Shopaholic Takes Manhattan Paperback – January 29, 2002

I'd heard about the Shopaholic series for years before finally taking the plunge when I came across the first book on sale recently. As I thought might happen, I was completely captivated.There are a lot of criticisms one could make of the Shopaholic series (I'm now on book 5 as I write this review of book 2), but I think that a lot of such criticism fails to understand the genre of "chick lit" (about which I, a newly fledged expert, am now going to expound :) ). Yes, Becky is a bit--well, a lot--of a materialistic airhead and I wouldn't *actually* want to be her friend or, God forbid, her significant other, but, that's not really a good criterion for judging a work of fiction. I mean, I just read a piece of highly regarded "Celtic noir" about a former IRA hitman who goes on a killing spree, and I wouldn't want to be HIS friend/significant other either. That's not how fiction works! You read about people who make choices you might not make in real life, not about sensible people who carefully follow their budgets and savings plans and never, for example, snap and start shooting people because of the voices in their heads...OK, deep breaths. Let's just assume that a lot of the criticism of the Shopaholic series, which is what we're interested in here, has a sexist/misogynist motivation, even if the criticisers are not consciously aware of this fact, and move on from there. Which means we're going to rethink our critiquing paradigm a bit if we want to do a proper job here, and assume that something this successful is probably not just airhead-ery.So what can we say about "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan"? Becky is invited by her boyfriend Luke to come with him to Manhattan, where he's trying to expand his business. She immediately falls in love with the shopping, the TV offers that are coming her way, the shopping, the shopping, the shopping...until everything goes pear-shaped, of course, because she's not only a dreamer with only a tenuous grasp on the harsher aspects of reality, she's also still an addict and she can't get her addiction under control.The basic situation is familiar from the previous book (something that will continue in later books in the series as well), but Kinsella drops clues and builds the tension like a mystery writer. The narrative style is the unselfconscious-yet-ironic stream-of-consciousness that is typical for "chick lit," and that seems to be so poorly understood by readers who are not fans of the genre. Yes, dear reader, we and the author are both supposed to recognize how ridiculous the situations are, and on a certain level, so does the character, but she still presents it as if it's totally reasonable. Which is where the humor comes in. It turns out women DO have a sense of humor, it just appears in the form of laughing at yourself and seeing things through two lenses at once.Anyway. I'm sure I'll have lots more to say as I review the next books in the series, but in the meantime, if you're looking for a hilarious and absorbing read, you couldn't do better than this book and this series.

(Very faint spoilers ahead) I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars for the same reason another reviewer did: It's an extremely entertaining read, but it doesn't have much depth to it - it's not great literature. I know some people have not liked this one as much as Confessions of a Shopaholic because they feel Becky did not learn anything from the first book and is just repeating mistakes. Yes, she does run up more debt, but at the end of this novel, you really do get the feeling that she has learned a lesson (and we can see this trend continue, to some extent, in the following novel).Becky does not undergo a personality change by any means. She's still the same, quirky, Bridget Jones-esque, pathological liar that she's always been. But she once again saves the day, learns a bit of a lesson about shopping, and continues to entertain her fans all the way through to the end.

As I was thinking about my vacation last summer, I was remembering about how much fun it was to drink Guinness Beer in Scotland and Ireland. Reading a Sophie Kinsella book may not be as much fun as drinking a beer at the Guinness Gravity Bar, but it lasts a lot longer and both are fabulous trips! SHOPAHOLIC TAKES MANHATTAN is book two in Kinsella's charming Shopaholic series. The endearing Becky Bloomwood is back and as usual, gets in one scrape after another. In fact, the prologue includes some of Becky's musings on "the advantages of shopping abroad: 1. You can buy things you can't get in Britain. 2. You can name-drop when you get back home. 3. Foreign money doesn't count, so you can spend as much as you like."We were so sure that Becky had turned her life around and that she had become a responsible adult (regarding monetary matters) when we left her at the close of CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC. But alas, the first page of the book is a copy of a letter to Derek Smeath, the Endwich Bank manager who has had a multitude of dealings with our young heroine. She is asking him if he can "accidentally, on purpose" lose a thousand pound overdraft. She is still the financial advisor for a London television morning news magazine where she gives common sense, warm and folksy responses to people in dire straits. She has received a large check for writing a money management guide (although she can't get past the type font she plans to use) And she shops and shops and shops! The difference now is she has hooked the gorgeous, wealthy work-a-holic Luke, who is president of Brandon Communications.Becky and Luke move to Manhattan where he attends meetings and Becky shops. With all the fabulous stores, Becky is in Heaven. She even resorts to (again) telling half-truths to cover herself. In fact, on her immigration papers, she states that she was a great chemistry student at Oxford and a member of the British Olympic long-jump team. Despite the fact that everything catches up with Miss Bloomwood, she still is able to help save Luke's company. And again, she learns a humbling lesson while redeeming herself.This is another hilarious book. While reading it I was either laughing out loud or grinning. Becky Bloomwood and her loveable, warm personality along with the scrapes that she gets into make for an enjoyable read. You won't want to put it down--order the entire set, I have!

It came with good condition and fast delivery!

I am really enjoying this series. The first book I enjoyed, it was light and fluffy and an easy read, but I was struggling a bit to see what all the fuss was about. Now I get it! Absolutely loved this one! Yes, it is predictable. Yes, Becky needs a good talking to every now and again. But it's all part of the fun! A lovely, enjoyable easy read.

Such a refreshing and light hearted book. Easy and quick to read. Would highly recommend someone who wants to have a easy read.

Great purchase

Il libro é una lettura divertente e piacevole; l'ho trovato molto utile per tenere "fresco" il mio inglese: infatti conoscendo già le vicende della protagonista si riescono a comprendere con più facilità frasi più articolate e complesse.