The Undomestic Goddess [Paperback]

Sophie Kinsella (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 25, 2006

Workaholic attorney Samantha Sweeting has just done the unthinkable. She’s made a mistake so huge, it’ll wreck any chance of a partnership.

Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of her London office, gets on a train, and ends up in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she’s mistaken for an interviewee and finds herself being offered a job as housekeeper. Her employers have no idea they’ve hired a lawyer–and Samantha has no idea how to work the oven. She can’t sew on a button, bake a potato, or get the #@%# ironing board to open. How she takes a deep breath and begins to cope–and finds love–is a story as delicious as the bread she learns to bake.

But will her old life ever catch up with her? And if it does…will she want it back?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Samantha Sweeting, the 29-year-old heroine of Kinsella's latest confection (after Shopaholic Sister), is on the verge of partnership at the prestigious London law firm Carter Spink—the Holy Grail of her entire workaholic life. But when she finds she has made a terrible, costly mistake just before the partnership decision, she's terrified of being fired. In a fog, she stumbles out of the building and onto the nearest train, which drops her in the countryside, where she wanders to a stately home. The nouveau riche lady of the house mistakes her for the new housekeeper—and Samantha is too astonished to correct her. Numb and unable to face returning to London, Samantha tries to master the finer points of laundry, cooking and cleaning. She discovers that the slow life, her pompous but good-hearted employers and the attentions of the handsome gardener, Nathaniel, suit her just fine. But her past is hard to escape, and when she discovers a terrible secret about her firm—and when the media learns that the former legal star is scrubbing toilets for a living—her life becomes more complicated than ever. If readers can swallow the implausible scenario, then Kinsella's genuine charm and sweet wit may continue to win her fans. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Fans of Kinsella's popular Shopaholic series will find the author in fine form here in her second stand-alone tale, following Can You Keep a Secret? (2004). Samantha Sweeting, an ambitious lawyer on the fast track to becoming a partner at her prestigious law firm, is horrified to discover an overlooked memo on her desk that ends up costing a client 50 million pounds. In a daze, Samantha hops a train and finds herself in the country. She walks up to the first house she sees and knocks on the door, intending to inquire about the nearest hotel, but Trish Geiger mistakes her for the new housekeeper. Still in shock, Samantha decides to go along with Trish and her husband, Eddie's, mistake, despite the fact that she has no domestic skills. Happily, she is aided by the handsome gardener, Nathaniel. He helps her forget about her London law firm, until she makes a startling discovery. Another charming winner from the delightful Kinsella. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback; Reprint edition (April 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385338694
• ISBN-13: 978-0385338691
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (463 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sophie Kinsella is the author of the bestselling Shopaholic series as well as the novels Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I've Got Your Number, and Wedding Night. She lives in England.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#38 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction

#50 in Books > Romance > Contemporary

#58 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Contemporary

#79 in Books > Romance

#97 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#38 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary Fiction

#50 in Books > Romance > Contemporary

#58 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Contemporary

#79 in Books > Romance

#97 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

89 of 102 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved, loved, loved it! July 23, 2005

By Danielle VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Undomestic Goddess is yet anotherwinner from Sophie Kinsella. I read the book in a day and a half because it was a easy fun read. Samantha Sweeting is a hard working lawyer who is on her way to being made a partner at her firm-until she makes a mistake. Samantha then panics and goes into the English countryside. Samantha is mistaken for a housekeeper and she can't seem to find a way to tell her employers Trish and Eddie the truth. So she struggles to learn to cook and clean and this leads to some funny situations. I believe that another amazon.com reviewer said that they found it hard to believe that she became a "world class chef" so quickly, but I didn't find that to be true. She learns to cook but I don't know if I would classify as a her cooking as world class chef cooking. I found the love story in the book to be very sweet. Although, I personally liked the Shopaholic series and Can you keep a secret?, The Undomestic Goddess is a good funny book and I recommend it to anyone who likes Sophie Kinsella and anyone who is a fan of chic-lit books.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars UnRealistic Goddess August 13, 2005

By Cheryl Hernandez

Format:Hardcover

I am a big Can You Keep a Secret fan, so I was looking forward to a SK book that wasn't part of the Shopaholic series. The book is very cute and also interesting, but totally unrealistic. Of course, SK's books are all a bit unrealistic, but this one is plain silly. The book tries to end about 3 or 4 times before actually coming to a conclusion. It was a cute book but fell apart at the end. If you like SK, you'll prolly be able to look past the flaws, and you'll like this book. I wish that I'd borrowed it from the library instead of purchasing it, though.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Kinsella's books don't disappoint July 19, 2005

By Just Me

Format:Hardcover

Another good read from Sophie Kinsella. I found myself laughing out loud at bits. This book follows Samantha, a 29 year old lawyer, who is on the fast track to partner of her law firm. Her life is going in the direction she, and her mum, want. Long hours at the office, take away food, and no time off make up Samantha's life. After a mishap at the office, Samantha takes off, and finds herself living a simpler life - with time for herself - although, she is living a lie as a housekeeper.

