Friday, January 22, 2010

Review: Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella


Twenties Girl: A Novel by Sophie Kinsella tells the story of Lara who, following the death of her great-aunt Sadie, begins to be visited by her ghost. It turns out that Sadie is back looking for a necklace that has great sentimental meaning for her and she enlists (or compells) Lara's assistance in tracking down the necklace. While she is back she also meddles in Lara's love life by haunting some of Lara's love interests and having them behave in bizarre ways - this makes for some very funny scenes! Although Lara is initially frustrated by her Aunt Sadie, a real bond develops between them and Lara becomes very invested in the search for the lost necklace. The search for the necklace uncovers a mystery in her family and drama ensues.

I initially struggled with this book - I think I am a little two grounded in reality for ghosts! The premise of the novel struck me as preposterous and I think that was an obstacle in my getting acquianted with the characters. In addition, like Lara, I found Sadie annoying and petty at the start of the novel. Despite this, the other characters, especially Lara, began to draw me in and I got involved in their storie. As I began to care more about the characters, the fact that Sadie was a ghost faded to the background and was no longer an issue for me. Lara is your typical Kinsella heroine - she struggles in her lovelife and career - but she has the signature self-deprecating wit of the Kinsella heroines and I couldn't help but love her as the book progressed.

I very much enjoyed this book - it is a fun, light-hearted read even though it deals with an issue as grave as death. As I compare to other Kinsella favorites, such as the Shoapholic series or The Undomestic Goddess, I would place this book just beneath those. It was very entertaining and I did enjoy the characters but not as much as I enjoyed the antics of Becky Bloomwood in Shopaholic or Samantha Sweeting in Undomestic Goddess. If you like Kinsella or are just looking for a fun read with characters you will like, definitely pick up Twenties Girl: A Novel and get in touch with your inner flapper!

10 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you liked this! I bought it recently because I love the Shopaholic series so much.

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  2. I really enjoy reading Sophie Kinsella's books especially The Shopoholic ones...she can be pretty funny!
    Good review!!

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  3. I know this came out a while ago, but I still haven't gotten around to reading this one, and I love Sophie Kinsella, especially the shopaholic books. Thanks for a reminder to pick this one up!

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  4. CelticLady, Kim, Dana and Bermudaonion - thanks for stopping by my blog! Hope you enjoy Twenties Girl too!

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  5. I love flappers and the idea of the roarin' 20s -- which is why I bought this one last summer... but still haven't gotten around to reading it! Ack! You've inspired me, though; glad you did enjoy it. I've read a few Kinsellas and moderately enjoyed them... but this one sounded more appealing to me. :)

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  6. I read the Undomestic Goddess and thought it was pretty good. She is an excellent writer. I'll have to pick this one up.

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  7. Good review...I did not pick up this book initially because I am also sceptical about books with ghosts. But it looks like in spite of that, this book is a good read, I will definitely give it a try!

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  8. I've had this to read for ages and still haven't got round to it. I think I'm going to make it next, I've read so many great reviews about it.

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