Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella, a Book Review

My latest Sophie_Kinsella read, is Twenties Girl. personally, this was just a bit disappointing, I have particularly enjoyed the Shopaholic series and her other books. This was a bit strange as the main charachter Lara, although a pretty much formulaic heroine, for Kinsella, is haunted by a ghost, of her great Aunt Sadie, and although she died at the ripe old age of 105, the ghost is a 23 year old version of Sadie! Needless to say Sadie was in her twenties in the 1920s! So, if you are a fan of this era and the glamour it represented, the book is full of quite a few 1920s fashion, make-up, lifestyle references. I think thats where it lost me. I should've known by the title but, I tend to get my decades mixed up, and am familiar up to the 50s, 40s even, but before that my interest wanes a bit.

I know, I know, the title of the book is self-explanatory, but I thought it would be a bit more.....interesting /glamourous/relatable. I had to google flapper dress, as I had a 70s style flapper in mind, only then did the first date outfit, with the feather head-dress and all make any sort of sense. Maybe its just me and my ignorance of 1920s culture.

1920s flapper dress, with fringe hemming and feathre headress, and cigarette holder!

The other thing that irked me, again this is going to sound rather shallow: I found it Aunt Sadie's tale of unrequited love and lonely retirement life especially after her stroke, rather tragic. I classify Sophie Kinsella as an excellent chick-lit writer, keeping it light and entertaining all the way, this wasn't completely so, and I had no fair warning.

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella- SeriesBook Reviews

Yet another book review of sorts. Intellectual snobs be warned. I am not about to review any heart breaking ground shattering or profound books, I'm afraid I was in the mood for instant if somewhat fleeting gratification. (After reading 4 books by the same author in the space of a short time I'm now  bit fuzzy on the details)

This summer I finally got around to reading The shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella, as well as 'Can you keep a secret?', by the same author. What can I say? Embodiment of perfect chic-lit! If a book were a chocolate with caramel and nougat center it would be the Confessions of a Shopaholic.

Any girl that loves shopping can relate. Any quarter lifer stuck in a  so-so career can also relate. Any girl who manages to land find herself in socially embarrassing sitations, sometimes of her own doing can relate. To conclude, nearly any girl can relate, or at least laugh at Rebecca Bloomwood's shenanigans. As some one who has trouble packing- (think the night before the flight teary, hair-pulling, suitcase-kicking and weighing nervous wreck) I thoroughly enjoyed her travel packing dilemmas.

You don't want to put the book down, because you are enjoying yourself so much, and if you have the next one in the series you will jump at it.  But unlike books of substance you don't find yourself thinking about the characters or events and running through bits in your head again. But then again this is chic lit, a short and sweet affair.

Incidentally, I was looking for by the latest book by the same author Twenties Girl, at Heathrow Airport and I found out that the titles are slightly different. There are different titles for the same book  sold in the UK and US.The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic in the UK is sold as Confessions of a Shopaholic elsewhere. ( I thought that was only the case for  the first Harry Potter, which was titled Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone in the UK while it in the US it was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.)

I would really like to know why they feel the need to change the title, maybe its a legal issue. Do American writers/ publishers also feel the need change to titles of their books when they sell them in the UK and Europe?  Both of these are examples of British writers, but I guess the US market is far bigger and more important commercially, to warrant such a change when compared with the European market.

I feel I may have over-linked this post, but I am an amateur blogger, and I am trying to experiment with one new feature with each post maybe in time my post will improve in quality of content and formatting. Here's to hoping and having faith!