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A very nice girl : a novel / by Crimp, Imogen,1989-author.;
"A razor-sharp debut novel about an ambitious young opera singer caught between devotion to her craft and an all-consuming affair with an older man"--Anna doesn't fit in. Not with her wealthy classmates at the selective London Conservatory where she unexpectedly wins a place after university, not with the family she left behind, and definitely not with Max, a man she meets in the bar where she sings for cash. He's everything she's not-rich, tailored to precision, impossible to read-and before long Anna is hooked, desperate to hold his attention, and determined to ignore the warning signs that this might be a toxic relationship. As Anna shuttles from grueling rehearsals to brutal auditions, she finds herself torn between two conflicting desires: the drive to nurture her fledgling singing career, which requires her undivided attention, and the longing for human connection. When the stakes increase, and the roles she's playing-both on stage and off-begin to feel all-consuming, Anna must reckon with the fact that, in carefully performing what's expected of her as a woman, she risks losing sight of herself completely.
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Novels.; Psychological fiction.; Ambition; May-December romances; Psychological abuse; Singers; Young women;

The female persuasion / by Wolitzer, Meg,author.;
Greer Kadetsky is a shy college freshman when she meets the woman she hopes will change her life. Faith Frank, dazzlingly persuasive and elegant at sixty-three, has been a central pillar of the women's movement for decades, a figure who inspires others to influence the world. Upon hearing Faith speak for the first time, Greer - madly in love with her boyfriend, Cory, but still full of longing for an ambition that she can't quite place - feels her inner world light up. And then, astonishingly, Faith invites Greer to make something out of that sense of purpose, leading Greer down the most exciting path of her life as it winds toward and away from her meant-to-be love story with Cory and the future she'd always imagined.
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Women college students; Ambition; Interpersonal relations; Feminists;

Kushner, Inc. : greed, ambition, corruption ; the extraordinary story of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump / by Ward, Vicky,author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-286) and index."The first explosive book about Javanka and their infamous rise to power. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are the self-styled Prince and Princess of America. Their swift, gilded rise to extraordinary power in Donald Trump's White House is unprecedented and dangerous. In Kushner, Inc., investigative journalist Vicky Ward digs beneath the myth the couple has created, depicting themselves as the voices of reason in an otherwise crazy presidency, and reveals that Jared and Ivanka are not just the President's chief enablers: they, like him, appear disdainful of rules, of laws, and of ethics. They are entitled inheritors of the worst kind; their combination of ignorance, arrogance, and an insatiable lust for power has caused havoc all over the world, and may threaten the democracy of the United States. Ward follows their trajectory from New Jersey and New York City to the White House, where the couple's many forays into policy-making and national security have mocked long-standing U.S. policy and protocol. They have pursued an agenda that could increase their wealth while their actions have mostly gone unchecked. In Kushner, Inc., Ward holds Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump accountable: she unveils the couple's self-serving transactional motivations and how those have propelled them into the highest levels of the US government where no one, the President included, has been able to stop them." --
Subjects: Biographies.; Trump, Ivanka, 1981-; Kushner, Jared, 1981-; Trump, Donald, 1946-; Presidents; Businesspeople; Children of presidents; Presidents;

The means / by Fusselman, Amy,author.;
"The debut novel from "wholly original" (Vogue) memoirist Amy Fusselman, a tragicomic family saga that skewers contemporary issues of money, motherhood, and class through a well-to-do woman's quest to buy a Hamptons beach house. Shelly Means, a wealthy stay-at-home mom and disgraced former PTA president, is poised to get the one thing in life she really wants: a beach house in the Hamptons. Who would have guessed that Shelly, the product of frugal Midwesterners, or her husband George, an unrepentant thrift shopper, would ever be living among such swells? But Shelly believes it's possible. It might be a very small house, and it might be in the least-fancy part of the Hamptons. But Shelly has a vision board, an architect, and a plan. But what should be a simple real estate transaction quickly goes awry as Shelly's new neighbors disapprove of her proposed shipping container house at the same time that George's lucrative work as a VoiceOver artist dries up. But Shelly is dogged. She knows how to go into beast mode. But will it ever be enough to realize her beach house dreams? A novel of real estate, ambition, family, and money from "one of our best interrogators of how we live now, and how we should live" (Dave Eggers), The Means is also a fantastical, fast-moving and very funny exploration of class, wealth, and the value of work."--
Subjects: Humorous fiction.; Domestic fiction.; Novels.; Ambition; Dwellings; Families; Motherhood; Real property; Social classes;

The wide wide sea : imperial ambition, first contact and the fateful final voyage of Captain James Cook / by Sides, Hampton,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."From New York Times bestselling author Hampton Sides, an epic account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, which culminated in Captain James Cook's death in Hawaii, and left a complex and controversial legacy still debated to this day. On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in his ship the HMS Resolution. Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawaii, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiians. How did Cook, who was unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples and cultures, come to that fatal moment? Hampton Sides' bravura account of Cook's last journey both wrestles with Cook's legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration in the 1700s. Cook was renowned for his peerless seamanship, his humane leadership, and his dedication to science--the famed naturalist Joseph Banks accompanied him on his first voyage, and Cook has been called one of the most important figures of the Age of Enlightenment. He was also deeply interested in the native people he encountered. In fact, his stated mission was to return a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London, to his home islands. On previous expeditions, Cook mapped huge swaths of the Pacific, including the east coast of Australia, and initiated first European contact with numerous peoples. He treated his crew well, and endeavored to learn about the societies he encountered with curiosity and without judgment. Yet something was different on this last voyage. Cook became mercurial, resorting to the lash to enforce discipline, and led his two vessels into danger time and again. Uncharacteristically, he ordered violent retaliation for perceived theft on the part of native peoples. This may have had something to do with his secret orders, which were to chart and claim lands before Britain's imperial rivals could, and to discover the fabled Northwest Passage. Whatever Cook's intentions, his scientific efforts were the sharp edge of the colonial sword, and the ultimate effects of first contact were catastrophic for Indigenous people around the world. The tensions between Cook's overt and covert missions came to a head on the shores of Hawaii. His first landing there was harmonious, but when Cook returned after mapping the coast of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, his exploitative treatment of the Hawaiians led to the fatal encounter. At once a ferociously-paced story of adventure on the high seas and a searching examination of the complexities and consequences of the Age of Exploration, THE WIDE WIDE SEA is a major work from one of our finest narrative nonfiction writers"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Cook, James, 1728-1779; Cook, James, 1728-1779; Scientific expeditions; Voyages around the world;

