A Vast Conspiracy

The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President

By: Jeffrey Toobin

Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell

Length: 17 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

In A Vast Conspiracy, the best-selling author of The Run of His Life casts an insightful, unbiased eye over the most extraordinary public saga of our time - the Clinton sex scandals. A superlative journalist known for the skillfulness of his investigating and the power of his writing, Jeffrey Toobin tells the unlikely story of the events that began over doughnuts in a Little Rock hotel and ended on the floor of the United States Senate, with only the second vote on presidential removal in American history. This is an entirely fresh look at the scandal that very nearly brought down a president.

Packed with news-making disclosures and secret documents published here for the first time, Toobin unravels the three strands of a national scandal - those leading from Paula Jones, Kenneth Starr, and Monica Lewinsky - that created a legal, personal, and political disaster for Bill Clinton. A Vast Conspiracy is written with the narrative drive of a sensational (if improbable) legal thriller, and Toobin brilliantly explores the high principle and low comedy that were the hallmarks of the story. From Tripp to Goldberg, Isikoff to Hyde, the complex and tangled motivations behind the scandal are laid bare.

While misguided, outlandish behavior was played out at the very highest level, Toobin analyzes the facts and the key figures with a level of dignity and insight that this story has not yet received. The Clinton scandals will shape forever how we think about the signature issues of our day - sex and sexual harassment, privacy and perjury, civil rights, and, yes, cigars. Toobin's book will shape forever how we think about the Clinton scandals.

©1999 Jeffrey Toobin (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Non-Fiction as opposed to Creative Non-Fiction

Would you try another book from Jeffrey Toobin and/or Kevin Stillwell?

Not sure.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The book begins by listing a dozen or so players. Not interesting reading. It then continues with more names. Names of Paula Jones co-workers, family and an army of lawyers, all named. Then there were her hangers-on and a host of new lawyers which must be named. I'm only half way through the book and don't know that I have the fortitude to go on. All reporters have been named, then all the lawyers for Monica, Bill and all his White House staff. All the lawyers for the Star Investigation - named.
He gave us verbatim transcripts of Linda Tripp's phone calls with Monica, one even included all the "um's". Also, he uses verbatim court transcripts. This book is not creative non-fiction.

Could you see A Vast Conspiracy being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I hope not.

Any additional comments?

By the time we got to the Monica part, I didn't care anymore.

will not change minds

Would you listen to A Vast Conspiracy again? Why?

Yes I would, with added books from figures on both sides of the issue.Regardless of what you may think about this impeachment i would like to know more through the eyes of those who lived it.Like the Clinton Wars by Sidney Blumenthal, I am not aware of any book by a member of the Republican Party who was involved. But I would be the first to buy both books if they were made available by audible.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The set of one in a million coincidences that made events happen as they did.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Stillwell’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but my five star rating speaks for itself.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, but depending on how you feel about certain subjects, I can see someone having either reaction.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend this book to any adult who is curious about modern history.

Excellent look at a story everyone knows

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Toobin's take on Clinton and the Lewinsky story is fascinating. Everyone is a user and a liar. Everyone feels like a victim. The whole sordid mess is dissected and the blame for how it got so out of hand is clearly laid at almost every participant's feet. Fascinating.

Nostalgic

I was 17-18 when all of this happened, I remember watching it on the news and it was the only thing you’d see on tv. The book is crazy detailed about the truth and details nobody ever even considered. It’s a very interesting and informative book.

Insight into Why the Clintons are Targeted

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would. Bill Clinton is a favorite President of mine. Flawed certainly. Why, oh why just not say "Yeah, it happened. Monica is just ...a really close associate".I found explanation for the numerous and ongoing assaults on the Clintons. Unfounded if you're Liberal, slam dunk proven if you're Conservative. The "truth" is based on what news network you listen to. Which may be the biggest cause of the issues the country faces and has for a long while.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The process leading up to the intimate incidents, up to almost destroying a political career.

Which character – as performed by Kevin Stillwell – was your favorite?

This is a nonfiction narrative. Mr. Stillwell did a fine job in that respect. No one stands out as "favorite". I deducted a star because there is an acoustics issue. I found myself straining to listen and understand. Almost like sound absorbing material is clipping the hard syllables. More a technical thing. Do you hear it?

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I looked forward to listening to Toobin's book. It was a strong event when I watched and read while it transpired.

Any additional comments?

I mention that I'm a Liberal. I think I picked up a pro Clinton slant in the book. A Conservative may argue that it is enough to dismiss the book. In my opinion, there is enough insight and timeline material to explain what happened so a reader can make his or her own judgement. Don't be put off that the first chapter is a list of the players. The story reads in an informative, appropriate pace.

Doesn't work as an audio book

Toobin is a great writer, but this just does not work as an audio book and I wish I never bought it.

The case for Clinton

This is the book that the new series on the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal is based. I followed it all closely at the time, but this book did include information that I never knew. It was interesting listening to it with more than 20 years of perspective. It is not an unbiased book. Toobin does lay out the facts both for and against Clinton, but then makes the case that Clinton was treated unfairly. I didn’t buy that then and I don’t buy it now. Just because the investigators are out to get you, it does not negate the criminal acts you actually committed. I probably wouldn’t be a favorite of impeached Presidents because I would have voted to remove both Clinton and Trump at their impeachment trials. That puts me in a small minority. It seems for most their votes depend on their party affiliation. There are many of the people in this book who look way worse in the time that has passed due to their their inconsistent positions. Lindsey Graham is a prime example. But, there are others who are made to be partisan hacks in this book, who have shown that wasn’t necessarily so in the time that has passed. The two biggest examples are George Conway and Bill Kristol. Both were depicted in this book as Clinton haters willing to go to great lengths to take him down. Both were also very vocal critics of Trump, showing that their Clinton “hate” had a lot more to do with not wanting a person they considered to have low morals in the White House than strictly the political vendetta depicted here. It’s amazing reading any political book how often you see the bit players from 20 or even 30 years ago being the political major players of today. There is a lot of that here. And given the last 4 years, it’s clear that both Democrats and Republicans learned “lessons” from the Clinton investigation that they put to destructive use during the Trump administration. It is an enjoyable book with a good reader for the audio version.

Filled in Lots of Details

I don't normally read this type of book but heard Rachel Maddow recommend it. Glad it was available on Audible. Listened to it at 1.25+ speed which helped. Like most Americans I knew lots of stuff about the Pres. Bill and Ms. Lewinsky saga. But, I didn't know lots of the details or about the politics of it. Listening to this book, I learned a whole lot. I'm very glad I listened to this book by Jeffrey Toobin.

Bias Shows in this book

I, like so many others, watched these events unfold as they happened. I was hopeful that this book would shed new light on an important event in the American presidency. Instead, I believe that the well-respected Jeffrey Toobin had a version he wanted to tell and that is what he did. Although not fawning over the former president, the author made it clear that Clinton was owed the benefit of the doubt in most instances.

In my opinion the bottom line, no matter what the subject matter, the president committed perjury. That point was lost in the late 90's and was basically glossed over in this book. It was a disappointing end to a book that could have gone so much farther than it did.

Not objective

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. It reveals very little new information, and it is written in a biased tone. Perhaps, I should have gleaned that from its title. Despite the fact that I am in general agreement with the author's conclusions, I thought that the language used was condescending. I guess I was expecting it to be written like an historical analysis rather than an accusatory catharsis.