Catching Up
It's probably harder for me to relate to Becky now that shopping is no longer my main motivation to keep breathing, but this is a friendship of 15 years. I'm catching up.
(Will update as I go along.)
WEDDING NIGHT
A standard Sophie Kinsella book will usually have one neurotic protagonist -- a female, clearly -- and one very-sure-of-self male: a knight in shining armour. The feminist in me cringes at the constant need for the females to be rescued. But fortunately, Kinsella's leading male characters are usually not that annoying, and often the female characters will save their own day in the end.
However, in Wedding Night, we have three neurotic protagonists! Two females and one male. Not only is it good to finally have one neurotic male, but also we women are winning yet again; there are more of us in everything! Still, there is another male in this book, shocker, who is the typical very-sure-of-self-successful type. But, of course, we are ok with that. It's sooo unrealistic not to have one.
That said, Sophie Kinsella still sends us giggling and laughing with every story and mishap. If you don't find her books funny, you are not reading them right.
Summary: Lottie and Fliss are siblings. Lottie is with Richard and wants them to get married. But when she learns that it is not something that he has in mind, she breaks up with him. In the next few days, she reunites with her gap-year-in-Greece boyfriend, and they immediately get engaged. Wanting to change direction and make this new relationship last, Lottie decides that they should hold off sex until their wedding day, which is set to be in two weeks' time. Fliss, who's in the middle of finalizing her own divorce, thinks this is just another one of Lottie's Unfortunate Choices: outrageous things she does every time she goes through a breakup and would later regret. So most part of the book is about Fliss trying to stop Lottie from having sex with her new groom, apparently so the marriage can be annulled.
Spoiler: This is a romantic comedy. The ending is always a happy one.
SHOPAHOLIC ON HONEYMOON
This is a free short story available on Kinsella's website.
And I may have spoken a tad too soon about reading the books right.
Not that it's not funny, but Becky has become so predictable by now. And maybe because not too long ago -- I think by Shopaholic & Baby -- Kinsella announced that the series had reached its end. So, while it was sad to say goodbye, I love having that conclusion. You know, as much as I love Breaking Bad, I don't want another season of it. I don't want to go through another "last five episodes", crying and nursing my depression and withdrawal for the following two weeks all over again.
So apparently, there are two more Shopaholic books to go (to date). I'm loyal, I'll read them. I'll f-ing read them all!
SHOPAHOLIC TO THE STARS
So, yes, I finished reading this one, not because I enjoyed it, but because I can't betray Becky. And because I didn't get much access to the internet this week. We were best friends in the earlier books, but now -- this is not easy to admit -- I can no longer relate to her. And the book doesn't even have a proper ending! This was a tough read.
I don't think this is because
Maybe I feel this way because I don't have shopping in my top 10 priorities in life anymore.
Does it?
I still love most of Kinsella's stand-alones, though. I still love The Undomestic Goddess, Can You Keep a Secret and I've Got Your Number a lot to this day.
Becky's naivety is so not cute anymore. What's funny about obsessively wanting to 1) be famous and get a "reality" show 2) walk on a red carpet for no reason 3) meet celebrities? (That's the question people in this book keep asking, "You are in LA now, how many famous people have you met?")
I wonder, though, do the new generation -- people who just got introduced to the series -- feel the same? Or is it easy for them to relate because fame is a normal goal for most people these days? Am I just cranky? ~ 29/2/16.
SHOPAHOLIC TO THE RESCUE
Oh God, make it stop. Why am I doing this to myself? Why am I, once again, subjecting myself to titchys and piccies? ~ 19/5/17.
FINDING AUDREY
This isn't part of the Shopaholic series, but I might need some time before reading it. Yeah... it's never going to happen.
Images: sophiekinsella.com
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