Review: Girl Power
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 10 5, 2012
As the author indicates in the description, this novel is unlikely to appeal to readers whose politics are "right of center." Its premise is that a group of women, upset over what the US press is calling the Republican "war on women," decide to combat this by starting their own political party. Quotations at the start of each chapter are well chosen and set the stage for each chapter. Two of my favorites might also summarize the book as a whole. The first identifies the problem, political corruption and partisan politics, with the second hinting at a solution."Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." - Ronald Reagan"In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman." -  Margaret ThatcherThe description describes this tale as "alternate reality," and it may stretch some readers' ability to suspend disbelief, but approached with the right attitude it is a fun story. One that I wish really could happen. Many of the names of the characters and some organizations are thinly disguised stand-ins for actual people and organizations from the real world. Talk show host Winfred Opry and the right-leaning Wolf News are two of the most obvious.While overall I enjoyed the concept of the story and the actual implementation of the concept, I had two significant issues. One was with copy editing and proofing, which was substandard, with many issues in this area. The other was the credibility of one particular piece of the story, where I found suspension of disbelief impossible. Unfortunately, this was a significant error that happened at the climax of the story. I'm being vague, to try to avoid spoilers, but it turns on a quirk in how US Presidential elections work, and in order for the story to happen as told it requires several experienced politicians and political operatives as well as every major media outlet to not be aware of how US Presidential elections are different from most elections. This alternate reality wasn't far enough from our real world to make that credible. While still largely an enjoyable read to imagine "what if," this marred the ending for me.**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **