Confessions of a shopaholic (The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella)

Member Name: ZandraOne

Product:	The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
Date:	01/01/09 (168 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: very funny

Disadvantages: none

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Preamble:
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I'm a enthusiastic reader. I like many different genres, especially books about funny things, or a little romantic books.
My sister read the whole Shopaholic series in german and was very delighted by the books of Sophie Kinsella. I first read another novel of hers, Undomestic Goddess, which was also very funny. But today I will tell you a bit about The Secret Dreamworld Of a Shopaholic (Confessions of a shopaholic)



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Facts:
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> ISBN-10: 0552213578
> Cost: 4.99 (Amazon.co.uk)
> Pages: 319
> Publisher: Black Swan



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The author:
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Sophie Kinsella whose real name is Madeleine Wickham, is a bestselling british author. She was a former financial journalist and writes now novels for women. She lives in Hertfordshire with her husband and her children.
Apart from the Shopaholic series, she wrote many other books, e.g. Undomestic Goddess, Can you keep a secret? Or her latest novel Remember me?



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Plot:
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Becky Bloomwood is a financial journalist. But her own finances are in a very bad constitution. She loves shopping, and that's her problem. She buys everything. And with everything, I mean everything. She buys shoes, even though she has hundrets of pairs in her warderobe. She buys scarfs because they're 30 percent off. And she buys things she even don't know what they are good for.

While sitting in a press conference she doesn't want to be (because she doesn't like her job at all. She wants to write for a fashion magazine), she asks a friend for lending her some money. There is a sale at her favorite shop, and she hasen't got enough money with her, amd she left her credit card at the office. But her friend has no money. Luke Brandon, head of Brandon Communications overhears this conversation and borrows her 20 pound. Becky made up a story, that the scarf is for her aunt, but she bumps into Luke again, wearing this scarf. She comes up with another lie.
They run into each other once more, ending up shopping together. They both enjoy the day very much, until Luke lets Becky know, that the suitcases they bought, were for his girlfriend. Becky gets angry and doesn't want to see him anymore, so Luke has to make an effort to reconcile Becky
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Extract:
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[...]

Luggage! As I wander round the department, looking at Louis Vuitton suitcases and calfskin bags, I'm quite thrown. Why on earth have I never considered luggage before?

I should explain. For years now I've kind of operated under an informal shopping cycle. A bit like a farmer's crop rotation system. Except, instead of wheat-maize-barley-fallow, mine pretty much goes clothes-makeup-shoes-clothes (I don't bother with fallow). Shopping is actually very similar to farming a field. You can't keep buying the same thing--you have to have a bit of a variety. Otherwise you get bored and stop enjoying yourself.

And I thought I had all the areas covered. To be honest, I was quite blasé about it. But look what I've been missing out on all this time. Look what I've been denying myself. I feel quite shaky as I realize he opportunities I've just been throwing away over the years. Suitcases, weekend bags, monogrammed hatboxes.... With weak legs I wander into a corner and sit down on a carpeted pedestal next to a red leather vanity case.

How can I have just blithely led my life ignoring an entire retail sector?

[...]



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My opinion:
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For a german native speaker with about ten years of school english, the book was very easy reading. The story was enjoyable and written with lots of humor. The characters are very good and funny, and with Becky I found stunningly much similarities.

I liked the way the author writes: fresh, easy and very entertaining. It is not demanding to read, but it fascinates, so you can't put away the book.

Rebecca (Becky) is loveable and funny, and she always causes chaos. Many women identify themselves a bit with her, so you have to like her.


I liked the book very much and read it in no time, therefore I bought the rest of the series, too.

Summary: Very funny! Worth to read it!