simon, NPR host, knows his way around politics… His dialogue throws off sparks and shrieks like a Chicago El-car…Recommended to all political junkies.”– The Roanoke Times (Virginia)
“A hilarious satirical novel about politics.”–Clarence Page, The Chicago Tribune
“ Entertaining and well-observed … renders the inner workings of City Hall with wit and aplomb….Some of Simon’s Chicagoans may be con artists, crooks, amoral opportunists or blowhards, sometimes all of the above, but the author still treats them with great affection and respect, creating an impressively large and diverse cast of characters”–Adam Langer, The Chicago Tribune
“[A] great novel … filled with emotional turmoil, gritty political decisions, murders, homicide attempts, a suicide and even a touch of romance…[a] human and fully realized portrait of the people caught up in contemporary public life.”– Time Out Chicago
“[A] big-hearted bear-hug of a novel … embracing roots and family, eccentricities and failings, and dappled with the sights, sounds and grit of the Windy City–makes this an energizing and loving contemporary urban fable.”– GO Magazine, AirTran Airways
“A rather sentimental, positive picture of the democratic process.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“ Windy City is funny and tender … full of boisterous love for the sport of politics and Chicago. The best political novel in years.”–Christopher Buckley, author of Boomsday and Thank You for Smoking
432 pages, Hardcover
First published March 11, 2008
19 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
About the author
Scott Simon
51 books117 followersSCOTT SIMON is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters, having reported from all over the world and from many wars. He is now the award-winning host of Weekend Edition Saturday. With over 4 million listeners it is the most-listened to news program on NPR. Simon has won a Peabody and an Emmy for his reporting and also has over 1.2 million followers on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
December 21, 2024
I had low expectations for this book, which was given to me as a gift more than ten years ago and has languished on my bookshelf ever since, but it turned out to be endearing as I neared its conclusion. It’s not what one thinks it would be after the first few pages, when the mayor of Chicago is found dead sitting at his desk, face down in a pizza, having been poisoned after taking a bite. One would expect a standard crime novel, which is what I did after putting it down right after I received it. I have a new interest in Chicago for personal and professional reasons, so I thought I’d give it another chance. Turns out the murder is pretty much an afterthought in this story. This is a political novel, one that, through fictitious figures, explains the mosaic of Chicago’s political culture and some of its machinations in an oddly pleasant, uplifting story.
The action takes place in less than a week. Sundaran “Sunny” Roopini is an east Indian-American restauranteur and elected alderman from the 48th of Chicago’s 50 wards who, as vice-mayor, is quickly thrust into the role of acting mayor. The man he replaced was a Falstaff-like character, an African American mayor with no family or interests other than being a powerful mayor of America’s third-largest and arguably most intricately culturally diverse city. Although he has made political enemies, the murder really becomes an afterthought in this novel. The real story about Sunny, how he guides the city for a few days toward a mandated City Council meeting to elect a permanent mayor until the next election. Sunny is not a candidate and knows his tenure will be a matter of days. As the hours and days progress, however, the story becomes almost a tutorial of the political factions that exist in the city and how their alderman act. Fifty constituencies that fight, negotiate and bargain over street repair, maintenance of parks and swimming pools, street lights, sewers, snow removal and everything else that citizens take for granted until something goes wrong. Fifty constituencies represented by immigrants—from India, Lithuania, Nigeria, Mexico, and the Caribbean, by gay and lesbian members, by old money and new, and by intellects low and high.
Sunny is a single father of two teenage girls, a recent widower, and a natural way of dealing with people. He manages the various personalties to both guide them to do what his beloved, departed mayor would want while also allowing and bearing with their attempts to jockey for position in the council election and deal with various distractions including the unplanned coming out of an elderly alderman that all respect and the suicide of the mayor’s closest aide. Sunny also gets a glimpse at the humanity of his police department through his interactions with round-the-clock security details that follow his every step. It seems odd that a novel that focuses on political procedure so much can actually be interesting, but to Scott Simon’s credit, by its end, the reader really does begin to see the characters as real people and makes would likely be reported with matter-of-fact cynicism by newspapers play out like a humane drama.
I would assume that the reading public for this novel is narrow. But for those who enjoy politics and stories about human interaction, this would be a good one to throw in your bag for a long flight or a vacation on the shores of a Great Lake or a smaller one. Not quite four stars, but definitely enjoyable for those who are interested in the politics of a great American city.
