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I had a feeling that this was going to be made into a movie when I saw that Miramax Books published it. The novel, a first for Kristen Gore, who you may know as being the daughter of our should have been president Al Gore, but you should know for writing some episodes of Futurama, has "made for movie" written all over it, especially the ending. I was a huge fan of the book and, since Gore will be writing the screen play, wouldn't mind seeing it up on the big screen.
Samantha Joyce is a 26 year old who works on Capital Hill for Senator Robert Gary, who is respected by his peers and known for looking at the big picture. She is his health care policy advisor and works very hard at her job, which, with the exception of a few blunders here and there, she excells at. She goes through a lot of crap and learns not to let her emotions get the best of her. Gary, or RG as he is called in the book, is a good man who she looks up, knowing that he is in it for the good fight.
In addition to her political life, she does have a personal life, mostly with a speech writer for douche bag Senator Braman, Aaron Driver. His true colors show during the book, and he gets what he deserves and then some (I think Gore went a little overboard-I'm a little surprised that she didn't have his testicles ripped off by vultures).
The balance of both lives, as well as her neurotic behavior (she practices what it would be like if she lost her arm and is always scared that she has contacted some sort of disease), leads to some entertaining times for the reader. She overanalyzes everything, going from thinking the best about a situation to thinking the worst in the matter of a few pages. Joyce will remind you of somebody in your life, and that familiarity is something that draws the reader in.
My favorite part of the book is getting an inside look at D.C. politics. I'm a big fan of Christopher Buckly novels, and she goes into more depth than he does. From reading this book, I have a much better understanding of the razzle dazzle of politics and the incredibly hard work that our politicians and their staff put in for (at least in their opinion, as no one in office is purposely trying to ruin our country-though some may think of themselves first).
Being a first novel, there are things that can get annoying. The book is very predictable, which is another reason it seemed Hollywood bound. Joyce's neurosis goes a little too far at times, and I'm really not a fan of the ending, but I was addicted to the book from start to finish.
Overall, this is a great read. Its a lot of fun, kind of like Sex and the City (a show I don't really like) meets Capital Hill. I think a lot of people will enjoy the book, as its funny and tells a good story.