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The Undomestic Goddess
Workaholic attorney Samantha Sweeting has just done the unthinkable. She's made a mistake so huge, it'll wreck any chance of a partnership. Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of her London office, gets on a train, and ends up in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she's mistaken for an interviewee and finds herself being offered a ...more
Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Published
October 30th 2007
by Dell
(first published January 1st 2005)
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Sita Sargeant
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People into Chick-Lit
Recommended to Sita by:
My Mum found it for me...
4.25
This was the first Sophie Kinsella book I ever read and it will remain my favourite. My mum actually picked this up for me, because she liked the blurb on the back. She would never read this sort of book; she is into China Meavile, Dan Simmons and Stephen King. Not the sort of stuff I read... At first, I was hesitant, but I started reading this in the car on the way home and it was addictive. I just could not stop; this book is romantic, moving with just the right amount of funny...more
This was the first Sophie Kinsella book I ever read and it will remain my favourite. My mum actually picked this up for me, because she liked the blurb on the back. She would never read this sort of book; she is into China Meavile, Dan Simmons and Stephen King. Not the sort of stuff I read... At first, I was hesitant, but I started reading this in the car on the way home and it was addictive. I just could not stop; this book is romantic, moving with just the right amount of funny...more
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I read Kinsella's "Confessions of a Shopaholic" last year and enjoyed it very much. Since then, I haven't found the time to read her sequels, but recently, I picked up "The Undomestic Goddess" from the library and started reading. Much to my surprise, I found her main characters to be quite similar; they're both smart women with flighty thoughts who are put into extraordinary circumstances and come out better than anyone could have imagined. Akin to Bridget Jones and all h...more
As you’d expect, the story is a sitcom come to life: a work-obsessed attorney loses her job in a dramatic way and then plunges alone into the countryside à la Jane Eyre, only to wind up being taken in as a housekeeper by some nouveau riche couple. The twist is. . . get ready. . . she doesn’t know how to cook! Or run a washing machine! You can imagine the hilarity. In fact, you have to imagine the hilarity, because there isn’t much written for you. That’s not to say the book isn’t entertaining. I...more
I was looking for some fluff, something with a sense of humor. This wasn't it. The book blurb makes it sound like fun. The cutesy-cover makes it look like fun. The tone of the writing make it sound like fun. I found no fun.
I listened to 75 minutes of the 6.5 hour CD version of the book; during that time I didn't find a character that I was remotely interested in, nor did I ever crack a smile (even an inward one). Seriously, if you're supposed to be clever, funny, or even mildly...more
I listened to 75 minutes of the 6.5 hour CD version of the book; during that time I didn't find a character that I was remotely interested in, nor did I ever crack a smile (even an inward one). Seriously, if you're supposed to be clever, funny, or even mildly...more
Samantha Sweeting is a stressed out workaholic attorney at the prestigious law firm of Carter Spink, she is desperately trying to become the firm’s youngest partner. In the blink of the eye it all changes .
Samantha’s work is normally flawless, but one costly mistake spells career suicide. In utter shock Samantha flees her office, wandering the streets until she ends up on a train that leaves her in the middle of nowhere.
Not really sure where she is Samantha spots a hous...more
Samantha’s work is normally flawless, but one costly mistake spells career suicide. In utter shock Samantha flees her office, wandering the streets until she ends up on a train that leaves her in the middle of nowhere.
Not really sure where she is Samantha spots a hous...more
I don't know, I guess I'm not much of a Sophie Kinsella fan. I've read a couple of her "Shopaholic" books as well as this one, and they just annoy me. Her characters are twits. Even in this one, where the main character is an intelligent, well-educated, about-to-become-partner Lawyer . . . she's still a twit. I highly doubt I will subject myself to any further twittery and shall skip her books in the future.
Samanatha Sweeney is a disgraced lawyer who finds herself accidently applying for and then accepting a position of housekeeper in a small English village. The problem is Samantha has never cooked a meal or cleaned a home in her life.
