KentNewsNet.com

Issue date: 2/19/09 Section: Entertainment

At the age of 25, most people are just starting to figure things out. But Rebecca Bloomwood has a solid journalism career, a fabulous flat and a closet full of the season's must-haves. She also has the credit card bills to match.

Ironically enough, Bloomwood is a successful writer for Successful Savings magazine. And not only does her job fail to captivate her interest, it fails to fill her wallet, too.

Real quick: Confessions of a Shopaholic Published by Dell 384 pages, $7.99 (on Amazon.com) Stater rating (out of five):☆☆☆☆

The calls and letters begin pouring in from the debt collectors, leaving her to (gasp!) try to cut back and even try to earn more money. But when none of her efforts succeed, Becky's only consolation is to buy herself something, and of course, she can't pass up that scarf and ...

Thus, we have this never-ending chain of debt that leads to a rather interesting and easily relatable stream of conscience from the novel's main character. Sophie Kinsella brilliantly taps into our (or at least my) consumer conscience to deliver a book that can be read by ages all across the board. And while this is certainly directed toward a female audience, anyone who's ever been shopping knows how hard it can be to resist something you'd really like to buy.

As much as you want to laugh at how shallow Bloomwood's reasoning skills can be at times, you also can't help but support a heroine who grows stronger every time she weakens.

Plus, the novel just wouldn't be the same without Bloomwood's hilarious schemes to pay back her debts and the letters of excuses she feeds to the credit card companies while trying to do so.

Another aspect I really enjoyed about the book was the fact that it takes place in London. Reading about flats and quids (U.K. currency) really puts you into another world, which I think most readers can appreciate.

Despite dealing with a tough economy, this book can actually be a bit of a pick-me-up. Bloomwood's lack of self-control and following "confessions" actually made me feel better about my debt. Who knew?

Contact all editor Denise Wright at dwright6@kent.edu.

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