The action takes place in less than a week. Sundaran “Sunny” Roopini is an east Indian-American restauranteur and elected alderman from the 48th of Chicago’s 50 wards who, as vice-mayor, is quickly thrust into the role of acting mayor. The man he replaced was a Falstaff-like character, an African American mayor with no family or interests other than being a powerful mayor of America’s third-largest and arguably most intricately culturally diverse city. Although he has made political enemies, the murder really becomes an afterthought in this novel. The real story about Sunny, how he guides the city for a few days toward a mandated City Council meeting to elect a permanent mayor until the next election. Sunny is not a candidate and knows his tenure will be a matter of days. As the hours and days progress, however, the story becomes almost a tutorial of the political factions that exist in the city and how their alderman act. Fifty constituencies that fight, negotiate and bargain over street repair, maintenance of parks and swimming pools, street lights, sewers, snow removal and everything else that citizens take for granted until something goes wrong. Fifty constituencies represented by immigrants—from India, Lithuania, Nigeria, Mexico, and the Caribbean, by gay and lesbian members, by old money and new, and by intellects low and high.
Sunny is a single father of two teenage girls, a recent widower, and a natural way of dealing with people. He manages the various personalties to both guide them to do what his beloved, departed mayor would want while also allowing and bearing with their attempts to jockey for position in the council election and deal with various distractions including the unplanned coming out of an elderly alderman that all respect and the suicide of the mayor’s closest aide. Sunny also gets a glimpse at the humanity of his police department through his interactions with round-the-clock security details that follow his every step. It seems odd that a novel that focuses on political procedure so much can actually be interesting, but to Scott Simon’s credit, by its end, the reader really does begin to see the characters as real people and makes would likely be reported with matter-of-fact cynicism by newspapers play out like a humane drama.
I would assume that the reading public for this novel is narrow. But for those who enjoy politics and stories about human interaction, this would be a good one to throw in your bag for a long flight or a vacation on the shores of a Great Lake or a smaller one. Not quite four stars, but definitely enjoyable for those who are interested in the politics of a great American city.
August 12, 2008
I wanted to love this book, but in the end, found myself more annoyed than anything else. It is a fair tour through the modern city of Chicago, and gives an idea of the politics, but the writing is simply grating.
* The writer seems inordinately fond of lists: restaurants, cuisines, cultures, and examples. It seems that not a paragraph passes that isn't overstuffed, where perhaps one or two illuminations - if any - would suffice.
* There is too much food. I never thought that I would ever say this, but the book is about politics in Chicago; food is very important in Chicago, and cuisine is definitely a thing of the people... but one gets the impression that the author is merely trying to compile in novel form a listing of every dish available in the city, or worse, that he just wants the reader to be aware of how very much he knows about world cuisine.
* The characters are little more than caricatures, and though at a glance seem to avoid stereotype, they're just stock as you get deeper. After 400 pages, a reader doesn't know any player in the book - least of all the protagonist. The author gives the impression that we're with the guy every second of the way, then he pulls something out of his pocket saying he's researched it. When? All we've seen is his visits to myriad restaurants, banter with his security detail, plotting with aldermen, and exhausted falling-into-bed-with-the-cat. It's jarring to a reader to find out that the novel's hero has a life between the lines of the book, when all indications are to the contrary.
Quibbles and bits: The number of gay characters - in a book by a married straight man - is out of all proportion; the author seems to have a thumb fetish. If I had the time yet lacked sanity, I would count every appearance of that word. I have never kept track of it in other books I've read, but I've never been intrigued by its frequent presence, either.
* The writer seems inordinately fond of lists: restaurants, cuisines, cultures, and examples. It seems that not a paragraph passes that isn't overstuffed, where perhaps one or two illuminations - if any - would suffice.
* There is too much food. I never thought that I would ever say this, but the book is about politics in Chicago; food is very important in Chicago, and cuisine is definitely a thing of the people... but one gets the impression that the author is merely trying to compile in novel form a listing of every dish available in the city, or worse, that he just wants the reader to be aware of how very much he knows about world cuisine.
* The characters are little more than caricatures, and though at a glance seem to avoid stereotype, they're just stock as you get deeper. After 400 pages, a reader doesn't know any player in the book - least of all the protagonist. The author gives the impression that we're with the guy every second of the way, then he pulls something out of his pocket saying he's researched it. When? All we've seen is his visits to myriad restaurants, banter with his security detail, plotting with aldermen, and exhausted falling-into-bed-with-the-cat. It's jarring to a reader to find out that the novel's hero has a life between the lines of the book, when all indications are to the contrary.
Quibbles and bits: The number of gay characters - in a book by a married straight man - is out of all proportion; the author seems to have a thumb fetish. If I had the time yet lacked sanity, I would count every appearance of that word. I have never kept track of it in other books I've read, but I've never been intrigued by its frequent presence, either.