Her adjustment to this lifestyle is funny; this is a girl who has no idea about keeping house at all. Will her lies catch up with her? Will the life she strived for from a young age, law, call her back to London? The book was not too predictable, which I really liked. The narrative was good, and I really got into the storyline and hoped Samantha made the right decisions in the end.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful! June 7, 2006

By Donna K.

Format:Paperback

Although Sophie Kinsella's protagonists often exasperate me, I found Samantha to be a much more likable and realistic character compared to Becky of the Shopaholic series. I certainly related to her feelings of getting out of the fast-paced rat race of her high powered career in the big city and finding happiness in a simpler life that allows for rewarding downtime. This story had more substance than the Shopaholic books too, as Samantha clears her name and restores her professional reputation, and then must face the dilemma of returning to her old life as expected of her, or following her heart. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the authors style of writing, especially the dialogue, is as funny and enjoyable as always, and makes the book move along smoothly with lots of laughing out loud!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining fun April 12, 2006

By M. Sellers

Format:Hardcover

I enjoy an occasional chick-lit book, and I've been hearing things about Kinsella's Shopaholic series for a while. So, when I saw this novel on the library shelf, I thought I'd give it a try.

The novel opens with Samantha Sweeting, a 29 year old British corporate lawyer, filling out a questionnaire to determine her stress level. It's obvious from the start that this likeable lady has her priority list of of whack, as does the rest of her family. On the eve of the meeting to determine whether she will become her firm's youngest partner, an encounter with her elderly, tounge-clucking neighbor foreshadows future events when the neighbor mutters how sad it is that Samantha can't even sew a missing button onto her shirt.

Samantha, already high-strung, is even more so when she arrives at work the next day, anticipating what the decision will be regarding her partnership. To relax, she begins to clear mountains of paperwork off her desk. In so doing, she finds a month's-old memo saying that she was to file some paperwork. With horror, Samantha realizes she's made a beginner's blunder. The situation escalates when she discovers that this blunder can't be corrected and that she's lost a client 50 million pounds. In shock, she flees the office and randomly hops on a train out of the city. Lost and heartsick, wandering through some small town, she decides to ask for an aspirin and water at the next home. In doing so, she is mistaken for a new housekeeper applicant and due to the "stronger than aspirin" medicine she is given, isn't thinking straight

Samantha decides to salvage her life and pretend that she really is a housekeeper, especially since she has become a laughingstock in the legal world. Predictable disasters occur with this can't-boil-water type.... Thankfully, there is a hunky gardener, Nathaniel, whose mother teaches Samantha on the sly how to cook and clean. Predictable consequences follow with the handsome gardener.

Just when Samantha is accustomed to her new life and really thriving, a discovery sets her head spinning and causes her to question what she wants out of life--the new or the old. What is most important to her?

There is occasional swearing and mild sex (mentioned, not overtly explicit). The scenes at times can seem a bit "movie-ish" (especially the ending). But, the characters are all very likeable. The nouveau-rich employers, the gardener/pub owner/boyfriend, the crazy best friend who also happens to be titled, even the stern head lawyer at the firm all are nicely crafted and enjoyable to read about.

If you are looking for a light-hearted read which might make you think a bit about your own chaotic life, then this might be a nice evening's read for you. Read more ›

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Sophie Kinsella Stumbles On This One April 18, 2008

By Antoinette Klein TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I guess even the great Sophie Kinsella can write a clunker once. Having dearly loved the Shopaholic books plus her other two free-standing ones, I was anxious to read this. Happily, it did have her trademark humor and slightly unrealistic situations up to a point. I am more than willing to suspend reality when reading chick lit and relish the pure joy of the situation, the humor, and the romance. But in the last fifty pages of this one, the writer lost me both emotionally and intellectually. Samantha Sweeting ceased to be the high-powered London lawyer who through goofy circumstances became a domestic in the English countryside. She became an utter fool. I always pass on Sophie Kinsella's books to my twenty-something daughter who loves her work as much as I do, but I will put a warning label on this one...happiness is not available to only the poor. Career women with fast-track and highly responsible jobs can also find happiness and romance.

I'm happy to say that REMEMBER ME, her next free-standing book, is excellent and on a par with the incomparable Shopaholic series. I'll continue to always read her books, but this is not one I could recommend.