Could I keep a secret? (Can you Keep A Secret? - Sophie Kinsella)

Member Name: lauricha

Product:	Can you Keep A Secret? - Sophie Kinsella
Date:	06/04/06 (1431 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic read, great for planes, trains . . . anywhere !

Disadvantages: None that i know, its just not long enough

This is a fantastic book. There are so many great reviews about what the book is about, I'm not going to go too in depth about the plot and storyline, I'm just going to explain why I think this book is fantastic!

The book is so true to every modern woman out there. We all have secrets, and as the leading lady Emma Corrigan points out, they aren't massive HUGE secrets like the meaning of life. They're just ordinary, little secrets. Some of hers include: not being a size 8 (like her boyfriend Connor thinks) but being a size 12, she thinks Connor is too good-looking, almost like a Ken doll, she lost her virginity in the upstairs spare room while her parents were watching Ben Hur. See, nothing too big and important.

But what would happen if you told all of these little secrets to a complete stranger? What if that complete stranger turned out to be an important figure in your life? This is what the book is all about.

Finding herself in a 'perilous' situation she unknowingly rants on about her life and secrets to a complete stranger on a plane. 'I gave him this really nice watch but he insists on wearing that stupid orange thing because it tells you the temperature in Poland or something', 'I don't even know if I've GOT a G-Spot', 'sometimes when I'm annoyed with Artemis I water her plant with orange juice.'

When the plane lands Emma excuses herself and hurries off the plane, embarrassed to think she just mentioned her G-Spot and the like to a total stranger and thankful she'll never see him again!

Returning to work the next day she finds a commotion. Apparently, the founder of her company is visiting for the week and he wants to see a tour of the company. Not thinking too much of it, Emma wanders upstairs to her usual routine, taking her shoes off, checking her online horoscopes, getting a bottle of Evian, emailing her boyfriend, waiting to see if he replies then getting on with a little bit of work. That is until she sees who it is!

In true Kinsella style this book explores the ups and downs of the working girls life and the things she will do to keep people happy. It shows how friendships are best when they're based on honesty (even if it means confessing a secret lesbian dream to her flatmate), how love doesn't just revolve around what he wants to hear and not how you really feel and that to people that you really care about, sometimes honesty really is the best policy.

The characters are written so well and this really contributes to the books success. Here's a list of those most influential:

Emma Corrigan - Marketing assistant of Panther Cola. She has been through a variety of different jobs and because of this she owes her Dad money for these adventures. Of course he insists she pays it off so she learns the value of money. Like was mentioned above, she has a few secrets, nothing too large though. She secretly feels that this world isn't her real life and that just around the corner is her real life, the one where she's a marketing executive with tons of cash and a house with a swimming pool. Will her dreams ever come true? And what will happen if all her little secrets come out?

Connor - Her sexy boyfriend. He also works at Panther Cola and the two are both regarded as the Perfect Couple. Following Emma's plane ordeal, Connor asks Emma to move in with him, logically the next step in their relationship. Surprised, Emma accepts. But how does she really feel about him? Has the plane ride really changed her outlook on life that much? Will her real feelings for Connor ever come to light?

Jack Harper - The CEO of Panther Cola. Since the death of his business partner Pete, Jack has become somewhat of a recluse, hardly being seen in the press and never in person. So when he decides to see the set-up in London everyone is in shock. Especially Emma. Strangers are meant to be people you never see again, arent they? Why does Jack always seem so shifty and distant, yet so confidant in what he thinks he knows? And why was he on that plane in the first place?

Lissy - Emma's best friend and one of her flatmates. Lissy is a barrister and a damn good one as well. In court she's known as The Rottweiler and for good reason. She's always there to support Emma when things go wrong. She even has a key to a secret club that all the celebrities attend. But is it only Emma that has secrets? And, as Emma rightly puts it 'what's more embarrassing than sex?'

Jemima - Emma's other flatmate. A blonde, well polished sculpture something or other, she spends most of her time in spas and throwing dinner parties. Her mother has proved to be a very influential person throughout the course of history (!) and much or her personality is reflected in her daughter. Her sentences always begin with 'IF you want a ring on your finger' and 'IF you want an SW3 address' and it turns out that she's met royalty. Or has she? Will her media contacts help or hinder Emma in her quest for her new life? And can their friendship survive a betrayal of such great proportions?

Kerry - Emma's 'perfect' cousin. Her mother dies when she was young and so lived with Emma and her parents. She is possibly the most annoying character of the bunch and i would hate to think (but am sure) there are people that are really like this. Kerry has her own travel agency and is a bit of an air head, while Emma is always left in the background. How long will things be this way? Will Kerry ever slip up? And will Emma ever feel like she has a proper family again?

Of course, these are the main characters within the story that give it its charm. There are plenty others that really make the story so enjoyable! The book is an easy read, if a tad unrealistic, and like all of Kinsella's other books are best for those long train journeys home or for relaxing on the sofa with slippers and a hot chocolate!

It is definitely worth a read and compared to the Shopaholic series (and even the Undomestic Goddess) it shines through with no competition.

THIS REVIEW, AS DO ALL MY REVIEWS, APPEARS ON CIAO.CO.UK

Summary: Great chick-lit, fun read, you wont want it to end