Confessions of a Shopaholic | 
| Author: Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: Dell
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  832 reviews
Sales Rank: 1951
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0440241413
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.92
EAN: 9780440241416
ASIN: 0440241413
Publication Date: November 4, 2003
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
If you've ever paid off one credit card with another, thrown out a bill before opening it, or convinced yourself that buying at a two-for-one sale is like making money, then this silly, appealing novel is for you. In the opening pages of Confessions of a Shopaholic, recent college graduate Rebecca Bloomwood is offered a hefty line of credit by a London bank. Within a few months, Sophie Kinsella's heroine has exceeded the limits of this generous offer, and begins furtively to scan her credit-card bills at work, certain that she couldn't have spent the reported sums. In theory anyway, the world of finance shouldn't be a mystery to Rebecca, since she writes for a magazine called Successful Saving. Struggling with her spendthrift impulses, she tries to heed the advice of an expert and appreciate life's cheaper pleasures: parks, museums, and so forth. Yet her first Saturday at the Victoria and Albert Museum strikes her as a waste. Why? There's not a price tag in sight. It kind of takes the fun out of it, doesn't it? You wander round, just looking at things, and it all gets a bit boring after a while. Whereas if they put price tags on, you'd be far more interested. In fact, I think all museums should put prices on their exhibits. You'd look at a silver chalice or a marble statue or the Mona Lisa or whatever, and admire it for its beauty and historical importance and everything--and then you'd reach for the price tag and gasp, "Hey, look how much this one is!" It would really liven things up. Eventually, Rebecca's uncontrollable shopping and her "imaginative" solutions to her debt attract the attention not only of her bank manager but of handsome Luke Brandon--a multimillionaire PR representative for a finance group frequently covered in Successful Saving. Unlike her opposite number in Bridget Jones's Diary, however, Rebecca actually seems too scattered and spacey to reel in such a successful man. Maybe it's her Denny and George scarf. In any case, Kinsella's debut makes excellent fantasy reading for the long stretches between white sales and appliance specials. --Regina Marler
Product Description
Rebecca Bloomwood just hit rock bottom. But she's never looked better....
Becky Bloomwood has a fabulous 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 that she can't actually afford it—not any of it.
Her job writing at Successful Savings not only bores her to tears, it doesn't pay much at all. And 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 cutting back; she even tries making more money. But none of her efforts succeeds. Becky's 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.
Sophie Kinsella has brilliantly tapped into our collective consumer conscience to deliver a novel of our times—and a heroine who grows stronger every time she weakens. Becky Bloomwood's hilarious schemes to pay back her debts are as endearing as they are desperate. Her "confessions" are the perfect pick-me-up when life is hanging in the (bank) balance.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Download Description
Rebecca Bloomwood just hit rock bottom. But she's never looked better... Becky Bloomwood has a fabulous 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 that she can't actually afford it -- not any of it. Her job writing at Successful Savings not only bores her to tears, it doesn't pay much at all. And 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 cutting back; she even tries making more money. But none of her efforts succeeds. Becky's 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. Sophie Kinsella has brilliantly tapped into our collective consumer conscience to deliver a novel of our times -- and a heroine who grows stronger every time she weakens. Becky Bloomwood's hilarious schemes to pay back her debts are as endearing as they are desperate. Her "confessions" are the perfect pick-me-up when life is hanging in the (bank) balance.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 827 more reviews...
 Not her best work July 18, 2008
I read this book after reading a newer book of this author, "remember me?" I must say that I thought this book would be funnier than what it was. "Remember Me?" made me laugh quite a bit and kept me interested, whereas with this one, I had to force myself to finish it. It was an ok read, but nothing special.
 Hilarious! July 12, 2008
Many LOL moments. I've waited for a book like this, and intend to keep reading the rest of Kinsella's. Too funny to set down.
 Hilarious! A very fun and enjoyable read! July 12, 2008
This book was recommended to me by a friend and after bawling my eyes out reading The Kite Runner and Time Travelers Wife, I thought I should try something light and funny and I'm so glad I did! This book is great!! I found myself laughing out loud and not wanting to put this book down! The book is what it is - a crazy girl, with an endearing heart, that has a bit of a shopping problem -it's fun, light, and will make you laugh.
In fact, it was so much fun to read that I'm buying the next one. I didn't get enough of Becky! If you want a fun book to read, I highly recommend this one.
Tooooo funny! July 8, 2008
I hesitated at first in buying this book on Kindle. But, enjoyed every page of the book. I could not believe how delusional, crazy and absolutely funny Becky Bloomwood turned out to be!! I laughed so hard off the letters she got from her creditors I couldn't wait to read the next one she got! I liked the book so much; I am going to purchase another by Ms. Kinsella. Looking forward to being entertained as I was with Confessions of a Shopaholic. lol
 Walter Mitty minus the charm June 26, 2008
I really should have known from the title that this wasn't the book for me. In the immortal words of Eve Dallas, "I don't shop; I buy. There's a difference." But I enjoy chick lit, and I've liked other characters who aren't like me, and everybody loves these books (4.5 stars with over 800 reviews), so I decided to give them a shot.
Rebecca Bloomwood is, as the title states, a shopaholic. She's also a financial writer, though she mostly fakes her way through her job. She's deeply in debt. Mostly, she's a pathological liar. She hides her bills and apparently believes that if she never opens them, she's not liable for them. She convinces herself that she's actually saving money by buying an expensive scarf that's on sale. She stiffs her best friend and roommate on the rent and her share of expenses, but goes out and buys frivolous things on credit anyway. She buys a lottery ticket and is absolutely certain that she's now a millionaire--to the point where she's devastated when it doesn't win, and is sure it must be a mistake.
She decides that the way to get out of debt isn't to spend less; it's to earn more. So she goes about trying to accomplish that by even more lying. And in the end, she succeeds--gets a great job and gets the guy. This isn't a spoiler--you knew it would have a happy ending.
What is a spoiler, but a worthwhile one, if it keeps others from being as disillusioned as I was, is that Becky never learns a darn thing in the book. I'm not at all trying to convince anyone not to read this--obviously it doesn't bother the vast majority of readers--but since expectations have so much to do with one's enjoyment of a book, you should know not to expect Becky to grow or change.
So there are two reasons I didn't like this book:
1. I couldn't sympathize with the main character at all, or even understand her. I've been in debt before--who hasn't? And I've bought things I couldn't afford. But the incessant lying and complete disregard for anyone besides herself made her utterly unlikeable from my perspective. She didn't have any redeeming qualities that I could see. You know, I like stories with characters who start out as unlikeable, then grow and change and develop into someone I can like. But she doesn't. Which leads me to:
2. The structure of the story. It's about a static character. Things happen to her, and she reacts to them. More things happen. She reacts some more. Her problems get solved, but not by her own efforts, rather in spite of them. There's no conflict, no value change, no antagonist. A maxed-out Visa card is not an antagonist.
Periodically, while I was reading, I could appreciate the humor in certain situations, and I enjoyed that while it lasted. It's not the worst book I've ever read, but I'm not going to be in any hurry to get the other Shopaholic books out of my TBR pile.
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