Great Expectations" by Vinson Cunningham offers readers a peek behind the scenes of fundraising a presidential campaign. What kept me reading was the novels relatable characters and the detailed portrayal of their lives on the campaign trail. From the campaign managers to the interns, each character feels like someone you might meet in real life. Humans who have made mistakes, that are full of hope and sadness, and with aspirations of their own.

However it's worth noting that some readers might find themselves scratching their heads at certain references or nuances in the narrative. Cunningham’s writing is rich with detail, and while this adds depth to the story, it may also leave some readers feeling like they've missed out on something.

The novel's descriptions were framed as reflections from David's older self, contemplating his past self and his perspective at a pivotal moment in American political history. While weaving in themes of faith and spirituality, showing how personal beliefs can shape political decisions. Unfortunately while we are exposed to David’s perspective, I couldn’t help but feel secluded or removed from the real voice of David. Which is self evident in the last portion of the book were we are given a glimpse, albeit though pursed lips, of David’s childhood between Chicago and New York.

Ultimately, "Great Expectations" offers a compelling glimpse into David’s perspective of the political machine, leaving readers (if your willing to work for it) both contemplative and engaged.

I had high hopes for this one, but it never came together as a novel for me. It felt as though I was reading pages out of a journal, but nothing exciting happened.

This is David’s story. He’s a 22 year old black man from New York who organizes fundraising events during 2008 for the Obama (who is only referred to as “the Senator”) campaign. He had a child when he younger, but he doesn’t take care of her and rarely speaks of her. This was a downer. He seems quite religious and talks about a lot.

In my personal opinion, David was boring, which made this story boring. I just didn’t see the point of this book.

I couldn't determine the message/point of this book. Clearly a memoir hiding as fiction. Main character works for Obama campaign, sleeps with an older woman very involved in the fundraising aspect of the campaign. Didn't find the plot or protagonist compelling or interesting.

As a young man Vinson Cunningham worked for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, after which he became a White House staffer. He now teaches in the MFA Writing program at Sarah Lawrence College and lives in New York City.

Cunningham’s debut novel provides a first-person narrative from David Hammond. Cunningham is working on the 2008 campaign of “The Candidate”, a young black Senator from Illinois. The name of “The Candidate” (sometimes also referred to as “The Senator”) is never given in the book. Which, I think, is because this is a fictional account, and Barack Obama and his campaign are only the background for this novel. The focus is all on young David.

Author Vinson Cunningham (photo courtesy of the author’s website). Photo Credit: Jane Bruce

Great Expectations follows David in his campaign role. He raises funds in New York, he assists the campaign in New Hampshire. He works a campaign event in Los Angeles, then returns to the East Coast. Finally, he is in Chicago for the events of Election Night.

David is a somewhat rudderless twenty-something. He had his first relationship in college which resulted in a baby girl. His baby’s mother was more of a sexual adventure than a girlfriend, and after she became pregnant the two of them agreed they didn’t really like each other. While he strives to remain a presence in his daughter’s life, he has no ongoing relationship with her mother.

The fact of the pregnancy put an end to David’s college career, and he returned to his hometown of New York where he tries to figure out what to do next. As the book opens we find David already at work on the 2008 presidential campaign. His role there came as a result of his friendship with Beverly. She is an older woman working her way up in the finance world whose connections got David the job.

There are office romances, drinking, money begs, and glimpses of the candidate himself that form the bones of the book. But much of the meat lies in the many asides and stories that David shares.

The paperback cover of Epstein’s book “Lincoln’s Men”

It’s through these stories that we learn about David’s daughter. We hear about his divorced parents. We're learn of his religious upbringing and how important religion remains to him. And much more. It’s clear that David is a thoughtful and introspective young man.

But while the stories are at first interesting and provide background on David’s character, they don’t build on each other. They provide context but not plot. They build character but don’t transcend to provide meaning. At least they didn’t for me. And that’s a problem, as a large part of the book is spent in these stories. As a result, the book had a hard time holding my attention.

