Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
# of Pages: 368
Source: Audiobook from Local Library
Summary: "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 that 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 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."
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Rebecca Bloomwood is hands down one of the most hilarious characters I have encountered in a long time. Her ability to take any common situation and turn it into a circus act gave the book true character and grace. What's most interesting about the context of this novel is Kinsella's art of characterizing what most human beings, regardless of age, struggle with: finances. Although Becky's level of indiscretions in terms of finances is more on the extreme end of the spectrum, the overall theme of learning to appropriately distribute funds is one I was able to relate to. I can't even begin to count the number of times in which I have had to remind myself that book purchases have to wait until all necessary finances are taken care of.
Unfortunately, Becky's inability to correctly appropriate her finances also proved to be a nuisance. There were situations in which Becky could have easily rectified her behavior and told the truth about certain situations; however, she chose to continue to wallow in her lies and debt and then continuously wondered how and why she obtained certain results. At some points in the book I was rooting for Becky and in others I wanted to give her some stern, unfiltered advice. To be honest, it was Becky's humor that saved a lot of pitfalls I found within the text.
Although I did find issues with the development of Becky's character, Confessions of a Shopaholic proved to be a quick and entertaining contemporary read. It was filled with quirky and humorous passages, great life lessons, and an overall decent story line. If you are looking for a quick and easy read centered around contemporary chick-lit this is an excellent choice. I would also recommend listening to this book on audio-book. The narrator does a wonderful job embodying and fulfilling the role of Rebecca.
Rating: 3.5/5
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