At first I thought I wasn't going to like this book much. The situations do seem a bit contrieved - in cases where Samantha just misses being caught as the fraud. And I think the editing could have been better. Probably this is because I'm listening to the a...more
At first I thought I wasn't going to like this book much. The situations do seem a bit contrieved - in cases where Samantha just misses being caught as the fraud. And I think the editing could have been better. Probably this is because I'm listening to the a...more
I must confess... Sophie Kinsella replaced Sarah Dessen and Cecelia Ahern in my top authors. I love how she writes. I haven't tried the shopaholic series but I've read her three books following that series which are, Remember Me?, Can You Keep a Secret? and The Undomestic Goddess. All her characters are witty. They are also serious parts but with the way she writes and the way her characters think are very light. There's also a mixture of romance in her books which gives her all the more reason ...more
From my recent guest blog post, Chick Lit vs. Wit Lit: The Road to Literary Revolution:
Last week I had the opportunity to take a 12-hour road trip across Texas with my 66-year-old mother. She talked a lot about the way things used to be when she was growing up in the 1950s. She enjoyed going on about how everyone was so much more polite, well-groomed, and decent. I was surprised to hear that my grandmother required my mom and her siblings to make their beds when they stayed in hotel...more
Last week I had the opportunity to take a 12-hour road trip across Texas with my 66-year-old mother. She talked a lot about the way things used to be when she was growing up in the 1950s. She enjoyed going on about how everyone was so much more polite, well-groomed, and decent. I was surprised to hear that my grandmother required my mom and her siblings to make their beds when they stayed in hotel...more
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This was my first book by Kinsella. I had heard lots about her due to the Shopaholic books but I had never been tempted to buy them so when this one was offered as a bookring I thought it was my chance to try a new author.
I did enjoy it, it's the perfect book to spend a few hours with because it's light and funny. Samatha Sweeting is a very stressed young lawyer at the beginning of our story. She is trying to make partner at the famous law firm Carter Spink and she works nights, week...more
I did enjoy it, it's the perfect book to spend a few hours with because it's light and funny. Samatha Sweeting is a very stressed young lawyer at the beginning of our story. She is trying to make partner at the famous law firm Carter Spink and she works nights, week...more
Amanda
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Chick lit fans/Anyone who's read and liked anything by Kinsella
I actually listened to this audiobook on my way down to Texas this past weekend. Usually when I listen to an audiobook, I need to stop after a few CDs and take a break, then start again in a little while. But this one had me listening almost the whole trip.
Samantha is a lawyer at one of the big name firms in London. In fact, she's on the verge of making partner, a result of working 7 days a week for seven years and working long shifts to prove her worth. But when she finds a memo on...more
Samantha is a lawyer at one of the big name firms in London. In fact, she's on the verge of making partner, a result of working 7 days a week for seven years and working long shifts to prove her worth. But when she finds a memo on...more
I decided to read a book by the author I always read when I don't have to think too much: Sophie Kinsella.
I'm a fan of her Shopaholic series, and thoroughly enjoyed Can You Keep a Secret? too. The fact that she writes novels that don't require any thinking isn't a bad thing, because they're extremely entertaining. Kinsella has an incredible talent for comedy, characters and plots. And interesting conventional yet non-conventional love interests.
The Undomestic Goddess i...more
I'm a fan of her Shopaholic series, and thoroughly enjoyed Can You Keep a Secret? too. The fact that she writes novels that don't require any thinking isn't a bad thing, because they're extremely entertaining. Kinsella has an incredible talent for comedy, characters and plots. And interesting conventional yet non-conventional love interests.
The Undomestic Goddess i...more
Excellent book by Sophie Kinsella - long audio but totally worth it for it's hilarious story; relatable leading heroine; sensitive, successful and smart guy's guy; outrageous employers who are obsessed with celebrity magazines and throwing parties for their friends; and the contemptable corporate company who wreaks havoc and causes nothing but anxiety in Samantha Sweeting's life. The Undomestic Goddess takes readers and listeners through a brave and bold adventure that is this transitional perio...more
I'm being generous with my stars. I would really give this book more like 2 1/2 stars. I find the storyline hard to believe. I don't see a "high powered" lawyer taking a housekeeping job.
One minute the character is a powerful well known lawyer, in the best law firm in the country, used to having control over others and the next she is curtseying to her new employers, cooking, cleaning and being dismissed after being given her new chores.
It was too much to b...more
One minute the character is a powerful well known lawyer, in the best law firm in the country, used to having control over others and the next she is curtseying to her new employers, cooking, cleaning and being dismissed after being given her new chores.
It was too much to b...more
You can't be a "this is so far-fetched" type of person to read this because it is. It's entertaining and funny and you really like the characters.
