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7th out of 1,226 books
—
3,008 voters
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
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
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
April 25th 2006
by Dial Press Trade Paperback
(first published January 1st 2005)
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Oct 01, 2011
Sita Sargeant
rated it
4 of 5 stars
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 (it had a f...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 (it had a f...more
This story is about a 20-something, workaholic lawyer named Samantha. Sam leaves her job after making a huge mistake that costs her firm millions of dollars. She has put her whole life into this job, trying to become partner, and now it's over. She has a major meltdown, and ends up miles from home in the middle of nowhere working as a maid to a family that doesn't know anything about her true identity. She also doesn't know anything at all about being a maid as you can probably guess by the titl...more
36 likes · like · see review
Jun 16, 2012
Dija
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone searching for the prefect summer read. :)
Recommended to Dija by:
Meg ♥
After reading several books by Kinsella, the only major complaint I have is that the endings are extremely unsatisfying. She builds up the character development and story so, so well, only to have it all end just shy of the perfect HEA. The first thought I usually have after finishing her books is, "Wait, what? That's it?"
More than in Kinsella's other novels, this factor is impossible to ignore in The Undomestic Goddess. Samantha comes a long way from being a lawyer-zombie to a content housekee...more
More than in Kinsella's other novels, this factor is impossible to ignore in The Undomestic Goddess. Samantha comes a long way from being a lawyer-zombie to a content housekee...more
14 likes · like · see review
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 her wobbly bits.
As ente...more
As ente...more
14 likes · like · see review
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
19 likes · like · see review
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 witty, don't you...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 witty, don't you...more
11 likes · like · see review
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 house, intending to ask for di...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 house, intending to ask for di...more
7 likes · like · see review
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.
11 likes · like · see review
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 audio book...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 audio book...more
1 like · like · see review
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
15 likes · like · see review
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 hotels.
Hotels!
My...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 hotels.
Hotels!
My...more
3 likes · like · see review
Jun 04, 2012
Lisa Kay
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Lisa Kay by:
*Hayley*
★★★★☆ (This is a review of the audiobook.) I’ve been wondering all night if I’ve ever heard the wonderful, versatile narrator Rosalyn Landor* ever drop the F-bomb. I don’t believe I have, until this charming and humorous novel, but she pulls it off. I am so glad I switched from the paperback to the audiobook on this light, charming, humorous read. She is great with the voices, but my favorite was Trish, Samantha’s new employer, who she does to perfection. The genuinely talented Ms. Landor elevat...more
2 likes · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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2 likes · like · see review
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, weekends... all...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, weekends... all...more
Oct 09, 2007
Amanda
rated it
4 of 5 stars
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 her desk an...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 her desk an...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 is the tale of Samantha Swwe...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 is the tale of Samantha Swwe...more
Mar 04, 2011
Cathy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobooks,
british-chick-lit
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
Nov 02, 2011
Colleen McGlashen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
comedy-fiction
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 believe. Even though the author tried...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 believe. Even though the author tried...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
1 like · like · see review
Jun 11, 2012
*Hayley*
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to *Hayley* by:
D.G.
Loved this book, it was cute and quirky! It was about a young woman who was living a very stressful life as an lawyer and never knew about what life was like outside her work. She then is up for partnership at her law firm and finds that she has made a terrible mistake so she runs off and ends up at someone's house who mistakes her as a housekeeper..... It's a funny book like I said and really shows you that life isn't always about what you do for a living, it's about how you experience your lif...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
Aug 06, 2011
Elaine
added it
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? sheesh!
Now I have to remembe...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? sheesh!
Now I have to remembe...more
Read this in June 2011, after a rigorous course in architecture school. My friend mailed me the ebook. I always knew i wasn't the chick-lit reader and this book just reaffirms the same.
So, if you are a successful lawyer in one of the biggest law firms of the city and you make a mistake that costs the firm their reputation and you get shown the door, you FIGHT BACK! and not runaway on a distant train and land up as a housekeeper somewhere!
This book is hilarious in the sense that Ms. Kinsella for...more
So, if you are a successful lawyer in one of the biggest law firms of the city and you make a mistake that costs the firm their reputation and you get shown the door, you FIGHT BACK! and not runaway on a distant train and land up as a housekeeper somewhere!
This book is hilarious in the sense that Ms. Kinsella for...more
A relatable, if a bit far-fetched book.
