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Naked Ambition

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( 412 ratings, 70 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Naked Ambition by Robert Gott is a humorous tale that delves into the misadventures of a hapless politician named Angus Bede. Set in a whimsical depiction of the political landscape, Bede's escapades unfold amidst satire and farcical situations, showcasing the absurd thrill of ambition and the unpredictable nature of political life. The book plays delightfully with the foibles of its eccentric characters.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you have a taste for satirical humour, love a dose of dark comedy, and appreciate stories about ambition, politics, and human nature that invite both laughter and reflection. The witty narrative and quirky characters crafted by Robert Gott bring a unique blend of charm and absurdity, catering to fans of cleverly woven comedic tales.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

You're a politician, a public figure. What on earth were you thinking?

Up-and-coming junior minister Gregory Buchanan has had a portrait painted of himself by the acclaimed artist Sophie White—a painting she intends to enter in this year's Archibald Prize. Until then, Gregory has hung it in pride of place on his dining-room wall. It's a life-sized standing portrait, practically photographic in nature. And it's a nude.

His wife will be home soon, and he thinks the painting will be a pleasant surprise. Even more surprising will be an unexpected accumulation of guests—his sardonic mother, his fundamentalist mother-in-law, his lycra-clad cycling-enthusiast sister, and the state premier, Louisa Wetherly. A senior minister has just resigned in scandalous circumstances, and she needs Gregory to step into the spotlight ahead of the coming election.

It's going to be a wild afternoon, and an even wilder campaign—to do something about Gregory's naked ambition.

A madcap, witty delight—it's like Oscar Wilde or Noel Coward, but naked.
—Toni Jordan, author of Dinner with the Schnabels and Prettier If She Smiled More

A wickedly fun comedy full of larger-than-life characters, plot twists, and sharp one-liners.
—Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project

Reads somewhat like a closed-circle mystery. Most of the story is dialogue-driven, giving it a fun, campy, stagey feel, with characters often facing off against one another. Naked Ambition is witty and full of laughs; readers looking for offbeat entertainment will find it here.
—Chris Saliba, Books+Publishing

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781922585967

Publisher: Scribe Publications

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 May 2023

Country: Australia

Imprint: Scribe Publications

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 137.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 272g

Pages: 240

About the Author

Robert Gott was born in the Queensland town of Maryborough in 1957, and lives in Melbourne. He has published many books for children, and is also the creator of the newspaper cartoon The Adventures of Naked Man. He is the author of the William Power series of crime-caper novels set in 1940s Australia, comprising Good Murder, A Thing of Blood, Amongst the Dead, and The Serpent's Sting, and of the Murders series, comprising The Holiday Murders, The Port Fairy Murders, The Autumn Murders, and The Orchard Murders.

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  • The Holiday Murders
    The Holiday Murders explores a little-known and sometimes violent corner of Australian history, and finds oddly modern echoes in its paranoia, xenophobia, and ugly fervour. On Christmas Eve, 1943, the newly formed but undermanned Homicide division of the Melbourne police force is called to investigate the vicious double murder of a father and son. When Military Intelligence becomes involved, Homicide's...
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  • The Serpent's Sting
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  • Amongst the Dead
    Failed Shakespearean actor and would-be private investigator Will Power's unique detective skills are, once again, in demand. The Japanese army is rampaging through the islands of the South Pacific, and Australia's front line of defence is a top-secret, crack division of men embedded deep in the tropical wilderness of northern Australia. But something is threatening their vital, covert mission—one of...
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  • A Thing of Blood: A William Power Fiasco
    The fatally over-confident hero of Good Murder returns to pit his meagre detective skills against military intelligence, belligerent in-laws, a town full of G.I.s, and a creepy conspiracy to bring on an Australian sectarian nightmare. Failed Shakespearean actor and would-be private detective William Power returns to Melbourne in disgrace after his disastrous brush with theatre and murder in Maryborough. Bloodied,...
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  • Good Murder
    It's 1942, and war is raging in Europe and in the Pacific. The Japanese army is on Australia's doorstep, and the small coastal Queensland town of Maryborough is on full war footing. What they are not prepared for is the arrival in the town of a troupe of incompetent actors whose unjustifiably self-confident leader, William Power, is determined to bring...
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  • The Port Fairy Murders
    The Port Fairy Murders is the sequel to The Holiday Murders, a political and historical crime novel set in 1943, featuring the newly formed homicide department of Victoria Police. The department has been struggling to counter little-known fascist groups, particularly an organisation called Australia First that has been festering in Australia since before the war. And now there's an extra...
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  • The Autumn Murders
    The series that began with The Holiday Murders and The Port Fairy Murders now continues with The Autumn Murders... In the autumn of 1944, George Starling prepares to exact revenge on the person he hates most in the world (and Starling has a long list of people he hates), Detective Joe Sable of the Melbourne Homicide division. Driven by his...
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  • The Orchard Murders
    The Orchard Murders is a novel about revenge, obsession, and the dangerous gullibility of religious fanatics. In 1944, in the outer-Melbourne suburb of Nunawading, a brutal triple murder heralds the return of a long-forgotten cult. A man named Anthony Prescott has declared himself the Messiah and has promised his followers immortality. There are those who believe him and who are...
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