June 17, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Advertised as a “novel of politics”, Windy City delivers on that promise, and it’s not only about politics – it’s about Chicago politics. The novel is realistic without being too jaded or cynical; humorous without being silly and upbeat without being schmaltzy. The author also provides the reader with a native’s view of Chicago without being too parochial and an insider’s view of big city politics with one hand washing the other on an hourly basis.
The story centers around Alderman “Sunny” Roopini, who becomes interim Mayor after the current “Hizzoner” is found dead – face-first in a pizza - in his private suite. Sunny now must manage the city, the beloved Mayor’s funeral, a minor murder investigation – there are suspicious circumstances concerning the pizza, his two adolescent daughters (our hero is a recent widower), and the 49 other Chicago alderman and women who all begin jockeying for position in the new hierarchy as a new Mayor must be named and then subsequently elected.
All of this is handled extremely well by the author. The main story line progressing at an even clip without becoming bogged down in the multiple sub-plots and the large secondary cast entertains without becoming confusing. There’s also a somewhat expected but still happy and satisfying ending. Windy City is a little Ward Just, Christopher Buckley and Robert Penn Warren – all mixed together. Highly recommended.
The story centers around Alderman “Sunny” Roopini, who becomes interim Mayor after the current “Hizzoner” is found dead – face-first in a pizza - in his private suite. Sunny now must manage the city, the beloved Mayor’s funeral, a minor murder investigation – there are suspicious circumstances concerning the pizza, his two adolescent daughters (our hero is a recent widower), and the 49 other Chicago alderman and women who all begin jockeying for position in the new hierarchy as a new Mayor must be named and then subsequently elected.
All of this is handled extremely well by the author. The main story line progressing at an even clip without becoming bogged down in the multiple sub-plots and the large secondary cast entertains without becoming confusing. There’s also a somewhat expected but still happy and satisfying ending. Windy City is a little Ward Just, Christopher Buckley and Robert Penn Warren – all mixed together. Highly recommended.
January 29, 2018
This book was such a disappointment. Not only because I really enjoy Scott Simon as host of Weekend Edition on NPR, but also because my sister lovingly got me a signed copy as a gift. The majority of the characters come across as overblown caricatures and keeping up with them all was distracting (a list of all 50 aldermen is provided at the beginning at least). I had a hard time even really caring about the story; the death of the mayor seemed like a footnote and the main plot line was more focused on the politics of who would be the next mayor and was just kind of...boring. The end wasn't even a surprise; it was pretty obvious early on. Although I don't think I will be reading any more fiction by Scott Simon in the foreseeable future, I would like to pick up his non-fiction works and I will continue to enjoy him as an NPR host.
January 10, 2017
Just finished "Windy City" from 2009 by NPR's Scott Simon. It was such fun to read his hilarious takes on the Chicago Alderman system, human diversity, the tenderness of family and friends, food and the politics of the city. Some sentences were run-on and clogged with way too many descriptive words, but most of the book read like a script from a 1940-50s noir film. Thanks to Scott Simon, whose lovely, graceful tweet memoir "Unforgettable", of his mother's final weeks and days was beautifully and honestly written.
April 29, 2019
Every now and then a novel jumps up and surprises you with the depth of its characters, its texture and its ability to convey a sense of a time and place that is foreign to you. This novel did exactly that. Oddly enough, it was an early scene depicting the main character's relationship with his cat after the death of his wife that did it for me. It felt so real and evoked the pain of losing a loved one and trying to move on after that trauma.
Although I totally called the romance at the end of the book. So predictable.
Although I totally called the romance at the end of the book. So predictable.
December 8, 2024
Great plot about the machinations of the Chicago city council's attempts to find a replacement when the sitting mayor dies. Unfortunately, though, the writing is mediocre. Simon introduces way too many characters and his attempt to give them depth stops with endless descriptions of what they are wearing. Had he spent more time really developing fewer characters, this book could have been really good.
March 17, 2023
3.5 stars.
An uneven book, which alternates sincere guffaws with stretches of no action by too many indistinguishable characters, but if you have any interest in Chicago and/or its politics (which I do) then this is a diamond in the rough.
An uneven book, which alternates sincere guffaws with stretches of no action by too many indistinguishable characters, but if you have any interest in Chicago and/or its politics (which I do) then this is a diamond in the rough.
June 16, 2025
I will start by saying this book isn't poorly written. However, it was so much talking and nothing happening. Which is politics for you, I guess. But I wanted this to be so much more about the mystery and so much less about the politics.
July 20, 2019
I loved this book and it’s wonderful protagonist, Sunny Roopini. Following him through his four days as interim mayor of Chicago was a lovely, if cold, visit.
