Confessions of a Shopaholic Bk. 1 by Sophie Kinsella (2001, Paperback)

I purchased this book because I had recently read another book (Remember Me) by the same author, Sophie Kinsella. This is humorous and light reading, with a touch of romance. Confessions of a Shopaholic is the First of a series of books, including Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, Shopaholic and Baby, Shopaholic and Sister. The main Character, Rebecca Bloomwood is a 25-year-old Shopaholic who lives in London. Being somewhat of a shopaholic myself, I loves her descriptions of how she feels when she she sees the Sale sign and the detailed descriptions of the shopping expeditions especially using details about the brands and items she buys, and how she throws the Visa bills in the trash. I really enjoyed how she managaed to get herself out of each difficult situation.
I read the book in about 2 days and can't wait to begin the next one.

Sophie Kinsella's novel, "Confessions of a Shopaholic," is a hoot and- having known one or two people like this, myself- all too realistic. If you've ever paid off one credit card with another, thrown out a bill before opening it, had clothes hanging in your closet or piled in your dresser that you've never worn, or convinced yourself that buying a cart-full of buy-one-get-one free items is like making money, then this caricature novel is for you.

Rebecca Bloomwood, the protagonist, is a recent college graduate who is offered a line of credit by a London bank. Within a few months, she has exceeded the credit limits, and begins stealthily scanning her credit card bills at work, before ceasing to open the bills at all. As a writer for the finance magazine, "Successful Saving," the world of financial management shouldn't be a mystery to Rebecca. In a moment of financial lucidity, she purchases a book- is anyone surprised?- by an expert who advises his readers to learn to appreciate life's less expensive pleasures: parks, museums, and so forth. Yet she considers her first Saturday at the Victoria and Albert Museum a waste. Why? There's no price tags on the exhibits. Eventually, Rebecca's uncontrollable spending, and her "imaginative" solutions for debt control, attract the attention of not only several credit managers, but of handsome Luke Brandon- the 31st wealthiest man in Great Britain and PR representative for a finance group frequently covered in her magazine. But Rebecca is so unremittingly shallow, and Luke is so wonderful, that readers may find themselves rooting for the girl to not get the guy.

"Confessions of a Shopaholic" makes excellent fantasy reading between credit card offers, buy-one-get-one-free sales, and that next eBay purchase. The mirth and mayhem of Rebecca's inner dialogue and her ceaseless scheming to avoid bill collectors- broken leg, dog died, aunt died, bill collector is a stalker- are worth more than a few smiles. The book is great fun and a quick read- well worth a reader's time.

I am totally hooked on the Shopaholic books! Such a fun read! I have read the first three and am working on the fourth. The author is a wonderful writer and includes a lot of humor. I think most ladies will be able to relate to the main character, Becky Bloomwood, at least on some level. Interesting to see how she gets herself out of her little messes. WARNING - addictive! I can't put them down!

This is a funny British book. While it is somewhat hard to mentally convert pounds to dollars - I found that basically doubling the amount will give you a rough idea of the outrageous amounts of Rebecca's accumulating debts! The shops visited by Rebecca may be strange to the American eye - but you can bet they are all pricey! Lost in a whirlwind of shopping and avoiding creditors Rebecca grows up when she realizes she must face up to her debts and make plans to pay them off. Her search for the best way to SL (spend less) and MMM (make more money)are often hilarious. She finds the solution and true love sheerly be serendipity. In the end Rebecca moves from sticking her head in the ground about her addiction to shopping to becoming an adult.

You'll love this book, I did!

Before I read Sophie Kinsella's "Confessions of a Shopaholic," I picked up a copy of Remember Me. I was immediately hooked! Kinsella has so much wit that it's almost uncanny. In Confessions, Remember Me, and also Can You Keep a Secret (these are the only three I have read, but I have already purchased all the others!), I read so many parts that literally left me laughing out loud. I can hardly read these in public! She really know how to connect with the reader and her audience. I highly recommend Confessions. Read it before you see the film. If you've already watched the film, read it anyway...you'll most likely like it much more! Kudos to Kinsella.