Advise and Consent.Advise and Consent.
Score Classic
What it's about
The president nominates Robert Leffingwell, a brilliant but divisive liberal, to be Secretary of State, and the Senate must decide whether to confirm him. As the hearings begin, a senator digs up a secret from Leffingwell's past, and Senate leaders on both sides start maneuvering, bargaining and threatening. When a young senator is blackmailed over a secret of his own, the fight turns tragic.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Pulitzer Prize and spent months at #1 on the New York Times list. Drury covered the Senate as a reporter, and it's one of the great Washington novels.
You'll love it if you liked
All the King's Men
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New YorkGood to know
It's long and talky, and its Cold War politics are dated. The plot involves a senator's past gay relationship, handled in a way that reflects 1959.
By the numbers
- Readers64 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics67 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller47 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #35 of the 555 mysteries and thrillers we rank
- #160 of the 762 classics we rank
- #489 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping, Epic
If you like this, read next
The Godfather
The Pillars of the Earth
In Cold Blood
Rebecca
The Fire Next Time
Crime and PunishmentExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Advise and Consent. worth reading?
Yes. It won the Pulitzer Prize and spent months at #1 on the New York Times list. It ranks #489 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Advise and Consent. about?
The president nominates Robert Leffingwell, a brilliant but divisive liberal, to be Secretary of State, and the Senate must decide whether to confirm him. As the hearings begin, a senator digs up a secret from Leffingwell's past, and Senate leaders on both sides start maneuvering, bargaining and threatening. When a young senator is blackmailed over a secret of his own, the fight turns tragic.
How long does it take to read Advise and Consent.?
About 19 hours (760 pages), or about 5 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Advise and Consent. won?
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction winner (1960).
What should I read after Advise and Consent.?
If you liked it, try All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin or The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro.