Pros: Kinsella accurately depicts shopaholics. She makes us see ourselves and still laugh.
Cons: Its not that in depth a read, and the ending is too easy and unrealistic.
The Bottom Line: If you are a shopaholic or if you know one, read this book for an amusing and eerily accurate depiction of this all too common human weakness.
shopaholic_man's Full Review: Sophie Kinsella - Confessions of a Shopaholic
Well, I guess I fall into the 15% of shopaholics that are men. When I first heard the term, I realized that it described me to a T. I guess this book falls into a category called "Chic Lit", but I'm secure enough to read whatever I want, and the title of this book compelled me to buy it when I was shopping at Borders one afternoon.
I'm normally a fan of fiction authors like Elmore Leonard, John Grisham, Dan Brown and Scott Turow, but I really enjoyed Sophia Kinsella's easy to read novel about Becky Bloomwood, a self confessed shopaholic. (and yes, that is what gave me the idea for my nickname). Although Sophia Kinsella (her photo on the back wearing designer dress, sunglasses and sporting 7 shopping bags) swears that her title character, Becky Bloomwood is not based on herself, I have never seen in print a character who illustrates a "shopaholic" so well. Kinsella's dead on description of what it is like to go out and buy things to feel good, and that indescribable feeling of euphoria of getting that wonderful something that will make you the envy of your friends was so accurate it was scary. Maybe Becky's purchases of choice are mostly shoes and scarfs and mine are DVDs and CDs, but the way Becky lives her daily life reminded me all too much of my own. "Confessions of a Shopaholic" accurately describes how those of us with similar traits never really make a fully conscious link between our purchases and the inevitable credit card bills that will follow. Becky has many "rules" about what counts as spending, and what does not count. Any items used for self improvement, or bought on holiday or bought on sale are really not worth counting or are in fact saving money! I laughed out loud as I recognized my own thought processes while unwinding at my local Best Buy or Circuit City. Becky describes her thoughts and feelings as she makes her purchases. For example when she goes through an amazing amount of effort to make a purchase of a Denny & George scarf (the novel is set in London, I assume that Denny & George is an upscale shop), she rationalizes that with this addition to her wardrobe all her friends will think of her as the "girl with the Denny and George scarf". I know I have made the same rationalizations selecting watches at Alpha Omega.
If you too are a shopaholic, I am sure that you will be amused as you read your shopping habits laid out in a not so flattering light. Ironically, the heroine of the novel works as a writer for a Financial Advisory Newspaper and fails to take her own advice. (and hey, I consult with people on bankruptcy, but it never stopped my purchasing habits). The novel is a light comical read, not the most entertaining or in depth novel I have ever read, but fun anyway. Although Becky Bloomwood's shopping habits are described with hilarious accuracy, the overall novel, like many fun novels has an easy and unrealistic happy ending. On a more realistic note, she never stops her habit, even after paying her very overdue bills and confronting her problems at the end of the book, she still calls in a purchase from QVC for designer sunglasses that are only 3 pair for 200 pounds. If you are not a shopaholic, I suppose you may just find Becky Bloomwood as a bit compulsive and immature, but then you are just missing the point about the human frailties that we all have in one way or the other.
One of the funniest parts of the book is the chapter breaks. Between chapters, Sophia Kinsella has placed a variety of letters sent to Rebecca Bloomwood by her ever persistent creditors. These alone were very funny. Another aspect of the book I found unusual is that the central character is never actually described. I pictured her as a bit like Holly GoLightly (Audrey Hepburn). Sophia Kinsella has hit upon an amusing human frailty and created an amusing, if not deep, fun to read book.
Now in paperback--the New York Times bestselling all-too-true debut novel that chronicles one woman s hilarious efforts to overcome her expensive--if ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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