Confessions of a Shopaholic (Shopaholic, No 1) [Paperback]

Sophie Kinsella (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 6, 2001

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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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

From Publishers Weekly

Add this aptly titled piffle to the ranks of pink-covered girl-centric fiction that has come sailing out of England over the last two years. At age 25, Rebecca Bloomwood has everything she wants. Or does she? Can her career as a financial journalist, a fab flat and a closet full of designer clothes lessen the blow of the dunning letters from credit card companies and banks that have been arriving too quickly to be contained by the drawer in which Rebecca hides them? Although her romantic entanglements tend toward the superficial, there is that wonderful Luke Brandon of Brandon Communications: handsome, intelligent, the 31st-richest bachelor according to Harper's and actually possessed of a personality that is more substance than style. Too bad that Rebecca blows it whenever their paths cross. Will Rebecca learn to stop shopping before she loses everything worthwhile? When faced with the opportunity to do good for others and impress Luke, will she finally measure up? Rebecca is so unremittingly shallow and Luke is so wonderful that readers may find themselves rooting for the heroine not to get the manAalthough, since Shakespeare's time, there's rarely been any doubt concerning how romantic comedies will end. There's a certain degree of madcap fun with some of Rebecca's creative untruths; when she persuades her parents that a bank manager is a stalker, some very amusing situations ensue. Still, this is familiar stuff, and Rebecca is the kind of unrepentant spender who will make readers, save those who share her disorder in the worst way, pity the poor bill collector. (Feb. 13) Forecast: This is a well-designed book, with a catchy magenta spine, and a colorful and kinetic double coverAwhich will attract many browsers. Major ad/promo, including national NPR sponsorships, will enhance sales, despite the novel's flaws.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback; First edition (February 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385335482
• ISBN-13: 978-0385335485
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (978 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a delightful, hilarious read!!, March 20, 2001

By 

Busy Mom (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Confessions of a Shopaholic (Shopaholic, No 1) (Paperback)

I started it last night and stayed up till 3 a.m. to finish this book! I really enjoyed this book ~~ it was funny, lighthearted and cute! I laughed out loud in some places and found myself shaking my head in other places.

Rebecca is a girl who overdraws her bank account and maxes out her Visa card. I am not a big shopper (unless you call shopping for books a shopping spree ~~ then I am!) of clothes but it was funny just to hear her describe her clothes like she is posing for Vogue or Cosmo or even 17. Her justification for buying things are hilarious and the scene where she was trying to make curry made me laugh so hard! (I'm a cook and that scene just cracks me up because I've done the same thing she did!) Sophie took a character riddled with anxieties and insecurities and made her so likeable ~~ you can't help but laugh at some of her excuses. She has a vivid imagination which really carries the book through.

I can see why some of the critics didn't care for this book ~~ it does sound like something from a fashion magazine, but Sophie is a good, clean writer. I really enjoyed this book and would like to read more of hers. Her sense of humor is a lot like mine and it is a refreshing read! I recommend it for a light, easy reading and if you're looking for humor, this book has it all.

40 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Grab A Copy Of This Book and Say "Charge It!", November 8, 2001

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Confessions of a Shopaholic (Shopaholic, No 1) (Paperback)

That's what our heroine, Rebecca Bloomwood, does fifty times a day. Clothes, make-up, scarves, boots, anything that has a price tag is fodder for Rebecca's shopaholic paradise. Unfortunately, Becky has maxed out her Visa, is getting threatening letters from her bank, and has borrowed from her roommate. Even more unfortunately, she can't curb her addiction to shopping. Sophie Kinsella gives us the funniest, most messed-up, and yet most endearingly vulnerable heroine of the year. If you've ever aspired to be trendy and glamourous but didn't quite have the budget to accomplish this, you'll laugh and cry along with Becky as she attempts the two biggest ways to achieve financial security---Cutting Back and Making More Money. Her attempts are disastrous, her failures hysterical. So, what does she do? She gives herself a little consolation prize...just a tiny little purchase, and another, and another....cause Becky was born to shop and couldn't stop if her life depended on it. As an added joy, she is also a financial journalist who writes articles advising others how to manage their money. Light, clever, and totally disarming, this is a quick, fun read sure to please anyone who gets an adrenaline rush walking into a mall.

I can't wait to read the upcoming sequel "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan" for more side-splitting fun shopping with Becky!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pick this up if you're shopping for fun chick lit, October 3, 2007

By 

Melissa Niksic (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Confessions of a Shopaholic (Shopaholic Series) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Confessions of a Shopaholic" is a funny, mindless book about Rebecca Bloomwood, a rather silly girl who works for a finance magazine in London and spends about five times as much as she makes. Becky just can't say no to piles of magazines, heaps of designer clothes, and dozens of frothy cappuccinos. It doesn't take long for Becky to run up some pretty huge debts, but instead of dealing with her financial problems head-on, she opts to use the avoidance tactic by telling creditors that her dog died, tossing her monthly statements into the trash bin, etc. Eventually Becky decides to cut back on her spending, but somehow her "responsible financial plan" ends up costing her even more money. Unfortunately for Becky, she can't hide from her problems forever, and eventually the unhappy creditors literally drive her into hiding. But of course, books like these almost always have happy endings, and things miraculously come together for Becky in the end.

I enjoyed reading this book: it's light, humorous, and fun. Becky's crazy rationalizations are pretty hilarious, but after a while I got a bit tired of how completely dense she could be about everything. It was also very obvious how the book would end pretty much from the start. Still, Becky made me laugh, and her outlandish situations and slightly over-the-top love interests were very entertaining. Overall, if you're looking for fluffy chick lit, this book is definitely up your alley, but it really doesn't amount to much more than that.