The all new 50 Books Challenge!
Title: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Details: Copyright 2001, Random House
Synopsis (By Way of Back Cover): "Becky Bloomwood has what most twenty-five-year-olds only dream of: a flat in London’s trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season’s must-haves. The only trouble is, she can’t actually afford it—not any of it. Her job writing at Successful Saving magazine not only bores her to tears, it doesn’t pay much at all. Still, how can she resist that perfect pair of shoes? Or the divine silk blouse in the window of the ultra trendy boutique? But lately Becky’s been chased by dismal letters from Visa and the Endwich Bank— letters with large red sums she can’t bear to read-- and they're getting ever harder to ignore. She tries cutting back, she even tries making more money. But none of her efforts succeeds. Her only consolation is to buy herself something . . . just a little something.
Finally a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life— and the lives of those around her— forever."
Why I Wanted to Read It: I'll be honest. This book is completely out of my comfort zone. I have generally have zero interest whatsoever in books of this genre: light, fluffy fiction about as deep as a Hallmark movie.
But I wanted something light and maybe a switch out of my comfort zone could be good?
How I Liked It: There's nothing wrong with knowing what you like and reading or watching or listening to or looking at that. But have you ever, say, picked up a book that was right up your alley? The description, the genre, even the cover art... and had it fall horribly flat?
So let's take the opposite. Pick a book that is the opposite of anything you think you like, pick a book you'd probably run away from, and read it. That's pretty much what I did with this, although it's not the first time.
I'm aware of the massive success of this book and the sequels and film adaptation it's spawned. So it's a very popular representative of a genre I have no interest in, about a subject in which I have little interest (shopping for shopping's sake). Perfect for this little experiment!
This book is a sort of coming of age story of an extremely superficial sort, about a young woman trying to better herself. Meet Becky Bloomwood, a ditzy scatterbrain obsessed with (you guessed it) shopping. Mostly it's for fashion, but really, it's anything.
In trouble with debt (the book has a very slow start by opening with her threatening bank letters), Bloomwood has to change her ways-- somehow!
Let me say that I don't generally like clueless characters unless they are children, in which case their cluelessness at least makes sense. Clueless adult characters tend to make me want to throttle them, not relate to them.
And Bloomwood isn't just clueless. She also regularly lies to friends, family, employers, and strangers (and it's not really treated in the text like it's lying or deception or even obnoxious behavior), and her hijinks too often don't skew towards hilarious so much as they do annoying/obnoxious.
Still though, there's a certain charm here, and the character seems to find her most solid footing, either comedically or emotional investment-wise, when she's genuinely trying to better herself.
The story is pretty predictable (although sometimes the main character's out and out meanness and selfishness more or less unremarked upon took me back a bit) and you'll see the love interest (who is kind of insufferable in his own right) coming a mile away, and the ending could not wrap up any more ridiculously, unrealistically, (and some might say undeservedly) happily for her, but most people reading this I would assume aren't looking for twists and bold character development, same as the folks indulging in a Hallmark Christmas movie aren't interested in a fresh, innovative take on the holiday. And that's okay! Sometimes you want mindless, silly, happy claptrap.
Sometimes getting out of your comfort zone isn't just about seeing if you'd enjoy something you didn't think you'd enjoy. Sometimes it's appreciating why other people might enjoy what they enjoy. And if you're looking for a light, fluffy, predictable read with a happy ending, you could probably do a whole lot worse.
Final Grade: B-
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