May 3, 2022
I almost gave up on this book.... I hate doing that so I pushed through. About the 3/4 mark it gets pretty good. I enjoyed the ending more than anything.
February 7, 2023
Witty depiction of sausage being made.
February 25, 2023
Too many names and characters. Interesting read.
April 12, 2009
I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the characters. It is about Chicago aldermen and the turmoil that follows the murder of the larger-than-life mayor. It is about politics and how it works on the city level - snow removal, trash removal, permits, civic meetings, jobs. It is about diversity, not only of race and ethnicity, but of income, intelligence, sexual orientation, accent, neighborhood, religion, and experience. It is not, notably, about diversity of political persuasion, perhaps because whether one is a Democrat or a Republican has little to do with snow removal and trash-pickup. Or maybe Chicago has only Democrats, either in reality or in the mind of Scott Simon.
This was not a great book. Although Simon reached into the life and emotions of his main character, Sunny Roopini (alderman of the 48th district and acting interim mayor), he doesn't reach very far. Maybe he reaches as far as Sunny or any American politician (or person) would allow. Reaching farther in might have been indecent. Or not. It is not really clear whether Sunny really wants to get out of politics or not, or how he feels about being mayor, acting interim or otherwise. We hear what he says to other people about these things, but not his thoughts, and because he is a politician, should we really believe his words? Also, surely the mayor's murder would bring back memories and feelings about his wife's murder, more than those described and more than just missing her. Sunny's daughters aren't really completely drawn characters. It seemed as if we never really get what they were experiencing or what they are like at all. On the other hand, the story is told from Sunny's point of view, and we never do get what other people are going through, even those we love most. So seeing only their surface is realistic.
Rather than delving deep into his characters' souls, Simon skims the surface, with a few fairly shallow dives. He enthusiastically paints that surface into a detailed, Where's Waldo type of picture (sorry for the mixed metaphor). He loves the diversity of the city, that is obvious. And he loves lists. Lots of names (people, streets, churches, schools), jobs, issues, problems - his aldermanic Chicago is manic, and he revels in it. He is both cynical and optimistic (no surprise there), and so is his city.
I like this book for two big reasons. First, it has given me a feeling for the lives of city politicians, the people who get things done. It has created sympathy in me for them, so I consider this a successful piece of fiction. I'm not in love with them, I don't want to be one of them, but I have a better understanding of them. If my feeling for them is not all warm and fuzzy, at least it is appreciative.
Second, I really like the fact that the book is a love letter to a city that is not New York. Even more, a city that is in the Midwest, in Illinois, though not exactly my Illinois. Still, I have some small connection and feeling for Chicago (more than for New York, anyway), and it is nice to read a book about it.
This was not a great book. Although Simon reached into the life and emotions of his main character, Sunny Roopini (alderman of the 48th district and acting interim mayor), he doesn't reach very far. Maybe he reaches as far as Sunny or any American politician (or person) would allow. Reaching farther in might have been indecent. Or not. It is not really clear whether Sunny really wants to get out of politics or not, or how he feels about being mayor, acting interim or otherwise. We hear what he says to other people about these things, but not his thoughts, and because he is a politician, should we really believe his words? Also, surely the mayor's murder would bring back memories and feelings about his wife's murder, more than those described and more than just missing her. Sunny's daughters aren't really completely drawn characters. It seemed as if we never really get what they were experiencing or what they are like at all. On the other hand, the story is told from Sunny's point of view, and we never do get what other people are going through, even those we love most. So seeing only their surface is realistic.
Rather than delving deep into his characters' souls, Simon skims the surface, with a few fairly shallow dives. He enthusiastically paints that surface into a detailed, Where's Waldo type of picture (sorry for the mixed metaphor). He loves the diversity of the city, that is obvious. And he loves lists. Lots of names (people, streets, churches, schools), jobs, issues, problems - his aldermanic Chicago is manic, and he revels in it. He is both cynical and optimistic (no surprise there), and so is his city.
I like this book for two big reasons. First, it has given me a feeling for the lives of city politicians, the people who get things done. It has created sympathy in me for them, so I consider this a successful piece of fiction. I'm not in love with them, I don't want to be one of them, but I have a better understanding of them. If my feeling for them is not all warm and fuzzy, at least it is appreciative.
Second, I really like the fact that the book is a love letter to a city that is not New York. Even more, a city that is in the Midwest, in Illinois, though not exactly my Illinois. Still, I have some small connection and feeling for Chicago (more than for New York, anyway), and it is nice to read a book about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2017
This book promises more than it delivers. Ultimately, making it over halfway, I just couldn't get through the rest. In brief, the most interesting character dies in the first few pages, the following political intrigue is underwhelming, and the plot can't keep enough momentum. the Chicago details are amusing at times, but probably only because I lived in Chicago. Anyone else would be totally lost.
