Sophie Kinsella or Madeleine Wickham?

This week I have decided not to talk about a specific chick lit novel, but rather about a specific author. Last week I discussed Sophie Kinsella’s Twenties Girl, and while doing some background research on her I discovered that she uses a pen name. Kinsella’s real name is actually Madeleine Wickham.
For those of you who might not know, a pen name is basically a fake name that an author adopts and uses when they publish a book. Using a pen name is not extremely popular, but there have been several well known authors who have followed this trend. Some of these authors include George Orwell (his real name was actually Eric Author Blair) and Mark Twain (his real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens).

Anyone who is a fan of chick lit has likely heard of Sophie Kinsella, most likely because of her widely successful Shopaholic series. What many people do not know is that Kinsella has also published several novels under her legal name, Madeleine Wickham. Some of these books include The Tennis Party, A Desirable Residence, Sleeping Arrangements, and The Wedding Girl. Although these books are supposedly written in a similar style to the books that she has published under her pen name “Sophie Kinsella,” I had not heard of any of them before doing this research. Kinsella has not published a book with her real name since 2001. This is because she decided to stick with her pen name after the Shopaholic books became so popular.

Have any of you read any of Kinsella's books that are published with her real name, Madeleine Wickham? If so, which one is your favourite? I am excited to read some of them since there are currently no new Kinsella books for me to look forward to. I encourage anyone who may be looking for a light, fun read to do the same.
Happy Reading.

Twenties Girl

Twenties Girl is Sophie Kinsella's latest novel. It was a fun, easy read and I really enjoyed it. I found it to be comparable to Kinsella's other novels because of its light-hearted and funny tone. Lara, the main character is easy to relate to, and has a charming personality. However, the plot of Twenties Girl is somewhat different from the typical plots of Kinsella's previous novels - it is a ghost story.
When I first found out that this book was about a ghost, I was sceptical. Chick Lit novels do not typically deal with ghosts or anything to do with fantasy. But since I loved everything else Kinsella had written, I decided to give it a chance.
The main idea is Lara visited by the ghost of her great-aunt Sadie, who believes that she is still alive and living in the 1920’s. When Sadie demands that Lara help her retrieve a lost necklace, the two begin a hilarious journey that helps Lara to learn a lot about her own family, and about herself. There are many twists and revelations throughout this novel that will keep you guessing all the way to the end. It is a definite page turner.
You will discover all of the typical romance and charm that would be found in any chick lit novel, but none of the creepiness that is often found in a ghost story (much to my relief). I encourage anyone who has read any of Kinsella's other books to check this one out too. If you liked the Shopaholic series, or my previous recommendation, The Undomestic Goddess, you will be sure to enjoy Twenties Girl too. It is unique chick lit novel that may even please someone who is not generally a fan of the genre.
Happy Reading.

The Undomestic Goddess

This week I decided to review a book that I just finished, The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella. For those of you who know a lot about chick lit, you will probably recognise Kinsella as being the author of the widely popular Shopaholic series. I have to admit that my decision to read The Undomestic Goddess came about mostly because of how much I enjoyed those books.

Samantha Sweeting is the “goddess” that the story is based on. She is a workaholic attorney from London England, the same place that Sophie Kinsella is from. Kinsella is also a former self proclaimed workaholic, so it seems that she may have based the Samantha’s character herself.

Shortly into the novel, Samantha makes a huge mistake at work and has a complete meltdown. After a series of events she ends up in the middle of the English countryside with no idea where she is. Samantha is too afraid to go back to London and face her mistake, so she takes a housekeeping job with a local family. Her new employers have no idea that she is a lawyer, or that she actually has no idea how to cook or clean. ... It is all very dramatic and silly, but it is also an overall fast and fun read. Anyone who likes chick lit will love The Undomestic Goddess.

After dong some research, I realized that Kinsella has a lot in common with Samantha's character. Both women left highly stressful jobs and ended up perusing more carefree lifestyles. Kinsella is a former financial journalist, and she now spends her time writing novels. In several interviews, she has mentioned that her current job gives her the time to spend with her family that she didn’t have before. I believe that Kinsella’s drastic life change was one of her biggest inspirations for writing The Undomestic Goddess.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light and witty novel to enjoy. It is genuinely funny and has all of the charming, romantic and light-hearted tones that make any chick lit novel great.

Happy Reading