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American Adulterer: A Novel Audiobook
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(2.05) - 228 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
"The subject is an American citizen holding high elected office, married, and father to a young family..."
From its opening line, American Adulterer examines the psychology of a habitual womanizer in hypnotically clinical prose. Like any successful philanderer, the subject must be circumspect in his choice of mistresses and employ careful calculation in their seduction; he must exercise every effort to conceal his affairs from his wife and jealous rivals. But this is no ordinary adulterer. He is the thirty-fifth president of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
JFK famously confided that if he went three days without a woman, he suffered severe headaches. Acclaimed author Jed Mercurio takes inspiration from the tantalizing details surrounding the president's sex life to conceive this provocatively intimate perspective on Kennedy's affairs. Yet this is not an indictment. Startlingly empathetic, darkly witty, and deft, American Adulterer is a moving account of a man not only crippled by back pain but enduring numerous medical crises, a man overcoming constant suffering to serve as a highly effective commander-in-chief, committed to a heroically idealistic vision of America. But each affair propels him into increasingly murky waters. President Kennedy fears losing the wife and children to whom he's devoted and the office to which he's dedicated. This is a stunning portrait of a virtuous man enslaved by an uncontrollable vice and a novel that poses controversial questions about society's evolving fixation on the private lives of public officials and, ultimately, ignites a polemic on monogamy, marriage, and family values.
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"My first four star (no five stars yet). The adultery bit aside, it was a fascinating look at a very, very ill man. Also, a very, very witty, moral, peace-loving, president."
— Carrie (4 out of 5 stars)
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A riveting imagining of the inner life of a satyrlike John F. Kennedy.... Fresh, bold and provocative.
— Publishers Weekly Starred Review
American Adulterer Listener Reviews
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" Man, this was a stupid book. I could only take it for 30 pages. "
— Mary, 2/18/2014 -
" An interesting read, but I think the author took alot of liberty with the facts. Feels like he morphed JFK and Bill Clinton together using the facts from JFK's administration. Didn't feel accurate because there was not a single mention of Robert Kennedy. If you are going to read this book, please make sure to read it for the entertainment factor and not for its historical accuracy. "
— Nicole, 1/24/2014 -
" I hate to spoil the ending but, he dies... "
— Barrie, 12/23/2013 -
" This was one of the most difficult books to finish. The author tried to be so objective in his telling of the story that the reader feels too detached to make a connection. Then again, maybe that was the point- after all, it is a story about JFK and I imagine it difficult for one to fully grasp his story. Anyway, the book was quite monotonous with only a few memorable points not worth rehashing in my review! "
— Ashley, 12/13/2013 -
" I give this book two stars for some ridiculous premises, and an egregious error. I was appalled to read that "the subject" called someone and informed them that only the commander-in-chief could declare war. Now, I realize that our last few Presidents seem to believe this sentiment, I am unaware that our Constitution has been changed. Mr. Mercurio, only Congress can declare war, not the commander-in-chief, and I am fairly sure that JFK knew that. I understand it was fiction, but I struggle with the new non-fiction of an over-reaching executive office, I don't need it perpetuated in my fiction. "
— Elpheaba, 11/21/2013 -
" Details on JFK's mental and physical addition to sex, as told by an edgy MD. Not sure if I believe in the concept of sex addiction but it's certainly an interesting perspective on it. Also, who knows if the deets are true... "
— Kristie, 11/20/2013 -
" Interesting premise. A fictionalized psychological study on the affairs, addictions & ailments of JFK. Entertaining if taken at face value (I.e. Don't read too much into it). "
— Gayle, 11/7/2013 -
" How much adultery can one witness before yawning? How thinly veiled can the Kennedy references be? "
— Deborah, 10/30/2013 -
" Fairly conventional novel based on JFK's life and psychology, as known to the author. Good for passing the time. "
— Peyton, 10/17/2013 -
" This was an interesting book, but I had to keep reminding myself that it was fiction. "
— Sharron, 10/11/2013 -
" Impersonal. "The Subject", aka JFK & point of view do not make for an enjoyable read. "
— Deidre, 10/7/2013 -
" As with most reviewers, I found the book in parts interesting (the medical background), creative (the "clinical" approach to JFK's motivations), repetitive (the 3rd person style), and ultimately unsatisfying (the package promised much but delivered ...less). "
— Walter, 8/5/2013 -
" I couldn't get into the style of writing. Even knowing the identity of "the subject" wasn't enough to pull me into the book. "
— Kim, 6/30/2013 -
" An interesting fictional view of JFK's life, written with a clinical analysis of his many ailments. "
— Erin, 4/15/2012 -
" Too narrowly focused on the paradox of an immobile, incapacitated man as sex addict. But then again, the title is American Adulterer, so don't expect much beyond that. "
— Jill, 3/1/2012 -
" Once the premise was understood and executed...there was no story arc. "
— Kim, 12/31/2011 -
" I had heard things in the past about JKF not being faithful, but I had no idea to what extent he went. "
— Pamela, 9/1/2011 -
" at first turned off by 3rd person narration but was won over by the personal details that i was unaware of. some really intense, emotional scenes left me near tears "
— Monica, 2/7/2011 -
" Imagine a historical fiction book about Kennedy's womanizing and medical problems while in the White House "
— Mark, 4/6/2010
About Jed Mercurio
Jed Mercurio trained as a doctor and joined the Royal Air Force while at medical school. He adapted his first novel, Bodies, into an award-winning drama for the BBC and is currently developing an American version for the Showtime Network. He lives outside London.
About the Narrators
Paul Boehmer is an American actor best known for his numerous appearances in the Star Trek universe, in addition to Frasier, Judging Amy, Guiding Light, and All My Children. He is a 1992 Masters of Fine Arts graduate of the Professional Theater Training Program at the University of Delaware. As a narrator, Paul has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as an Audie Award.
Paul Boehmer is an American actor best known for his numerous appearances in the Star Trek universe, in addition to Frasier, Judging Amy, Guiding Light, and All My Children. He is a 1992 Masters of Fine Arts graduate of the Professional Theater Training Program at the University of Delaware. As a narrator, Paul has won several AudioFile Earphones Awards as well as an Audie Award.