August 4, 2008
Looking through the doors of Chicago politics in the wake of murder.
Alderman Sundaram “Sunny” Roopini is rousted out of bed in the middle of the night to go to City Hall. When he gets there, he discovers his friend and colleague, the mayor of Chicago, died in his shorts over a midnight pizza. As vice-mayor, Sunny must assume the mantle of command as interim mayor until the aldermen of the fifty wards that compromise Chicago’s political machine can vote a successor. After twenty years of service to the people of his ward, Sunny must consider the needs of all the people in the city instead of his small corner of the city and thus gets a new view of what his job means in the greater scheme, a view that may change his future.
Politics is a dirty game but, in the capable hands of Scott Simon, politics becomes an intriguing and often funny world where the underpinnings and intricate wheels of one of America’s most recognizable cities are laid bare. Simon’s quick humor and keen insight make Windy City a primer for anyone contemplating politics and a handbook every citizen should have on the shelf. Never have politics been shown in a more direct and forgiving light. Simon details the sometimes Machiavellian machinations that keep the trash and snow off the streets and the buses and trains running on time. More than this, Simon adroitly illustrates the laughter, tears and trade-offs that make city politics more than a hackneyed cliché.
The people inhabiting Scot Simon’s Windy City are complex and memorable individuals, whether they share the stage for the entirety of the story or walk on briefly. These denizens populate a brilliantly drawn, fully imagined and familiar world. This is superb literature with a strong beating heart and a marvelous and oftentimes humorous sensibility.
Alderman Sundaram “Sunny” Roopini is rousted out of bed in the middle of the night to go to City Hall. When he gets there, he discovers his friend and colleague, the mayor of Chicago, died in his shorts over a midnight pizza. As vice-mayor, Sunny must assume the mantle of command as interim mayor until the aldermen of the fifty wards that compromise Chicago’s political machine can vote a successor. After twenty years of service to the people of his ward, Sunny must consider the needs of all the people in the city instead of his small corner of the city and thus gets a new view of what his job means in the greater scheme, a view that may change his future.
Politics is a dirty game but, in the capable hands of Scott Simon, politics becomes an intriguing and often funny world where the underpinnings and intricate wheels of one of America’s most recognizable cities are laid bare. Simon’s quick humor and keen insight make Windy City a primer for anyone contemplating politics and a handbook every citizen should have on the shelf. Never have politics been shown in a more direct and forgiving light. Simon details the sometimes Machiavellian machinations that keep the trash and snow off the streets and the buses and trains running on time. More than this, Simon adroitly illustrates the laughter, tears and trade-offs that make city politics more than a hackneyed cliché.
The people inhabiting Scot Simon’s Windy City are complex and memorable individuals, whether they share the stage for the entirety of the story or walk on briefly. These denizens populate a brilliantly drawn, fully imagined and familiar world. This is superb literature with a strong beating heart and a marvelous and oftentimes humorous sensibility.
April 15, 2014
Something different today: a political novel. Scott Simon's Windy City. It's the story of Sunny Roopini, an alderman with the city of Chicago who becomes the temporary mayor when the mayor is murdered. It sounds like a mystery, but the mystery elements are kept to the background.
It's a story about politics, and a real eye-opener about the wheeling-dealing that goes on behind the scenes as aldermen jockey for favours and have political ambitions beyond municipal politics. My mother was an alderman for Kitchener back some thirty years ago, and I don't remember this kind of stuff going on, but a city as large and influential as Chicago is functioning on a whole different level. Plus, this is America, not Canada.
It's the story of Sunny Roopini, a man who expects to be the acting mayor for 3 days until a new mayor is elected. He runs his Indian food restaurant, his wife was murdered in a botched robbery a year ago, and he is trying to raise 2 teenage daughters who have become distant. He is trying to do his best by the city he loves and in the footsteps of the larger-than-life mayor whom he also loved. Sunny is witty, thoughtful, ethical, smart, worldly, and loyal - a great character.
This is also a tribute to Chicago, a contemporary city with a lot of history and racial/class diversity; a city that the author obviously loves.
The writing is lyrical in its descriptions, yet somehow comfortable, too. I must confess that there were times I didn't get what the characters were talking about, but I attributed that to my lack of political savvy. It's not a novel that I rushed through in a day; it took some time and a little effort to work this one out. In the end, it was different than anything I have read before, and I truly enjoyed it.