I do have to say that I found Cunningham to be a gifted writer whose writing style I enjoyed reading. Each of the individual asides was well constructed, and Cunningham’s attention to detail and to creating a mood were excellent. And that same attention to detail and ability to elicit a mood carries into the scenes of the campaign in the book as well.

Ultimately though, I felt let down by the book. As a reader, a “coming of age” book set during the Obama campaign and called Great Expectations set me up to expect MEANING. Even the late-in-the-book revelation that gives a reason for where the title came from didn’t bring things together for me. Nor did it make up for the meandering path through this novel.

I know that others will have a different impression of this book than I did. I suspect I’m not the reader this book is trying to engage. I expected something like Jay McInerney’s Bright Lights, Big City, the punchy 1980s book about a young man moving through his own twenty-something changes, and a book that really spoke to me.

But McInerney was a young man himself when he wrote that book, and I was a young man in my twenties when I read it. In Great Expectations Cunningham is looking back at his twenties from a 15 year remove, while I am forty years removed from my own twenties. For that, or whatever reason, I felt myself at an emotional remove from David’s story.

RATING: Three Stars ⭐⭐⭐

RATING COMMENTS: A coming of age novel of a young black man working on an historic presidential campaign in 2008. Filled with well-constructed vignettes told against the backdrop of the campaign, the book ultimately let me down as the stories did not build on each other nor yield any deeper meaning.

Great Expectations was a really interesting read, basically a veiled account of working for the Obama 2008 campaign. The writing was easy to read but still quite insightful to such a changing time in American history.

In the era of Dickens’ novel of the same name, the societal tectonics of the Industrial Revolution caused sweeping changes and, along with it, expectations for a better future. The wealth and social standing of the Peerage was crumbling while a new class of wealthy capitalists gained social status that was no longer tied to one’s heritage. Though the seeds of change for all were embedded in the Industrial Revolution, they took root for only a few. The circumstances of the masses who had consolidated in cities became more dire than ever

In this novel, protagonist David will be present as a seismic change upheaves American politics, and Obama’s election brings hopes for a brighter future. But what enduring change did this historical election bring? In this autobiographical work by Vinson Cunningham, this question will be explored.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Several writers whom I admire promoted this work in advance of its publication date, so it was with much anticipation and gratitude that I read this novel via NetGalley. I had--dare I say it?--great expectations going into the book. Unfortunately, my expectations were disappointed. Cunningham is a fine writer, and I enjoyed his prose in this work. I am not familiar with his work for The New Yorker, but I suspect I might enjoy his criticism more; as a work of fiction, this novel fell short. I generally love plotless novels, but if an author chooses to forego plot, he/she/they must bring depth, and that's largely missing here too. The subject matter is ripe for interest, at least for me personally, so I was really surprised to find myself so unsatisfied with its handling in Cunningham's hands. Race, class, fame, and politics could have been explored so much more incisively; I found myself really frustrated by all the missed opportunities. There were also too many asides that never cohered.

It's quite a bold move to borrow one's title from Dickens. One's confidence and bona fides when doing so ought to be ironclad. Unfortunately, Cunningham's are not. Still, he's a deft writer and I would read future works with interest.

2.5 stars

This intellectual novel takes the reader on a political campaign journey. There are many elements blended into a thought provoking novel.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I started thus book knowing nothing about it, other than that it had a starred Kirkus review and an intriguing cover. When I started reading it, I was floored to learn that it was the coming-of-age tale of a political staffer in the early days of Obama’s first presidential campaign (I’m still scratching my head about this cover?).

I liked a lot about this book, including the writing. While a bit flowery at times, there were a number of sentences that stopped me in my tracks. Also, the behind the scenes insight into life as a political fundraiser was fascinating to me, as was the main character’s evolution from wide-eyed newcomer, to seasoned (and sometimes cynical) staffer. Where I struggled was in the main character’s meandering flashbacks, which didn’t offer the elegantly delivered character insight that I might I have hoped they would. However, on the whole this was an engaging debut and I look forward to seeing what this author does next.

Thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the ARC of this book.

When I finished Vinson Cunningham’s Great Expectations, I did something I don’t normally do when I finish a novel: I turned to podcasts, hoping to learn what exactly he was thinking when he wrote this book.

