And I give them a second chance.
And they suck even worse.
I've decided to give eulogies to the things I once loved that have been wrenched from my life because of shitty writing or execution. Here are their sad tales.
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I am a fan of lightweight reading. I really am. I think it's because I tend to dwell on misery in my own life, so I seek a way out, a place of joy or at least entertainment, when I'm reading. [My ego forces me to add that this doesn't mean I'm stupid or illiterate or incapable of reading something weighty or serious. I will critique the shit out of whatever you put in front of me. Feminist literary theory? A Marxist interpretation? BRING IT.]
Anyway, now that we've established that I'm smart and very self-conscious of being thought otherwise, I want to talk about one of my old standbys in lightweight reading:
Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series.
Well, at least the first book.
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| I didn't use the Isla Fisher cover, even though I like her, because I didn't see the movie. And this is the cover I have. |
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| This one was o.k. Readable. Barely. |
Honest to god, here is the plot of everyone of her books:
Becky spends and spends and spends.
Friends/parents/husband admonish her.
She pretends to stop.
She spends and spends and spends.
She is found out.
Everything works out in the end.
I would have loved it if she ended up in rehab or an SA meeting [Shopaholics Anonymous? Does that exist?]. Or if she got a huge comeuppance. Or even if she just said, "Screw you guys, I'm married to a super-rich guy now, I'M SHOPPING." That, I could respect.
Instead, it seems like Becky is one of those helpless, vapid, scatterbrained bimbos who, despite enough reinforcement that would have a RAT cutting up her credit cards and buying only with cash, cannot see that A [Problems with money] follows B [Spending too much money] EVERY SINGLE TIME.
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| Becky can never get to the star. Never. No matter how much cheese she follows. |
[Twenties Girl was o.k. Ish. I listened to it during my trip to work and managed to get through the whole thing.]
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Need to know more about what I think? Head over to Secret Society of List Addicts, where I discuss accents. No. Really.
Maybe Becky is being manipulated by her constant need to live up to Paltrow's advice on GOOP?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, I think Becky needs to check into SA or rather be put in Gen Pop in prison...now that would make for some GREAT reading!
I enjoyed the first "Shopaholic" but found Becky to be very annoying. Though I know that was the point of the character. I had to stop reading after the 2nd book because she was just so...arugh!
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy some of Sophie's other books. I think "Undomestic Goddess" was fairly decent. Though the character in 'Twenties Girl' was in par with Becky's annoying character.
love your blog!!!
Oh my gosh I agree SO much - I seriously read half of the second book and went, really? I mean, how stupid is that girl? How does that guy stay married to her? WHY FOR THE LOVE OF ANYTHING ARE THOSE BOOKS FAMOUS?
ReplyDeleteYou know, just a few questions.
I feel the same way about Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. More of the same--nothing has changed even by #16. Not near as funny as the first few. I end up disappointed every time. And yet I STILL read the next one. I probably need reader rehab.
ReplyDeletei'm thinking about writing confessions of a asshole-aholic. same plot line change out shopping with dicking people over.
ReplyDeleteSimone, I would *love* to read your book.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can really sympathise with shopaholics. Unless they're shopaholics who spend too much on groceries. Hmm.
JUST STOP SPENDING SO MUCH FUCKING MONEY ON USELESS SHIT
ReplyDeleteSums it up exactly! I check these out from the library, not my $.
I also agree with sherry stanfa-stanley about Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. For the love of god, make Ranger your boy toy and make us all happy. But I buy them hot off the press anyway.