Shopping,shopping,shop ping! (The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella)

Member Name: Emily_09

Product:	The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
Date:	03/09/09 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great writing style, funny and light-hearted

Disadvantages: Predictable

So I'd watched the film 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' and enjoyed it so much that I decided to read the book that had inspired such a funny and light-hearted story. I don't normally read books after watching their film versions as I often feel that it spoils the plot, but I was pleasantly surprised with this novel. Although very similar to the film, it was well worth a read as Kinsella's vivid descriptions and comic phrases do not come across so well on the big screen..

The book is centred around the life of Rebecca Bloomwood, a financial journalist who, I hate to admit it, reminds me of myself with her accident prone nature and inability to get through a day without a number of dilemmas. The reader is taken on her journey as she tries to better her life and make more money to pay off her enormous debt, which she has accumulated from, you've guessed it, her addiction to shopping. Throughout the book her finance based career aspirations are comically ironic considering how useless she is with her own money and while reading this on holiday I got a few funny looks after laughing out loud at various points!

There are also more serious aspects to the plot, including her relationship with businessman Luke Brandon and the reality of her financial situation and I was left guessing right until the end as to how, and indeed if, Becky would get herself out of her mess.

This was a great read while lying on a sun bed and I would definitely recommend it for a light-hearted novel that makes you feel grateful that you don't have thousands of pounds of debt! It's a real girly story as indicated by the pink cover with the image of shopping bags on the front and probably wouldn't be appreciated by most men but is suitable for teenagers and middle aged women alike.

I also really loved Sophie Kinsella's way of writing as her rich and detailed descriptions of gorgeous items of clothing and furniture make it easy to understand just how Becky has so much debt. On the down side, every time I read a new chapter, I had a sudden urge to go shopping which probably wasn't the desired effect, so it might be a good idea to hide the credit cards until you've got it out of your system!

Perhaps the only bad thing about this book (apart from the shopping cravings, which aren't always a bad thing in my opinion!) is the predictability of the plot. Although I had watched the film, so already knew the basic outline of the plot, even if I hadn't I would have bet money on the ending. From the very beginning, as soon as you are introduced to Becky, you can easily predict how she is going to act in certain situations and every time that she tried to stop her spending, I knew straight away that it wouldn't work. Other aspects, such as her relationships, were also really predictable and this was a bit frustrating as the ending was no surprise.

Even if you have seen the film I would still recommend reading this book as there are differences that make it worthwhile. The most significant of these is that the book is set in London as opposed to the New York setting for the film. This is better in my opinion as the brand names in the book are all English so you can relate to them much more. The character of Becky is also much more human in the book as we see her mistakes and her problems whereas Becky in the film seems unnaturally confident in all situations!

On the back of the cover, the novel is priced at £7.99 but it can be bought for just £4.99 on Amazon which is definitely good value for money in my opinion. The book's so good that you'll probably read it in no time at all but it's definitely one that can be read over and over again!

Summary: 5 stars for a great book