I quickly discovered that Cunningham is a staff writer for the New Yorker, and that the New Yorker put him on literally every podcast they have to promote the book.

On one of those podcasts they immediately began throwing around a term I’d never heard of. Even worse, they did it in a way that implied everyone knew what this term meant. It sounded like they were saying “buildens Roman.” One host said it, then the next host said it, then Cunningham said it. And then they went on to say, “Well, what’s your favorite bildens ramen?”

Pissed that I had no idea what a billdins roamin was, I went to Google and typed “what’s a bilduns ramin”.

It turns out I was kinda close. It’s actually bildungsroman. BILDUNGSROMAN. A German word that apparently means “education novel.” Or for the rest of us who are normal: a coming of age tale.

This where I say that I’m a complete sucker for the bildungsroman. Which makes complete sense why I was also a complete sucker for Vinson Cunningham’s Great Expectations.

I did not have great expectations going into this novel, based on the many DNFs or one- or two-star ratings it received on Goodreads. But I’m here to say…don’t listen to them. I don’t know if they came into it with the wrong expectations, but it seems they missed the point of the book completely.

They wanted a collection of essays about Cunningham’s experience on the ‘08 Obama campaign. Cunningham said, “Nah, losers. Not only am I going to give you a roman a clef, I’m gonna give you Bildungsroman a clef.”

In turn, we get the somewhat adrift, 22-year-old David, tossed into the very real, very cynical world of campaign fundraising. But we also get musical and literary meditations—quickly showing that Cunningham is on a different intellectual plane than all of us.

So let him cook, people. Let go of what you wanted this book to be and go for the ride. It’s like listening to jazz on a cool, spring night, windows open. Sit back. Enjoy.

I hate to pan a book but this one didn’t work for me. Details too close to actual Obama run without enlightening me more. Appeared to meander in parts of the story. Although I received an ARC of this novel, my opinions are my own.

Great Expectations is a story about David and his unexpected stumble into being a staffer on Obama’s campaign.

Vinson Cunningham’s writing is stunning. I love the way he writes and his descriptions and eye for describing small details are exquisite.

I had a hard time at times with the “why” of the story. He makes incredible observations regarding the cultural moment, power, religion, the 2008 housing crash, and more, yet they never seem to head anywhere. It culminates in Obama’s election but that was the backdrop of the story and yet it doesn’t feel more than that at the end.

I love a book with great “rabbit trails” but a lot of these I found trying to connect back to something but was unable much of the time.

I also wanted to know David better. Regina felt like she disappeared randomly from the narrative, we knew nothing about his daughter and her mom “the dancer”. For a 1st person narrative I just didn’t feel very connected.

The title was also misleading. I just kept thinking about Dickens novel of the same name and trying to figure out how they were related. Beverley could be a version of Ms. Haversham sure or maybe it’s related to the Obama presidency but overall I found the title maybe distracted from the intent of the novel.

It’s weird to have such conflicting experiences of a book that was such a delight to read from a prose standpoint. I found myself entranced and read the first half really fast. It slowed a little in its pacing from there through the end.

Cunningham is a beautiful writer and I would in a second read more from him. It maybe wasn’t the book for me this time around but I enjoy his writing style for sure.

I am torn on how to review this - Vinson is an eloquent writer and I like his writing style, but this novel doesn't seem to have a point. It reads as the main character, David's, anecdotal experiences on the presidential campaign trail of the "Senator" (which you can deduce to being Barack Obama in his first election cycle), but it comes across as very surface level for having been told in the first person. I never felt like I connected with David's character as a reader, and I was just being told what he did, when, and why.

I read some other reviews that very eloquently sum up my own thoughts on this novel: what is Vinson trying to tell us, and why ? I got what he was telling us, David is a young black man hired on to Barack Obama's campaign and this is his experience, but the why is missing. I don't feel as if I've "learned" or taken anything away from having read this. I saw another review that said Vinson is a great writer, but great writers don't make great novelists; and I have to agree with that sentiment for this novel. I really wanted to like this because again, I liked Vinson's writing style and he is a good writer! His language is beautiful and captivating. But this felt like a long essay and not a novel. And frankly I got bored, but wanted to finish since I was given the opportunity to read this as an ARC.

