Campaign Ruby

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 journalist.

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

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 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 show more 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

Political chick-lit of a high calibre. A light-hearted look at an Australian Election campaign written by the daughter of the former PM of Australia. Jessica Rudd has a nicely developed sense of the absurd, and there are several laugh-aloud moments in the book. As a pom I found it quite educational - now I know where Woop Woop is! An entertaining read if not great literature.

This debut novel by former PM Kevin Rudd's daughter wasn't bad, really, although was certainly slightly creepy at how much of the 2010 spill made it in here. I don't know why she made Ruby English - her Englishness was quite annoying, actually, and all the Australians were so painfully ocker. There was an excessive use of the word "mate" by characters who didn't seem the type to use it. What was interesting was its political ambiguity; you get the sense that Ruby is working for ersatz Labor but can never quite be certain. There are also a few good digs at current immigration policy and gay marriage. In the end, I couldn't help but constantly compare it to Sammy's Hill and Sammy's House by Kirstin Gore - Al's daughter and former Futurama show more writer - and I'm afraid that those books are such jolly good fun (and actually deal with real policy issues) that this just doesn't measure up. 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 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 show more 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

I had to give this 4 stars, not for any literary merit, but because it is so entertaining. A page-turner with laugh out loud moments. Anyone who needs a bit of an entertaining light read verging on chick-lit would love it.

This was was a swift read for me. I just could not put it down. It was well written, very clever and full of laughs!