A chick-lit that really stuck to the formula – successful career woman, major job disaster, change of life, met somebody, fell in love, torn between going back to old life or staying in the new one, comedic drama, and a happily ever after. Nothing wrong there, but everything was predictable...but I enjoyed it...and more – even in the simplest and lightest books, there’s always a life lesson or two that is always reinforced: (1) Don’t be quick to judge people – they are not what they seem to be...more
Giudico The Undomestic Goddess dopo la lettura compulsiva di tutta la serie I Love Shopping: non dovrei fare il confronto - le due storie sono diverse -, ma lo faccio perchè mi appare semplicemente necessario.
Che si dimentichi lo stile fresco, frizzante, vero della Shopaholic: quello di questo libro non è che un'ombra dello stile delle opere precedenti della Kinsella. Scialba la protagonista (ossessionata anche lei da qualcosa, come tutte le eroine della Kinsella): un avvocato, con un quoziente...more
Che si dimentichi lo stile fresco, frizzante, vero della Shopaholic: quello di questo libro non è che un'ombra dello stile delle opere precedenti della Kinsella. Scialba la protagonista (ossessionata anche lei da qualcosa, come tutte le eroine della Kinsella): un avvocato, con un quoziente...more
I don't really read chick lit these days plus I'm quite critical, so amazing that I actually rate this book 5 stars. But I think the timing was good, I picked this up after finishing a few fantasy and mystery novels in a row. So the refreshing, light style of writing proved a much easier and smoother read. Maybe it's also Ms Kinsella's personal style, I dunno cos I haven't read anything else by her.
I like that it's a slightly different premise from the usual romance and even other chick lit plot...more
I like that it's a slightly different premise from the usual romance and even other chick lit plot...more
Notes from BookCrossing:
I'll admit I'm not a fan (actually that's not even close to how I feel) -- I don't like the Shopaholic books at all. BUT. . . .I loved Can You Keep a Secret?, and I'm hoping this is on par with that. That was such a good book! I've actually been hoping she'd write a sequel to that or something else non-Shopaholic-like, and I hope this is it :)
And then:
oh dear! I can't believe I didn't journal on this right after I read it! What was I thinking?...more
I'll admit I'm not a fan (actually that's not even close to how I feel) -- I don't like the Shopaholic books at all. BUT. . . .I loved Can You Keep a Secret?, and I'm hoping this is on par with that. That was such a good book! I've actually been hoping she'd write a sequel to that or something else non-Shopaholic-like, and I hope this is it :)
And then:
oh dear! I can't believe I didn't journal on this right after I read it! What was I thinking?...more
This is my second book of Sophie Kinsella. My first book was can u keep a secret?
First there are many answered quetion
What happen to Arnold and co?
How did Carter Spink find out they wronged her? I mean whose is going to believe he-plant-memo-on-my-desk kind of story
What’s there in Nathaniel's letter which he wrote in the train?
I thought there was some mystery about Mr.and Mrs.Geiger and it’s not clearly mentioned about their past.
What happen to the Mr....more
First there are many answered quetion
What happen to Arnold and co?
How did Carter Spink find out they wronged her? I mean whose is going to believe he-plant-memo-on-my-desk kind of story
What’s there in Nathaniel's letter which he wrote in the train?
I thought there was some mystery about Mr.and Mrs.Geiger and it’s not clearly mentioned about their past.
What happen to the Mr....more
This is from the school of books that says that high power jobs are life killers and that you will be MISERABLE FOREVER AT THEM and that all you need is to pare down and either move to a small town or get a job as a (and this is where the books vary) gardener, small business owner (books, clothes, antiques, etc). In this case, she decided to be a housekeeper.
I am not saying that overworked people don't need to take a break, but this is kind of an odd school of thought - mostly because...more
I am not saying that overworked people don't need to take a break, but this is kind of an odd school of thought - mostly because...more
Madre mía! A lo españolísimo xD
o
Mamma mía! A lo italiano :P
AMO EL CHIC LIT!!! y este es un libro de mis autoras favoritas, así que… como no seré imparcial se los digo desde ya!, es buenisimo si lo que quieres es un libro distractor, de esos que te alegran y desconectan de cualquier momento tenso de tu vida y como siempre… un libro de estos te recuerda lo bueno que es reír :D (Además que tienen la ventaja que se leen rapidísimo por si solo tienes un dia y debes seguir llo...more
o
Mamma mía! A lo italiano :P
AMO EL CHIC LIT!!! y este es un libro de mis autoras favoritas, así que… como no seré imparcial se los digo desde ya!, es buenisimo si lo que quieres es un libro distractor, de esos que te alegran y desconectan de cualquier momento tenso de tu vida y como siempre… un libro de estos te recuerda lo bueno que es reír :D (Además que tienen la ventaja que se leen rapidísimo por si solo tienes un dia y debes seguir llo...more
Let me start with this, my bestie is a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella’s novels! she literary read all of her books and still waits for the new ones! she’s obsessed with with her! I love her too but not like my friend! So this book was given to me by her like more than a year ago & I didn’t get myself to read it because I was into other books! but when I wanted a light read I knew this was the right choice!