Would I read another book by Vinson? I would like to think so, I hope that if/when he writes another novel that there is more "why" - more reason for me as a reader to connect with the protagonist and his story. Not just be told what they did.

Thank you to NetGalley, Vinson Cunningham, & Random House Publishing for the e-ARC!

I liked this one - a vivid depiction of a young man working on the first Obama campaign. The writing was great. The pacing and structure of some of the flashbacks was disorienting and I found myself a little confused at times. Overall, a good debut and I look forward to more from this author!

Thank you Net Galley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. This story follows David, a young black man, who's life is changed by a historic presidential campaign of a black Senator and joins his staff. He is then exposed to a whole new world of various people and ideas which makes him look at his own life in a new light and comes to terms with being a young black man and father in America. This was a bit of autofiction as the author worked in the Obama White House and I was looking forward to the read. Yet, the character of David did not really draw me in and the telling reminded me of what I imagined working on Obama's campaign might be like. I did not find anything new or revelatory. Overall, it was good enough.

What a timely and fascinating book about politics!
David works on the presidential campaign for the first black American President. From the start, there is a constant pull about compromising your principles while at the same time maintaining your principles. David is living proof of it which opens up the question to Cunningham's readership. It's quiet a slippery slope and he does an expert job of achieving that balance.
The writing is excellent. Although David is the main character, it's as if the whole nation is accountable. Pride, guilt, politics and coming-of-age in a troubled time are examined. By bringing all of these themes to light, we all seem to be confronted with these huge questions.
Even after you've read the last page, the book will resonate with you for a long time. Very thought-provoking!

This starts out moderately interesting but really lost my interest about halfway through. I am sure some readers will enjoy this book but I had to force myself to finish it.

A work of fiction that reads like a memoir. A young man talks about working on the campaign of a senator running for President, presumably Barack Obama, although his name is never mentioned. Written in elegant prose that at times seems to be stream of consciousness and at others becomes a slog. I enjoyed the writing, the actual story, not so much because at times it meandered causing me to lose interest. Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ebook. The author, who worked on Obama’s first presidential campaign, has written a novel of that time. Unglamorous hard work and long hours fill the character’s days, with a few glimpses of the candidate sprinkled throughout. It’s a larger meditation on the young man’s life and family and how he came to this moment.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Vinson Cunningham is a novel that follows a young Black college dropout, David Hammons, as he somewhat randomly gets a job as a staffer on the Presidential campaign of “the Senator from Illinois”—a not-disguised Barack Obama. After I got over my initial irritation that I couldn’t separate fact from autofiction (and settled into enjoying how this novel reads like a memoir), I relished the cadence of the prose, the introspective reflections of Hammons, and the inside look at political campaigns, from fundraising to organizing.

Amid cameos from Skip Gates, Cornel West, and of course Obama, whose charisma and idiosyncrasies and meteoric rise form the scaffolding of the book, it is Hammons’ own story that lends depth into the narrative. After fathering a child at the age of twenty and joining the campaign a few years later, Hammons is figuring out his place in the world. I loved the sections linking his Pentecostal upbringing, his Jesuit school days, and Obama’s skillful finessing of faith in the public arena, as well as Hammons’ struggles figuring out how to be a good father (though wanted more on that). Yes, there are juicy tidbits about the Obama campaign, the glamor of fundraisers and rubbing shoulders with famous folks, and the exhilaration of Obama’s unlikely success, but ultimately, this is a pensive, reflective novel.

This may seem a strange comparison because on the surface, these books have little in common, but I’d recommend GREAT EXPECTATIONS to readers who enjoyed Yaa Gyasi’s TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM. They both have a tranquil, soul-searching quality, feature a young adult unmoored from a strong faith heritage, and place less emphasis on plot and more on character transformation and beautiful writing. The novel also reminded me of Hua Hsu’s STAY TRUE because of a shared memoir-like introspective tone.