a designer pregnancy manual for a new generation of moms-to-be

books:

	• Shopaholic & Baby Sophie Kinsella Dial Press Trade Paperback, 2007 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 188 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Very Cute

This Shopaholic book is cute, as all the books have been. I was glad to see that there was more moving the plot line than just the same shopping fiascos. There are a few, but they are mostly just fun sidenotes. The book is just the right fit for the characters' growth.

Literary Snobs would be surprised at this book! Love it.

Sophie Kinsella is often regarded as a fluff writer. I've watched people upturn their nose claiming her novels are "unintelligent mindless fluff" and that Becky Bloomwood is a "ditsy Paris Hilton." I think Kinsella took these criticisms and channeled them into a character that represents this British academic snobbery. What is overlooked when dismissing this book as a genre stereotype is that Kinsella utilizes some literary techniques that deepen this book for those who care to look beyond the pink cover.

One of the strongest characters in this book is the fabulous female villain, "Cruella de Venetia." Kinsella is one of FEW contemporary writers who captures the b*tch personality so vividly. I was thrilled to see that she'd created a WOMAN as the antagonist, and a BAD WOMAN! Female villains are so far and few in post feminist novels that simply this made it worth reading. Where is the B*tch Lit? I want more!

Secondly, the narrative voice is so effectively comic that when reading this book on the train, I laughed out, spurring funny looks from passengers. I couldn't help myself. The narrator is friendly and you care about her right away. She gets into silly blunders, but cleverly finds ways out. It is the classic "get your protagonist in a sticky situation, then how do you get her out?"

Another interesting but not innovative aspect of the book is the depiction of mother roles in current society. In a scene where Becky goes pram shopping, we discover that the mommy subculture has become in a comic way, horrifically trendy! Kinsella addresses issues like what makes a good mother through characters who show us the multiple dimensions of "mommy personalities" (I need to be general as I do not want to spoil anything).

The plot is tight and successful. The end is climactic and satisfying. I put the book down feeling happy and content. I believe Kinsella is growing as a writer, and the structure and characters in this latest novel are evidence of this.

I did take off one star because of the language. I am an adverb loather, and I found that the overuse of adjectives pulled me out of the story. If Kinsella's editors could clip a few of these away, I would be a five star book. In addition, I want to note that this is in no way a lyrical or poetic verse. I am not comparing Shopaholic to Booker Prize books. As a chick lit pop culture book, not literary fiction, it's my favorite of the lot!

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Again! another great Shopaholic book!

Ms. Kinsella never fails to amuse and delight! This Shopaholic book is as good as the others, maybe even moreso because it veers off the beaten path. Motherhood is treated with a bit more gravity than the typical shopping escapade!

shopaholic & baby

great book!! I've read all of the Shopaholic series... and this was another great one! Easy to read... funny... a real page turner.

a designer pregnancy manual for a new generation of moms-to-be

Shopaholic goddess Becky Bloomwood Brandon is dying to know the gender of her unborn "bump," conceived on her honeymoon. The suspense doesn't stop her from shopping 'til she drops for everything from designer prams to a Circus Tent Changing Station and 400-thread-count linen sheets for the baby. Her biggest purchase by far is a new dream house in a posh London suburb, complete with a customized shoe cupboard for herself, his and hers nurseries and a built-in electric sushi maker. Becky negotiates with her Archie Swann cowboy boots in calfskin with the leather drawstring to seal the deal. The defining factor: the boots were featured in Vogue under "Most Coveted." What man wouldn't make that kind of deal? Becky's rationality for outrageous purchases is laugh-out-loud funny and endears you to indulge a first-time mother.

Sophie Kinsella, the New York Times bestselling author of the Shopaholic series, has written a designer pregnancy manual for a new generation of moms-to-be. Those who have had children will be jealous of Becky's designer wardrobe, as well as hospitals with double beds and wine lists. Only our pampered shopaholic would think to hire an aromatherapist, a reflexologist and a homeopath for the birth of her baby. Best of all, Becky would "make it OK for pregnant women to have cocktails. In fact, I'd make it healthy to have cocktails. And your arms wouldn't swell up. And there wouldn't be any morning sickness. And labor wouldn't exist..." This is why fantasy is so appealing....

Becky's pregnancy sails along smoothly due to her new mantra: "shopping cures morning sickness." Her cravings appropriately include "a pineapple and pink cardigan." Best friend Suze is always there to shop with her and offer these encouraging words: "...you'll be the best dressed one (mom) in the playground." Becky's mother tells it like it is: "They have better drugs these days. My advice is take everything they've got." Suze and Becky realize together that you can have the same lust in your eyes for a new pushchair as for a new dress. Pregnancy is really just another excuse to shop for a new wardrobe and baby clothes and nursery items.

Becky's fantasy pregnancy continues as she is the featured mommy-to-be in a Vogue photo shoot --- in an Oscar de la Renta maternity dress. Every woman should experience the luxury of having a makeup artist and a hairdresser transform you into a goddess during the eighth month of pregnancy. There's nothing like a team of experts to enhance that so-called "glow" that accompanies it.

The most unnerving event of Becky's pregnancy is the fact that her celebrity must-have obstetrician, Venetia Carter, turns out to be the ex-girlfriend of her handsome, "squillionaire" rich PR husband. Suddenly, celebrity tea parties and water birth with lotus flowers pale as Becky realizes that Venetia is making a play for him. Like most men, Luke doesn't see through the lies that the jealous Venetia has told to Becky until it is nearly too late. Venetia is no match for Becky's hormones and love for her husband.

"Some things are best left a blur. Births and Visa bills." No truer statement has ever been written. Becky makes pregnancy a shopping experience like no other. For a woman who doesn't know any nursery rhymes or how to change a nappy, she sure figures out quickly that the best use for a stroller is carrying mountains of purchases instead of a baby.

You will laugh and cry with Becky and Luke as they prepare for the new arrival. Their visit to Pram City is a warm repartee between a loving couple expecting their first child. Ugly surgical stockings to prevent varicose veins are not fashionable and reduce Becky to tears. Becky is a visionary when it comes to finances. Her selections are unique and her desire for a designer future for her unborn baby are the bulk of her portfolio. Baby number one is a willing shopaholic devotee. Prams have one key benefit --- they allow shopaholics to maintain their habit after the baby arrives. Shopaholics have more fun!

--- Reviewed by Hillary Wagy

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reviews: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, page 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20

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