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Shopaholic Takes Manhattan Sophie Kinsella 9780440241812 Books

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Shopaholic Takes Manhattan Sophie Kinsella 9780440241812 Books

I'd heard about the Shopaholic series for years before finally taking the plunge when I came across the first book on sale recently. As I thought might happen, I was completely captivated.

There are a lot of criticisms one could make of the Shopaholic series (I'm now on book 5 as I write this review of book 2), but I think that a lot of such criticism fails to understand the genre of "chick lit" (about which I, a newly fledged expert, am now going to expound :) ). Yes, Becky is a bit--well, a lot--of a materialistic airhead and I wouldn't *actually* want to be her friend or, God forbid, her significant other, but, that's not really a good criterion for judging a work of fiction. I mean, I just read a piece of highly regarded "Celtic noir" about a former IRA hitman who goes on a killing spree, and I wouldn't want to be HIS friend/significant other either. That's not how fiction works! You read about people who make choices you might not make in real life, not about sensible people who carefully follow their budgets and savings plans and never, for example, snap and start shooting people because of the voices in their heads...

OK, deep breaths. Let's just assume that a lot of the criticism of the Shopaholic series, which is what we're interested in here, has a sexist/misogynist motivation, even if the criticisers are not consciously aware of this fact, and move on from there. Which means we're going to rethink our critiquing paradigm a bit if we want to do a proper job here, and assume that something this successful is probably not just airhead-ery.

So what can we say about "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan"? Becky is invited by her boyfriend Luke to come with him to Manhattan, where he's trying to expand his business. She immediately falls in love with the shopping, the TV offers that are coming her way, the shopping, the shopping, the shopping...until everything goes pear-shaped, of course, because she's not only a dreamer with only a tenuous grasp on the harsher aspects of reality, she's also still an addict and she can't get her addiction under control.

The basic situation is familiar from the previous book (something that will continue in later books in the series as well), but Kinsella drops clues and builds the tension like a mystery writer. The narrative style is the unselfconscious-yet-ironic stream-of-consciousness that is typical for "chick lit," and that seems to be so poorly understood by readers who are not fans of the genre. Yes, dear reader, we and the author are both supposed to recognize how ridiculous the situations are, and on a certain level, so does the character, but she still presents it as if it's totally reasonable. Which is where the humor comes in. It turns out women DO have a sense of humor, it just appears in the form of laughing at yourself and seeing things through two lenses at once.

Anyway. I'm sure I'll have lots more to say as I review the next books in the series, but in the meantime, if you're looking for a hilarious and absorbing read, you couldn't do better than this book and this series.


Tags : Shopaholic Takes Manhattan [Sophie Kinsella] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The irresistible heroine of <b>Confessions of a Shopaholic </b>and <b>Shopaholic Ties the Knot </b>is back! And this time Becky Bloomwood and her credit cards are headed across the Atlantic.… With her shopping excesses (somewhat) in check and her career as a TV financial guru thriving,Sophie Kinsella,Shopaholic Takes Manhattan,Dell,0440241812,Contemporary Women,Humorous,Romance - Contemporary,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Contemporary Women,Fiction Humorous,Fiction Romance Contemporary,General

Shopaholic Takes Manhattan Sophie Kinsella 9780440241812 Books Reviews

I have read a lot of those "post Bridget Jones" books, you know, the feisty single heroine is beaten down, but then triumphs at the end. I felt that the original Shopaholic did stand out because it was almost over the top ridiculously funny. Being American, it's good to know that there are people in other countries who are as obsessed with materialism as we are. This sequel is even funnier. Becky Bloomwood goes to New York and gets caught up in the Manhattan lifestyle. I love the whole thing about her not understanding the exchange rate so thinking that "dollars don't count." What I really loved about this book was the ending, how she really found the right career for herself and was able to exist on her own without anyone bailing her out. None of the characters was as interesting as Becky herself, but as most of the book is about her, that's not a problem. A very entertaining read and I felt like it also had a very empowering message at the end, but wasn't preachy or over the top.
It's really kind of embarrassing that I love the Shopaholic books so much, because I was an English Literature major in college. This entire collection is a go-to, feel-good, 'who would do that?' backup read for those days that I don't want to struggle with hidden meanings or complex plots. Many of the characters are outrageous and some are on the verge of being unlikable. In fact, you feel kind of like you're reading about crazy relatives who are walking the line between okay and nuts. You excuse most of their faults because you see redemptive qualities and so WANT them to be okay. I have purchased all of Sophie Kinsella's books and I have enjoyed every one. Just don't tell Professor Fox!
As I was thinking about my vacation last summer, I was remembering about how much fun it was to drink Guinness Beer in Scotland and Ireland. Reading a Sophie Kinsella book may not be as much fun as drinking a beer at the Guinness Gravity Bar, but it lasts a lot longer and both are fabulous trips! SHOPAHOLIC TAKES MANHATTAN is book two in Kinsella's charming Shopaholic series. The endearing Becky Bloomwood is back and as usual, gets in one scrape after another. In fact, the prologue includes some of Becky's musings on "the advantages of shopping abroad