I understand the thing about the stress and anxiety of the partnership completely. While I experience such stress a different way, once you're trapped in that hole, you just can't escape. It's almost comparable to abusive relationships and addiction to drugs/alcohol. And it never ceases but just grows and shoves you onto the ground till you plead. However, the only thing you do not realise at the time is that the stress is self-inflicted in a way. You could...more
I understand the thing about the stress and anxiety of the partnership completely. While I experience such stress a different way, once you're trapped in that hole, you just can't escape. It's almost comparable to abusive relationships and addiction to drugs/alcohol. And it never ceases but just grows and shoves you onto the ground till you plead. However, the only thing you do not realise at the time is that the stress is self-inflicted in a way. You could...more
Una vera perdita di tempo. Non capisco come la Kinsella possa riscuotere così tanto successo editoriale.
Se riuscite a sopravvivere all'ansia in cui vi getta questo romanzo in prima persona, avrete tutti gli elementi per prevedere ogni piccola gag, ogni equivoco, ogni avvenimento delle successive 290 pagine. Tanto prevedibili le azioni e i pensieri dalla protagonista, il giovane avvocato Samantha Sweeting da risultare incredibilmente noioso. Se non me lo avessero regalato, non lo avrei mai letto...more
Se riuscite a sopravvivere all'ansia in cui vi getta questo romanzo in prima persona, avrete tutti gli elementi per prevedere ogni piccola gag, ogni equivoco, ogni avvenimento delle successive 290 pagine. Tanto prevedibili le azioni e i pensieri dalla protagonista, il giovane avvocato Samantha Sweeting da risultare incredibilmente noioso. Se non me lo avessero regalato, non lo avrei mai letto...more
It's been a long time since I read a proper book. Though I started The Picture of Dorian Gray, I could not complete it because, maybe it was not just my type. It just kept dragging on and on. So, at last, I had to leave it in half.
The Undomestic Goddess is a kind of senseless story. Workaholic who doesn't get even one weekend off, commits a major mistake and runs away. Nice! Ya right, that is different! The most stupid part of the book was where she actually accepts to be a housemaid, thinking...more
The Undomestic Goddess is a kind of senseless story. Workaholic who doesn't get even one weekend off, commits a major mistake and runs away. Nice! Ya right, that is different! The most stupid part of the book was where she actually accepts to be a housemaid, thinking...more
OMG sometimes I just HAVE to read Sophie Kinsella. I have to lose myself in her witty, romantic prose that typifies all things English and all things quirky with a thick vein of fun ever present.
I was again in that state of shoulder shaking, tears creating laughter that always comes with reading Sophie Kinsella. I don't know why the heck I haven't read this book sooner, it was bloody marvelous!
OMG I totally love Nathanial and his mum oooh I just want to go get a hug from her. The Geigers well th...more
I was again in that state of shoulder shaking, tears creating laughter that always comes with reading Sophie Kinsella. I don't know why the heck I haven't read this book sooner, it was bloody marvelous!
OMG I totally love Nathanial and his mum oooh I just want to go get a hug from her. The Geigers well th...more
i like Samantha Sweeting character. She remind me of myself when i was at 3rd semester .. i thought i had everything carefully planned and suddenly all I want is gone..
“I don’t know who I am.” I exhale, more calmly. “Or what my goal is… or where I’m headed in life. Or anything.”
My energy’s gone and I sink down on the dry grass. A few moments later Iris comes and squats down beside me.
“It doesn’t matter,” she says, her voice soft. “Don’t beat yourself up for not knowing all the answers. You don’...more
“I don’t know who I am.” I exhale, more calmly. “Or what my goal is… or where I’m headed in life. Or anything.”
My energy’s gone and I sink down on the dry grass. A few moments later Iris comes and squats down beside me.
“It doesn’t matter,” she says, her voice soft. “Don’t beat yourself up for not knowing all the answers. You don’...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Need another funny chic lit book | 16 | 213 | May 20, 2013 07:10am | |
| Would you sacrifice your family and life for the sake of earning your paycheck? | 10 | 75 | Nov 19, 2012 09:02am | |
| TeenReads: The Undomestic Goddess Review | 1 | 7 | Aug 30, 2011 06:24am |
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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“My life has changed, and I'm changing with it.”
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Dec 13, 2011 12:18am
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