Shopaholic and Sister

Date of Reading: 07/06/2012

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Title: Shopaholic and Sister

         I do love Becky Bloomwood, she never fails to surprise. At the end of each book, she resolves to get rid of this shopaholic nature, but here she is again same as always with new problems. It seems she is taking on Matthew Arnold's words,

  "Resolve to be thyself; and know that he,

   Who finds himself, loses his misery".
Even among Harry Potter series, I have my favourite, but when it comes to shopaholic novels everything gets better and better. Bravo! Kinsella.
          After ten months of fabulous honeymoon Becky and Luke are back to the life in London. Luke is same and businessy again, going after a new client, Arcodas. But Becky will have to wait for another three months for her new job.
          So it comes as a surprise when her parents announce that she has got a sister in her Dad's former relationship. Her name is Jessica (Jessy), a geologist doing Ph.d. Becky is full of excitement. She has wanted a sister always and now they can go for shopping together. When it turns out that Jess hates shopping and is a terrible miser who will even beat Scrooge, Becky won't give up; this is her long-lost sister.

           She invites Jess for the weekend to make them bond, but it turns out to be a disaster. They seems to have nothing in common; Luke is impressed by her computer knowledge though. In the end Becky loses her temper and in anger they separate.

           Luke gets the Arcodas deal, but the celebration crashes down when Nathan Temple, a notorious gangster, unexpectedly turns up. He has once helped Becky to purchase her famous Angel bag and now asks that favour to be returned. Luke is to be the PRO of his new five star hotel in Cyprus. As he seems to take over the Daily World, Luke consents hiding his resentment. He won't talk to Becky.

           Her husband's words ring in her ears: " You could learn a lot from your sister". So in order to save the supposed to be shattering marriage, she goes to Jess but the furious sister won't accept her. She even says there has been a mistake and they are not sisters after all. But the villagers totally love her, particularly the shop keeper there. When Becky finds her rock cupboard, she realises that she has found her soul mate. Jess has an obsession with rocks as she has with shoes; she just hides it better. They are sisters for sure.

          She needs to tell her; Jess is in a mountain expedition and she follows though she has never climbed a mountain before. Both are trapped due to the storm, Becky suffers a fall, breakes her ankle but it doesn't matter as Jess is there; they are bonded. Mission accomplished.

           Suze and Tarquin comes to the rescue with their helicopter. Luke was dead worried and he couldn't leave Cyprus due to the storm. Becky is right again; Nathan Temple is a good man. 

           For Jess, Becky leads a protest march against a new shop which may  cause problems to the environment. This shop turns out to be owned by the Arcodas group; Luke manages the situation to both of their advantage and as an icing to the cake, Becky realises that she is pregnant.