It's a story about politics, and a real eye-opener about the wheeling-dealing that goes on behind the scenes as aldermen jockey for favours and have political ambitions beyond municipal politics. My mother was an alderman for Kitchener back some thirty years ago, and I don't remember this kind of stuff going on, but a city as large and influential as Chicago is functioning on a whole different level. Plus, this is America, not Canada.
It's the story of Sunny Roopini, a man who expects to be the acting mayor for 3 days until a new mayor is elected. He runs his Indian food restaurant, his wife was murdered in a botched robbery a year ago, and he is trying to raise 2 teenage daughters who have become distant. He is trying to do his best by the city he loves and in the footsteps of the larger-than-life mayor whom he also loved. Sunny is witty, thoughtful, ethical, smart, worldly, and loyal - a great character.
This is also a tribute to Chicago, a contemporary city with a lot of history and racial/class diversity; a city that the author obviously loves.
The writing is lyrical in its descriptions, yet somehow comfortable, too. I must confess that there were times I didn't get what the characters were talking about, but I attributed that to my lack of political savvy. It's not a novel that I rushed through in a day; it took some time and a little effort to work this one out. In the end, it was different than anything I have read before, and I truly enjoyed it.
May 28, 2009
Windy City by Scott Simon (pp. 384)
Might have be aptly renamed, Long Winded City. Simon should get credit for knowing a lot about Chicago and being true to its details and its politics, but definitely gets downgraded for a lack of self-editing. For those who know Chicago, there are 50 alderman something we question the practicality of. Yet Simon chooses to provide character details for each of them.
The book starts out with the death (murder?) of the sitting mayor. By page 150, we’re still not sure where Simon is taking us since we’ve gotten involved in the sappy and sentimental life of Alderman Sunny Roopini. Roopini has been thrust into the role of acting interim mayor and must preside over the special session to vote for a new acting mayor. This plays out more like listening to Papal Election role call than colorful character interaction and cut throat politics.
When Simon does get to the point, the book is excellent. But he spends far too much time avoiding the big plot points and the main supporting characters to warrant praise. Chicago politics reads funnier on the daily pages of the Sun-Times. To call this satire and humor is a stretch.
Those in Chicago are best to avoid the book out of probably high expectations, but those unfamiliar with the Chicago Machine may be more forgiving.
Might have be aptly renamed, Long Winded City. Simon should get credit for knowing a lot about Chicago and being true to its details and its politics, but definitely gets downgraded for a lack of self-editing. For those who know Chicago, there are 50 alderman something we question the practicality of. Yet Simon chooses to provide character details for each of them.
The book starts out with the death (murder?) of the sitting mayor. By page 150, we’re still not sure where Simon is taking us since we’ve gotten involved in the sappy and sentimental life of Alderman Sunny Roopini. Roopini has been thrust into the role of acting interim mayor and must preside over the special session to vote for a new acting mayor. This plays out more like listening to Papal Election role call than colorful character interaction and cut throat politics.
When Simon does get to the point, the book is excellent. But he spends far too much time avoiding the big plot points and the main supporting characters to warrant praise. Chicago politics reads funnier on the daily pages of the Sun-Times. To call this satire and humor is a stretch.
Those in Chicago are best to avoid the book out of probably high expectations, but those unfamiliar with the Chicago Machine may be more forgiving.
June 28, 2008
I wavered between three and four stars. It was an entertaining book, interesting, and I added a lot of new words to my vocabulary. Scott Simon is obviously a very intelligent, detail-oriented person with a vast imagination and great ability to multi-task and juggle so many storylines. The story was organized well and was vivid - as it should be, since it was described in such detail!
However. There were so many characters. So, so many. And we got to know them so well. (On the plus side, they were all very well developed!) It was hard to keep up with all of these people, especially when I only read for about 30 minutes at a time. The book takes place over 86 hours or so. This is the busiest, most detailed account of 86 hours that I have ever read. It was too much detail for me, personally. Remember in the Grapes of Wrath there was a whole chapter on a turtle crossing the road? In Windy City, there is a whole chapter (albeit small) about how cold it is in Chicago.
I thought the ending was a little too romantic and far-fetched and it didn't sit well with me. I do think that I will read it again, though. Someday.
However. There were so many characters. So, so many. And we got to know them so well. (On the plus side, they were all very well developed!) It was hard to keep up with all of these people, especially when I only read for about 30 minutes at a time. The book takes place over 86 hours or so. This is the busiest, most detailed account of 86 hours that I have ever read. It was too much detail for me, personally. Remember in the Grapes of Wrath there was a whole chapter on a turtle crossing the road? In Windy City, there is a whole chapter (albeit small) about how cold it is in Chicago.
