The Fourth K
 first edition | |
| Author | Mario Puzo |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Random House |
Publication date | 1990 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 479 pp |
| ISBN | 0-394-56996-2 |
| OCLC | 23286701 |
| 813/.54 20 | |
| LC Class | PS3566.U9 F68 1990 |
| Preceded by | The Sicilian |
| Followed by | The Last Don |
The Fourth K is a novel by Mario Puzo, published in 1990. It is set during the Presidency of fictional "Francis Xavier Kennedy," nephew of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Edward Kennedy.
Plot summary
President Francis Xavier Kennedy is elected to office, in large part, thanks to the legacy of his forebears–good looks, privilege, wealth–and is the very embodiment of youthful optimism. Too soon, however, he is beaten down by the political process and, disabused of his ideals, becomes a leader totally unlike what he has been before.
When his daughter becomes a pawn in a brutal terrorist plot, Kennedy, who has obsessively kept alive the memory of his uncles’ assassinations, activates all his power to retaliate in a series of violent measures. As the explosive events unfold, the world and those closest to him look on with both awe and horror. The novel's emphasis is on the characters. The reader learns about a character's background when they have to make a major decision. Critics have stated that, once the book has focused on a particular character, they are relegated to the background and never again returns to prominence.
Mario Puzo has stated: "The Fourth K was a [commercial] failure—but it was my most ambitious book." [1]
See also
References
- ^ "The Fourth K". The Official Mario Puzo Library. Retrieved 2008-07-07.