Jessica Rudd

In my book journal, I have written two things on the first line in regards to Campaign Ruby. They are:
BEST EVER!
Awesome!!

Writing this review a little while later with a sense of perspective, I still stand by my initial comments. Jessica Rudd is a highly talented writer who makes chick lit incredibly funny. She is the Manolo Blahnik, the Godiva chocolate, the Dior Addict Extreme of this genre (i.e. the crème de la crème). I also read a rumour on Twitter that Ruby could be returning for a show more third adventure…the champagne is chilling and the eReader is charging in anticipation of this event!

But I digress. Now that you know what a wonderful writer Jessica Rudd is (yes, she is former Australian prime minister Kevin’s daughter), let’s focus on Ruby. I would say that Ruby is possibly one of the funniest creatures to grace the page – at least until I met Bettina. More about Bettina later.

When we left Ruby at the end of Campaign Ruby, she’d bagged the man and her boss had been elected Australia’s Prime Minister. Now the dust has settled and someone’s leaking secrets from the PM’s office and things with Luke could be way better. Plus, there’s also the dreaded 3-0 coming up…what’s Ruby to do? Hark the arrival of the new intern, Bettina. Bettina is super organised and super co-ordinated. I need to expand on that last point so you understand – Bettina matches her clothes, bag, shoes, car and stationery. Rather loudly. She drives a purple Monaro (that’s a muscle car – super-duper hotted up) and she has matching seat covers (so not macho). Bettina adores stationery, the sparklier and more colourful the better – one of my favourite lines in the book is from Bettina’s mother, who states that she knows Bettina is seriously upset when she refuses a trip to Smiggle (Australian stationery store, colourful and quirky). I think Bettina could be my BFF! There’s also a sexy vet, Elliott and the hardest question of all, what to wear to the most important ball of the year?

Apart from Ruby’s usual clumsiness and talent for getting into awkward situations, there’s serious stuff at play. The amount of infighting within the party is unbelievable as is the workload. Jessica Rudd manages to make the incredible grind that politics is seem sexy – and funny too. Plus it’s fun to try to work out if any character is based on any real Aussie politician…

This book is incredibly funny and the pages just whizz by. Jessica Rudd is a talented comic writer who can also do serious emotions well. The characters are incredibly well done (I think Bettina is the most memorable character I’ve ‘met’) and I look forward to more from her.

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Australians probably would have heard about this book recently as it’s scarily prophetic. Shafted prime minister’s daughter writes a book about an Australian prime minister being ousted from office by his female colleague who then calls a snap election- it all reflects our recent political climate. But is Jessica Rudd cashing in on her father’s name and fate?

No! Even though I am an ardent Kevin Rudd fan (geeks and academics can be prime minister…hope for us all, but that’s another show more story for another blog) Jessica Rudd has done a wonderful job in producing a truly funny chick lit where politics is anything but boring.

Campaign Ruby centres around Ruby Stanhope, an investment banker who is sacked as part of the credit crunch. She goes home, gets blind drunk and books herself a ticket to Melbourne. (Why Ruby has a Qantas Frequent Flyer number even though she’s never been to Australia is never explained). It’s too expensive to get out of the ticket, so luckily she flies in to a stinking hot summer where she is met by her aunt. By luck, she meets the Leader of the Opposition (leader of political party not in power) and is offered a job on the election campaign. Here Ruby makes the most of her Englishness and lack of knowledge regarding Australian slang, leading to some awkward (and funny) moments. Will the Leader of the Opposition win? Will Ruby realise which of the team has her best interests at heart in time?

Ruby is a very likeable character (even though she has a better knowledge of Australian fashion labels than most Australians) and the supporting cast (particularly the aunts and her niece Clementine) are skillfully written and unique.

Jessica doesn’t have the literary verbosity of her father (phew, I hear most of you say) but she does have an incredible talent for humout- I don’t think I’ve ever giggled my way through a chick lit as much.

It was interesting to read this in the wake of the recent Australian federal election, when we didn’t know what was going to happen in regards to who would form government- I was hoping that Jessica would predict the result! show less

Read from July 21 to 22, 2010
review: You don’t have to be an election tragic to enjoy Jessica Rudd’s new book. It may be set in the drama of elections in Canberra, but it’s chick lit. Chick-lit for career women; for those with an interest in current affairs; and for anyone interested in what goes on behind the scenes, behind the 10-second news grab and behind the polished performances we see in the media. As the blurb tells us, it’s Bridget Jones on the campaign trail, and it’s as show more funny as Bridget Jones’s Diary is ...more You don’t have to be an election tragic to enjoy Jessica Rudd’s new book. It may be set in the drama of elections in Canberra, but it’s chick lit. Chick-lit for career women; for those with an interest in current affairs; and for anyone interested in what goes on behind the scenes, behind the 10-second news grab and behind the polished performances we see in the media. As the blurb tells us, it’s Bridget Jones on the campaign trail, and it’s as funny as Bridget Jones’s Diary is said to be.

I haven’t read Helen Fielding’s book, but I saw the hilarious film starring Renée Zellweger instead. Campaign Ruby is actually the first chick-lit I’ve ever read – and will probably be the last - but I enjoyed it. It is so well-written that it manages to transcend the silliness of the genre to become an entertaining insight into modern politics in Australia.

To read the rest of my review, please visit http://anzlitlovers.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/campaign-ruby-by-jessica%c2%a0rudd/ show less

This was an enjoyable romp of a read. I've been a political junkie in a past life, so a got a lot of giggles out of Ruby's campaign trail shenanigans.

Ruby Stanhope is likable, sympathetic and horrifying in the same vein as Bridget Jones - a walking disaster whose competence and courage carry her through her frequent bouts of impulse and embarrassment.

The cast of characters were great fun; from Ruby's aunts the foul-mouthed lawyer and the elegant baker to Oscar the morally bankrupt but hot show more journalist.

I enjoyed the book a great deal, though it was predictable and contrived in places. show less