1. You can buy things you can't get in Britain.

2. You can name-drop when you get back home.

3. Foreign money doesn't count, so you can spend as much as you like."

We were so sure that Becky had turned her life around and that she had become a responsible adult (regarding monetary matters) when we left her at the close of CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC. But alas, the first page of the book is a copy of a letter to Derek Smeath, the Endwich Bank manager who has had a multitude of dealings with our young heroine. She is asking him if he can "accidentally, on purpose" lose a thousand pound overdraft. She is still the financial advisor for a London television morning news magazine where she gives common sense, warm and folksy responses to people in dire straits. She has received a large check for writing a money management guide (although she can't get past the type font she plans to use) And she shops and shops and shops! The difference now is she has hooked the gorgeous, wealthy work-a-holic Luke, who is president of Brandon Communications.

Becky and Luke move to Manhattan where he attends meetings and Becky shops. With all the fabulous stores, Becky is in Heaven. She even resorts to (again) telling half-truths to cover herself. In fact, on her immigration papers, she states that she was a great chemistry student at Oxford and a member of the British Olympic long-jump team. Despite the fact that everything catches up with Miss Bloomwood, she still is able to help save Luke's company. And again, she learns a humbling lesson while redeeming herself.

This is another hilarious book. While reading it I was either laughing out loud or grinning. Becky Bloomwood and her loveable, warm personality along with the scrapes that she gets into make for an enjoyable read. You won't want to put it down--order the entire set, I have!
I'd heard about the Shopaholic series for years before finally taking the plunge when I came across the first book on sale recently. As I thought might happen, I was completely captivated.

There are a lot of criticisms one could make of the Shopaholic series (I'm now on book 5 as I write this review of book 2), but I think that a lot of such criticism fails to understand the genre of "chick lit" (about which I, a newly fledged expert, am now going to expound ) ). Yes, Becky is a bit--well, a lot--of a materialistic airhead and I wouldn't *actually* want to be her friend or, God forbid, her significant other, but, that's not really a good criterion for judging a work of fiction. I mean, I just read a piece of highly regarded "Celtic noir" about a former IRA hitman who goes on a killing spree, and I wouldn't want to be HIS friend/significant other either. That's not how fiction works! You read about people who make choices you might not make in real life, not about sensible people who carefully follow their budgets and savings plans and never, for example, snap and start shooting people because of the voices in their heads...

OK, deep breaths. Let's just assume that a lot of the criticism of the Shopaholic series, which is what we're interested in here, has a sexist/misogynist motivation, even if the criticisers are not consciously aware of this fact, and move on from there. Which means we're going to rethink our critiquing paradigm a bit if we want to do a proper job here, and assume that something this successful is probably not just airhead-ery.

So what can we say about "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan"? Becky is invited by her boyfriend Luke to come with him to Manhattan, where he's trying to expand his business. She immediately falls in love with the shopping, the TV offers that are coming her way, the shopping, the shopping, the shopping...until everything goes pear-shaped, of course, because she's not only a dreamer with only a tenuous grasp on the harsher aspects of reality, she's also still an addict and she can't get her addiction under control.

The basic situation is familiar from the previous book (something that will continue in later books in the series as well), but Kinsella drops clues and builds the tension like a mystery writer. The narrative style is the unselfconscious-yet-ironic stream-of-consciousness that is typical for "chick lit," and that seems to be so poorly understood by readers who are not fans of the genre. Yes, dear reader, we and the author are both supposed to recognize how ridiculous the situations are, and on a certain level, so does the character, but she still presents it as if it's totally reasonable. Which is where the humor comes in. It turns out women DO have a sense of humor, it just appears in the form of laughing at yourself and seeing things through two lenses at once.

Anyway. I'm sure I'll have lots more to say as I review the next books in the series, but in the meantime, if you're looking for a hilarious and absorbing read, you couldn't do better than this book and this series.