Twenties Girl and Can You Keep a Secret - Sophie Kinsella

When I was at the library getting books for Florida, it occurred to me that some Sophie Kinsella would be perfect for the beach.  It ended up being a good choice.  I read these two during the week we were there in a variety of places: lounging by the ocean, laid out on the couch in the apartment, curled up late in bed one night...


I'm putting them both here in the same post partly because I'm sick of this backlog and just want to catch up, and partly because all the Sophie Kinsella I've read so far is similar in feel if not in plot or substance.  I only just read one of her books for the first time last year after my curiosity was piqued by the sheer amount of women coming into the bookstore looking for her titles.  I read Remember Me and understood why. 


Kinsella writes completely hilarious books with scenes that border on outrageous while still managing to seem like something that could happen to you.  Though her books are definitely chick lit that is not to say that they don't have great twists and likeable characters you end up cheering for.  It seems that a common thread of her writing is the idea of being somewhat lost, with or without realizing it, and searching for one's self/purpose/jumping off point.  This is the kind of authour where you know you could pick up any of her books and enjoy it.  


I liked both of these and they were exactly what I wanted - a good story with a quick continuous flow that makes it a low-key read.  Her humour is just a fantastic bonus; I love Kinsella's real-girl heroines.  For some reason I picture them all as the girl from the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie, though of course they are portrayed differently and read as separate people.  I just can't shake the mental image kept picturing the characters as that one girl.   The Confessions series, which I haven't read, is very popular and those are probably Kinsella's most-read books.  She's a British authour with most of the books set in London and (fun fact) also writes under the name Madeline Wickham. 


Just some quick thoughts on the ones I read - Twenties Girl is a kind of modern ghost story, lots of very cool twenties detail thrown in, brings home that idea of never knowing everything about someone, even a family member, of there being so much to a life - of having to ask the right questions to know a full story. It made me want some vintage dresses so bad. 


Can You Keep a Secret was maybe a little more fast-paced and has some great scenes with semi crazy roommates - a good portrayal of the nuances of many different kinds of relationships and the perils of honesty.