L.A. women / by Berman, Ella,author.;
"An electrifying novel about the complicated friendship between two ambitious and talented female writers in 1960s Los Angeles and the ultimate artistic betrayal: one writes a book based on the other's life ... from the author of Reese's Book Club pick Before We Were Innocent. After a steady descent from literary stardom, Lane Warren is back. She's set to secure a new book deal based off the life of her sometimes friend and mostly rival, notorious free spirit and muse, Gala Margolis. Lane's only problem is that Gala has been missing for months ... nobody can find her. Ten years earlier, Gala was a charming socialite and Lane was a Hollywood outsider amidst the glittering 1960's LA party scene. Though never best friends, Lane found Gala sharp and compelling. Gala liked that Lane took her seriously. They were both writers. They were drawn to each other. That is until Gala's star began to rise, and Lane grew more envious. Then Lane decided to do something that she wouldn't ever be able to take back ... changing the trajectory of both their lives"--
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Novels.; Ambition; Betrayal; Female friendship; Socialites; Women authors;

The favorite sister : a novel / by Knoll, Jessica,author.;
When five hypersuccessful women agree to appear on a reality series set in New York City called Goal Diggers, the producers never expect the season will end in murder ... Brett's the fan favorite. Tattooed and only 27, the meteoric success of her spin studio, and her engagement to her girlfriend, has made her the object of jealousy and vitriol from her castmates. Kelly, Brett's older sister and business partner, is the most recent recruit, dismissed as a hanger-on by veteran cast. The golden child growing up, she defers to Brett now, a role that requires her to protect their shocking secret. Stephanie, the first black cast member and the oldest, is a successful best-selling author of erotic novels. There have long been whispers about her hot, nonworking actor-husband and his wandering eye, but this season the focus is on the rift that has opened between her and Brett, former best friends, and resentment soon breeds contempt. Lauren, the start-up world's darling whose drinking has gotten out of control, is Goal Diggers' recovery narrative; everyone loves a comeback story. And Jen, made rich and famous through her cultishly popular vegan food line, plays a holistic hippie for the cameras, but is perhaps the most ruthless of them all when the cameras are off"--Amazon.com.
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Psychological fiction.; Reality television programs; Sisters; Ambition; Family secrets; Murder;

A hero of our time : a novel / by Ruthnum, Naben,author.;
Osman Shah is a pitstop on his white colleague Olivia Robinson's quest for corporate domination at AAP, an edutech startup determined to automate higher education. Osman, obsessed by Olivia's ability to successfully disguise ambition and self-interest as collectivist diversity politics, is bent on exposing her. Aided by his colleague turned comrade-in-arms Nena, who loathes and tolerates him in equal measure, Osman delves into Olivia's twisted past. But at every turn, he's stymied by his unfailing gift for cruel observation, which he turns with most ferocity on himself, without ever noticing what it is that stops him from connecting to anyone in his past or present. As Osman loses his grip on his family, Nena, and everything he thought was essential to his identity, he confronts an enemy who may simply be too good at her job to be defeated.
Subjects: Humorous fiction.; Black humor.; Psychological fiction.; Ambition; Corporate culture; Diversity in the workplace; New business enterprises;

To the dogs / by Welsh, Louise,1965-author.;
"Jim Brennan is flying high. Against all odds, he is a big man at the university, tipped for the head job and an office at the top of the ivory tower. He has a beautiful, accomplished wife and two healthy children. Jim drives an Audi, and his dog is a pedigree bichon frisé. Not bad for the son of a hardman who grew up in a room and kitchen. But for every person who's watched his progress and wanted to hitch a lift, there's someone else desperate to drag him back down. When his son Elliot is arrested on drugs charges, Jim is approached by men he thought he had left safely in his past. Their demands threaten his family, students and reputation. As the pressure mounts, Jim discovers he is more like his father than he thought. The question is, how far will Professor Jim Brennan go to save the life he built?"--Jacket flap.
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Novels.; Ambition; College teachers; Extortion; Families; Family secrets; Universities and colleges;

The rise and fall of magic wolf / by Taylor, Timothy L.,1963-author.;
"Restaurateur Teo's culinary fame is peaking just as a scandal involving his sous-chef Frankie threatens to destroy everything. Teo's life as a Paris brasserie apprentice is filled with challenges and triumphs, as well as all the regular abuses of slammed commercial kitchens. Still, he rises through the ranks, eventually returning to his hometown of Vancouver to open Rue Veron, a French restaurant that goes on to become a sensation. His second restaurant, Orinoco, is also successful. But on the cusp of opening his third, a news story breaks suggesting that his popular sous chef Frankie is a sexual predator. The media firestorm and subsequent public relations disaster threaten to destroy Teo's empire as well as his own personal life. And when a desperate Frankie tragically takes matters into his own hands, Teo is left to question the consequences of both individual action and people acting in great numbers."--
Subjects: Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Ambition; Interpersonal relations; Restaurateurs; Scandals; Sex scandals;