Shopaholic Takes Manhattan [Paperback]

Sophie Kinsella (Author)

Book Description

Series: Summer Display Opportunity | Publication Date: January 29, 2002

“This expensive, glossy world is where I’ve been headed all along. Limos and flowers; waxed eyebrows and designer clothes from Barneys. These are my people; this is where I’m meant to be.”
–Becky Bloomwood

Universally beloved by readers, Sophie Kinsella’s national bestseller, Confessions of a Shopaholic, introduced the irrepressible one-woman shopping phenomenon, Becky Bloomwood. Now, in this hilarious follow-up, Becky and her credit cards are headed across the Atlantic....

With her shopping excesses (somewhat) in check and her career as a TV financial guru thriving, Becky’s biggest problem seems to be tearing her entrepreneur boyfriend, Luke, away from work for a romantic country weekend. And worse, figuring out how to “pack light.” But packing takes on a whole new meaning when Luke announces he’s moving to New York for business–and he asks Becky to go with him!

Before you can say “Prada sample sale,” Becky has landed in the Big Apple, home of Park Avenue penthouses and luxury department stores.

Surely it’s only a matter of time until she becomes an American TV celebrity, and she and Luke are the toast of Gotham society. Nothing can stand in their way, especially with Becky’s bills miles away in London.

But then an unexpected disaster threatens her career prospects, her relationship with Luke, and her available credit line! Shopaholic Takes Manhattan–but will she have to return it?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The world is a different place since Helen Fielding triumphed on both sides of the Atlantic, but the torrent of benignly self-indulgent Bridget Jones's Diary knockoffs has not subsided. In this sequel to Kinsella's bestselling Confessions of a Shopaholic, Becky Bloomwood, a personal finance "expert" with her own TV show, is more of a financial mess than ever: she can't stop shopping, even though she can't afford anything. She's even assigned her flatmate, Suze, to monitor her spending, but to no avail: Becky is full of cute rationalizations, like "Foreign money doesn't count, so you can spend as much as you like," and can't stop herself from sneaking into posh boutiques. Her work-obsessed boyfriend, Luke, runs a financial PR agency, and when he gets the green light to open an office in New York City, he brings Becky along. Upon her arrival in the Big Apple, she euphorically discovers Barney's, Saks, Sephora and sample sales but when wind of her shopping excesses gets back to the British press, she loses both her relationship and her TV job. Becky manages to save the day in predictably winning fashion, with plenty of comic moments along the way. Sure, it's tongue-in-cheek and all in good fun but will the barrage of shopping hijinks be enough to hold readers this time around? Kinsella creates some winning characters, but the credit card and shopping bag action is wearing dangerously thin.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

"This expensive, glossy world is where I've been headed all along. Limos and flowers; waxed eyebrows and designer clothes from Barneys. These are my people; this is where I'm meant to be."
–Becky Bloomwood

Universally beloved by readers, Sophie Kinsella's national bestseller, Confessions of a Shopaholic, introduced the irrepressible one-woman shopping phenomenon, Becky Bloomwood. Now, in this hilarious follow-up, Becky and her credit cards are headed across the Atlantic....

With her shopping excesses (somewhat) in check and her career as a TV financial guru thriving, Becky's biggest problem seems to be tearing her entrepreneur boyfriend, Luke, away from work for a romantic country weekend. And worse, figuring out how to "pack light." But packing takes on a whole new meaning when Luke announces he's moving to New York for business–and he asks Becky to go with him!

Before you can say "Prada sample sale," Becky has landed in the Big Apple, home of Park Avenue penthouses and luxury department stores.

Surely it's only a matter of time until she becomes an American TV celebrity, and she and Luke are the toast of Gotham society. Nothing can stand in their way, especially with Becky's bills miles away in London.

But then an unexpected disaster threatens her career prospects, her relationship with Luke, and her available credit line! Shopaholic Takes Manhattan–but will she have to return it?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Dell Pub.; Later Printing edition (January 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385335881
• ISBN-13: 978-0385335881
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (357 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #359,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sophie Kinsella is a writer and former financial journalist. She is the number one bestselling author of Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddesss, Remember Me? and the hugely popular Shopaholic novels. She lives in London with her husband and family. She is also the author of several bestselling novels under the name of Madeleine Wickham, all published by Black Swan. Visit her website at www.sophiekinsella.co.uk.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

376 of 387 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Careful when Buying..., January 4, 2006

By 

R. Allbritten - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shopaholic Abroad (Paperback)

Of course, this is book is good, but it's the same as Shopaholic Takes Manhattan! It's just a different title for the UK. I thought I'd discovered some UK-only releases of Becky's adventures, but alas, now I need to return it.

76 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even Funnier Than the Original, February 2, 2002

By 

Tracey A. Nettell (Houston, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shopaholic Takes Manhattan (Paperback)

Don't worry that this sequel might be a letdown from "Confessions of a Shopaholic". I thought it was even better. Becky Bloomwood is back, this time with her television career going well, her love life in great shape ... but, with those old spending habits as strong as ever. Accompanying her boyfriend to the States, she hits New York City like a whirlwind and injects more than a little money into the NY economy. The plot of this book is, I think, quite a bit stronger than the first book with a little intrigue lurking in the background. If you've ever enjoyed a good shopping spree in New York (or have ever dreamed of having one), you will love her exploits. I read this book in a 24 hour period - I laughed and laughed and just couldn't get enough of it.

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Laughed Till I Hurt; Funniest Book I've Ever Read, February 23, 2002

By 

Antoinette Klein (Hoover, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shopaholic Takes Manhattan (Paperback)

I first fell in love with Becky Bloomwood in "Confessions of A Shopaholic." I have been looking forward to the sequel, but was afraid it might be just a lame extension of a story that had already been told. How wrong I was! This is funnier than the original (a hard act to follow) and Becky continues to be the designer-loving fashion plate who was born to shop.

Life looks good for Becky as she spouts financial advice on her tv show, finds romance with Luke, and continues to wrap her bank manager Derek Smeath around her pinkie. But when Mr. Smeath retires from Endwich Bank and Luke announces he wants to make it big in New York, big changes are in store(literally) for Becky. She takes to New York like an angel to heaven, or as she so succintly says, "These are my people. I've found my homeland." Becky has never been happier and the reader is treated to Becky hyperventilating at a Prada sample sale, seeing the Guggenheim in a unique way, winning the attention of employees at Barney's, all while taking a three-hour group walking tour of New York that turns into a thousand dollar shopping day when the tour director invites them to enter a magnificent place of worship and Becky enters Saks rather than St. Patrick's. But an unplanned event sends Becky into a depression and destroys her relationship with Luke. Will Becky recover? How will she muddle through without job or boyfriend? Will the new bank manager succumb to her charms or demand full payment? Is it possible for Becky to live up to her own catch phrase she preaches to her loyal viewers, "Look after your money...and your money will look after you."

Every page is filled with Beckyisms, wise words on shopping that are hysterically funny in light of our heroine's "tragic flaw." Will Becky rise from the ashes? Can she win the battle of the charge cards and live a debt-free life? From London to New York, to my mind there's not a more endearing heroine than Becky Bloomwood nor a more compelling contemporary writer of "chick lit" than the witty Sophie Kinsella.

Pick up a copy of this book and I guarantee you'll smile every time you see a Denny and George scarf or a Vera Wang dress.