I thought the ending was a little too romantic and far-fetched and it didn't sit well with me. I do think that I will read it again, though. Someday.
April 22, 2011
Clever premise, and the characatures of various City government types were funny, but the story kind of dragged on. I was expecting a double plot line about the murder investigation and the political jostling for mayor, but the murder investigation plot was totally missing until it popped up with some bizzare conclusion at the end. The political jostling plot line dragged a little, and I say that as someone who loves some good old Chicago politics.
As an only somewhat related sidenote, if I had to read one more reference to Sunny's wife's murder, I was going to poke my eyes out. We get it, Scott Simon. Now either do something with it or let it go.
Also, for every spot on Chicago reference, there was one that just didn't make sense, which was driving me crazy. This is obviously a parallel universe where the city council is far more ethnically diverse than the real threesome of irishmen, latinos and blacks. The wards were supposedly in their real locations, but then the demographics would not match up with reality. And, come on, only one Alderman is packing heat at a council meeting?
As an only somewhat related sidenote, if I had to read one more reference to Sunny's wife's murder, I was going to poke my eyes out. We get it, Scott Simon. Now either do something with it or let it go.
Also, for every spot on Chicago reference, there was one that just didn't make sense, which was driving me crazy. This is obviously a parallel universe where the city council is far more ethnically diverse than the real threesome of irishmen, latinos and blacks. The wards were supposedly in their real locations, but then the demographics would not match up with reality. And, come on, only one Alderman is packing heat at a council meeting?
August 16, 2017
Windy City: A Novel of Politics by Scott Simon is book that succeeds on every level. It’s an engrossing story about local politics: “This is Chicago… The dead can vote. Surely we can figure out a way to register a man who’s still alive.” It features colorful characters, several of whom bear more than a passing resemblance to real civic leaders. It’s a terrific whodunit. There are bitter and sweet love and family interests; there’s even a cat. Humor? Plenty of it, including witty dialogue and such malapropisms as, “I am humbled by the spontaneous combustion of outpouring I have received.” There are thoughtful observations on how aldermen balance ethics and pragmatism: if something is right, how can they bend the rules to make it happen? Many Public Radio listeners may find it hard to believe that someone with Scott Simon’s reporting talent is also a gifted novelist, but this book proves that he is indeed. And, for another superb – but very different – Simon novel, check out Pretty Birds.
November 7, 2012
Well, this was NOT good... it had only two positive qualities: good, detailed writing and the setting of Chicago.
It must be the first book I have ever ADDED pictures to! I had to add a map of the wards and neighborhoods... I have lived in and around Chicago my whole life and I don't know where all 50 wards are! It is amazing to me that this book was published without such a map already inside it. I sincerely hope that the publisher adds a map for the paperback edition. Either way, I can't imagine reading this book if you don't live here.
I did like the main character, Sunny - him and the setting were the only thing that got me through the whole book. Perhaps if I had more of an interest in city politics, or even politics in general I would have liked this more... I don't know what exactly made me dislike this book so much, but I did. The Harold Washington-type mayor drove me nuts too... and the end was very predictable.
It must be the first book I have ever ADDED pictures to! I had to add a map of the wards and neighborhoods... I have lived in and around Chicago my whole life and I don't know where all 50 wards are! It is amazing to me that this book was published without such a map already inside it. I sincerely hope that the publisher adds a map for the paperback edition. Either way, I can't imagine reading this book if you don't live here.
I did like the main character, Sunny - him and the setting were the only thing that got me through the whole book. Perhaps if I had more of an interest in city politics, or even politics in general I would have liked this more... I don't know what exactly made me dislike this book so much, but I did. The Harold Washington-type mayor drove me nuts too... and the end was very predictable.
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July 25, 2011I absolutely loved this book. What a great look at the foibles of Chicago politics. I usually distrust books whose blurbs say they're hilarious, but I found Windy City at times laugh-out-loud funny and at times even a bit heart-tugging. The mayor of Chicago dies one night, face down in his usual evening pizza. And then it's discovered someone murdered this beloved and hated political icon. Meanwhile, the interim mayor, Sunny Roopini, has to lead his fellow aldermen in the appointment of a new mayor. Things are seldom what they seem, as even Sunny finds out. Deals are made and broken, investigations are mounting, scandals pop up, and there's even a little love story or two. All in the course of four days. I say bravo to Scott Simon on this book. My only criticism is that there are so many aldermen (50) that it's hard to keep track of who's who outside the main characters. But this could be a fun movie.
September 10, 2008
I always wanted Jed Bartlett to be my president. The West Wing crew would be his staff. And America would be a better place.