I was right! The Undomestic Goddess is a very FUNNY novel to read and enjoy your tim...more
I was right! The Undomestic Goddess is a very FUNNY novel to read and enjoy your tim...more
Geeze, I am lazy. I finished this book almost two weeks ago, after taking about two days to read it at bloody jury duty. I started reading another book in the mean time, but it was kind of boring and I never finished it before it was due back at the library. I made a note of what page I was on so maybe in a few yrs, I'll get back to it.
But anyway, The Undomestic Goddess is another chicklit book by Sophie Kinsella. This book was okay. The main character is a lawyer (perfect to read duri...more
But anyway, The Undomestic Goddess is another chicklit book by Sophie Kinsella. This book was okay. The main character is a lawyer (perfect to read duri...more
Yesterday I read Sophie Kinsella's The Undomestic Goddess. I needed something light, some levity to my overactive, overthinking brain. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy Sophie Kinsella's writing and "chick lit" in general--especially when it's from the UK. The Undomestic Goddess is about the truth... or rather not owning up to the truth and the trouble it gets a particular Samantha Sweeting into. Much further than that I don't want to say because I think it's an excellent, fun read that I...more
Gina
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Chick-Flick Fans over 16
Shelves:
fantasy-casts
Alright, this one finally broke the magical streak from Sophie Kinsella. This one was OK, and certainly not nearly as fun as the Shopaholic, Remember Me? or Can You Keep a Secret? that I've read recently (OK, Shopaholic wasn't recent, but the other two were), though I'm sure my personal preferences are at play here.
First off, I don't like fish-out-of-water comedies. I like them even less when the fish is out of water due to their own dishonesty. Kindergarten Cop, Enchanted and Big are ...more
First off, I don't like fish-out-of-water comedies. I like them even less when the fish is out of water due to their own dishonesty. Kindergarten Cop, Enchanted and Big are ...more
One of the things I love most about literature is the suspension of disbelief thing. Honestly. I mean - a book about Nordic god of lying who suddenly decides to work as a paid "dirty work" guy for Christian angels? I am hooked.
This book however proved a lot tougher as far as suspension of disbelief goes. It started with the blurb. The blurb actually told me the book was funny. I should have known better then.
And after that it only got worse.
I mean I did not expe...more
This book however proved a lot tougher as far as suspension of disbelief goes. It started with the blurb. The blurb actually told me the book was funny. I should have known better then.
And after that it only got worse.
I mean I did not expe...more
So I am slowly shifting my fiction focus from literary/issues-oriented to "Women's Fiction." Why? Well, I want to get published. But, also, as I age, I am realizing that "Women's Fiction" (which used to be called Chick Lit, when we were chicks, and has also been called "Hen Lit") deals with universal issues that people want to read about: romance, career, self-concept. However, I have to get over a prejudice against Women's Fiction/Chick Lit that is some kind of ca...more
This has to be one of my favorite of Kinsella's novels. The main character, Samantha Sweeting, is a top lawyer at the most prestigious lawfirm in London. Sure that this is what she's always wanted, she willingly sacrifices much of her basic life in order to remain on top. However, after a missed post-it causes her to lose her firm hundreds of thousands of pounds she takes off & finds herself in a quaint village where she's mistaken for a housekeeper. There she discovers that there's more to life...more
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Madeleine Wickham (born 12 December 1969) is a bestselling British author under her pseudonym, Sophie Kinsella. Educated at New College, Oxford, she worked as a financial journalist before turning to fiction. She is best known for writing a popular series of chick-lit novels. The Shopaholic novels series focuses on the misadventures of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who cannot manage her ...more
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“sometimes you don't need a goal in life, you don't need to know the big picture. you just need to know what you're going to do next!”
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