In that same vein, I want Windy City to be my kindler, gentler election process. I realize how incredibly unfeasible it is, but I've got high hopes, ya'll, for diversity, for caring and for potholes. (I'm not at all suggesting a poisoned pizza. Just to be clear.)
I didn't realize until I'd literally turned the last page that Scott Simon was THE Scott Simon I listen to while flipping pancakes and scrambling eggs on the weekends, but it just makes me like the book even more. And in hindsight, I'm kind of glad I didn't make the connection. His voice is so distinct that I'd have had a hard time keeping him out of my head as I read. And not sure I could make him do an Indian English accent.
I'm adding Pretty Birds to my to-read list, right now.
In that same vein, I want Windy City to be my kindler, gentler election process. I realize how incredibly unfeasible it is, but I've got high hopes, ya'll, for diversity, for caring and for potholes. (I'm not at all suggesting a poisoned pizza. Just to be clear.)
I didn't realize until I'd literally turned the last page that Scott Simon was THE Scott Simon I listen to while flipping pancakes and scrambling eggs on the weekends, but it just makes me like the book even more. And in hindsight, I'm kind of glad I didn't make the connection. His voice is so distinct that I'd have had a hard time keeping him out of my head as I read. And not sure I could make him do an Indian English accent.
I'm adding Pretty Birds to my to-read list, right now.
June 26, 2008
I just didn't love this book. I even think I fell out of like with it along the way. It was waaaay too many pages for so little a story. There's an attempt at a build up to some sort of climax, but it sort of falls flat and kind of limps down into a conclusion. It's all based on Chicago politics and each character is very thinly veiled as a real person. Any reader who lives in Chicago will know who most of the "characters" are supposed to be, based soley on catching any morning newscast or article in the Sun Times or Tribune. I hate to give a bad review, but I had to force myself to finish this (due in large part to my OCD-esque habit of needing to finish any book that I start, no matter how bad) and in the end, I was left completely unsatisfied.
June 23, 2008
This book shows a real feel for politics and a true love of Chicago. Alderman Sunny Roopini is a great character, good enough to sustain our interest through some of the more melodramatic and predictable elements of the plot. The other alderman, his children, his protector cop, and of course the Mayor (or at least his shadow) are all part of this richly textured portrait of an alderman who assumes the temporary role of acting mayor when the Mayor is found dead (and then, of course, murdered). That basic outline isn't why you read though; you read this book to learn about Sunny, the troubles he has with daughters, and his very ambivalent relationship with his chosen profession.
January 25, 2009
For an inside look at Chicago politics, this is an entertaining read. However, I found the author's style of writing to be a bit cluttered and choppy. The most well-rounded, and sympathetic, character of the book was the dead mayor - and he only appears in various flashbacks. I didn't feel a real connection to any of the other players in the story. It's almost like Simon describes more the minute details of a character's appearance, rather than who they are and why. The ending was, at once, long-winded and then rushed. It was too easy. However, since I do miss my hometown, just reading about the people, food, and places was fun.
July 13, 2011
I grabbed this thinking it was a murder mystery with political intrigue, but found it to be a political novel that primarily follows aldermanic politics in Chicago after the untimely death of the city's mayor. As a Chicago resident, I loved it - the scenes capture the city and its politics. The main character is an Indian-American alderman from the ward adjacent to mine, which added a special touch of home. The murder mystery is really a background story though, so if one is not into the Chicago political machine - it may be a good one to pass. Me, I enjoyed it thoroughly - wish I could assign it to my students somehow.
May 3, 2008
I liked that Chicago is the central character in this book -- the neighborhoods, the food, the mix of cultures. And I liked the glimpse into the aftermath of Harold Washington's death, albeit fictionalized and moved into the future. But there were way too many characters (all 50 alderman were introduced), way too many details about specific intersections and foods, and I completely lost the murder mystery thread and still have no idea who killed the mayor.
After Pretty Birds, I expected a better book from Scott Simon. But I had enough fun reading about my city to cut him some slack.
After Pretty Birds, I expected a better book from Scott Simon. But I had enough fun reading about my city to cut him some slack.
December 23, 2010
This is kind of a mess of a book. There is both nothing happening and a myriad of things happening. When the current Chicago mayor is murdered, Sonny Roopini is named acting interim mayor--for four days until the alderman can vote in a new mayor. Alderman get found out misbehaving, both sexually and financially, the murder is being investigated, Sonny has to deal with now having bodyguards, one of them an attractive woman, and all the alderman are angling to get either themselves or a cohort elected as mayor. A very strong feeling for Chicago.
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