The Undomestic Goddess: A Novel

I have a soft spot for Sophie Kinsella her writing is so easy and she always makes me laugh. I confess I read this back in September 2013 - as per my verified purchase! However the review has been sitting in my drafts for such a long time I thought I best re-read it again. Well it is just as enchanting, fun, ridiculous, beautiful as it was the first time. The story goes an up and coming attorney finds herself suddenly out of a job, she has a meltdown and then finds another job... as a housekeeper. Never mind that she is totally clueless as to any kind of domestic engineering. But how hard could this be right? This book frequently reads like episodes of an old sitcom with masses of slap stick comedy through out. Our undomesticated Goddess - Samantha, was easy to identify with and root for. The story line was fast paced without being frantic or hard to connect with emotionally. And the supporting characters played their respective roles well as Samantha moves from ambitious attorney to harried housekeeper. There is necessary romance and some soul searching as Samantha finds her footing in the the work-a-day world. If you're looking for a light, feel-good chick-lit - this fills the bill very nicely. I am a verified purchaser in Australia

Stressed out lawyer Samantha Sweeting can't even take time away from her cell phone and blackberry to enjoy the spa gift certificate she received from her best friend for her birthday last year. Samantha comes from a family of high achievers. She is relieved to find that her work meeting is going to let out at a reasonable time, allowing her to actually meet up with her mother and brother for her birthday dinner at a fancy restaurant, only to find once she is already seated that both her mother and brother are caught up at their own stressful jobs and can not make it. There is a second brother who can not make it because he has had a nervous breakdown. Samantha spends a lot of time convincing herself that the stress in her job is 'just a blip.' She is up for partner. In fact, she is just about to hear whether she makes partner when something happens that causes her to get on the first train she sees, and knock on the first door she sees when she gets off the train. Miscommunications and hilarity ensue. Reasons I gave 4 stars: The book is funny and interesting. The characters were likable. I've actually read it more than once :) As far as what I categorize as a 'beach book' goes, it was better written than many. Reasons I did not give 5 stars: There was a section toward the end where it felt like it just kept going on longer than it needed to.

I loved this book! It made me laugh out loud in several places. Well written. I enjoyed it to the very end.

My book club read The Undomestic Goddess as a "fun read" after some heavy books we'd been reading as of late. This was definitely a silly book and I enjoyed it, laughing in several places. Samantha is a workaholic lawyer who never has time for a social life. She's trying to make partner, hoping her workload will lessen once she does. When she discovers she's made a huge mistake that will cost the company's client millions of dollars, she runs away in shock. Samantha ends up at a house and is mistaken for a housekeeper. Yes, it's unlikely but it's fun if you're in the mood for a light book. I laughed out loud in several places even though I was thinking this isn't my usual type of book. Samantha had to learn to do everything - cook, clean, iron, etc., because she'd never done any of these things in her life as a lawyer. When Samantha curtseyed on accident to her employers, they loved it and wanted her to continue. I just shook my head and laughed. I also cracked up when her employers were trying to encourage her because they thought she was pretty smart (for a housekeeper). Later, Samantha must decide whether to go back to her old life or begin anew. One of my friends in the book club was very taken by the love scene in the raspberry patch and we laughed when she talked about how much she enjoyed that part and we've been making raspberry patch references ever since. So I guess an occasional light read for a book club is fun!

One of Sophie’s best. Could not stop reading. Having been employed in a law firm in my past and reminded daily that “the wheels of law turn oh so slow but oh so fine,” this was a wry reminder of the power of partnership and the freedom of finding life in other paths. Wonderful characters, finely crafted, and fun that Sophie spins.

When this book was published I avoided it. It's a bad habit of mine-I assume that any great character in a first person book will just be recycled if the author writes another first person novel. So after Shopaholic I just thought that if I read "The undomestic Goddess" I would be reading the thoughts of a diluted or slightly warped version of Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic series. I was wrong. Very wrong. My sincere apologies to Sophie Kinsella for doubting her talents. Samantha Sweeting is a high powered corporate lawyer about to make partner. She should be on top of the world but instead her nearly 100 hour work week, equally driven (some would say obsessed) family and absolutely no social life is dragging her down. So when the blessed announcement arrives that she has her dream job and moments later Sam finds out she has made a major mistake that could cost a client millions she panics. And ends up in a house in the country applying for a job as a housekeeper. But Sam can't cook. Sam can't clean-and Sam has nowhere else to go. Thankfully the handsome gardener, his lovely mother help her learn to be a true domestic goddess and her clueless but well meaning employers give her the praise she's been craving her whole life. But is this life, stumbled into my mistake and based on numerous lies, truly what she wants or does she crave a return to her old ways? This is a great story about finding your true self, figuring out what you want (or at least what you need) to have a life you can not only live but you can enjoy. It's a great reminder that everyone should take a step back once in a while and make sure that what they want, what they're trying to get, is still really the thing they want. That they need, crave. I didn't like it quite as much as Shopaholic but it'll be getting a permanent place on my chick-lit bookshelf for sure. Four point five stars.

I enjoyed the contrast of the perfect, competent professional and the uncertain, learning a new role character. I could relate to feeling very confident in my chosen career, and at a loss when adding on a very different temporary part time job, where high school student knew the job expectations better than I did. While there were many light, funny moments, the struggles and self doubts were also very real. It was a pleasure reading and well worth the time.

I always read at least several of the reviews that my colleagues have posted before me, trying to get a feel for what has been said before and what is yet to be said. I try to read several reviews of people who loved it, and people who hated it. Often I am impressed with what my fellow reviewers have to say, and even build upon some of their ideas to complete my review. Unfortunately, as I flip through these reviews, I find little guidance for my own. The people that loved it loved it for predictable reasons - the main character's gumption, the hunky leading man - and the people who hated it raised their feminist flags and stomped around. What sort of woman would quit her high powered job to become a maid? What type of woman would have never ironed a shirt or cooked a meal? This is completely unrealistic!!! It's not that far of a stretch. There are many woman that feel pressured to follow in the footsteps of their parents, even if that means following them into a career that they don't enjoy at all. If Samantha's mother was as high-powered as she is presenting, do you really think that she would take the time to teach Samantha how to iron or cook? Do you think that she really even does those things for herself? I didn't think so. And burnout is absolutely a great reason to quit a job, and an incredibly strong motivator in our world. I know a ton of people who have thought about and actually quit their jobs for that reason. Overall, this is a book that is a ton of fun. Are you going to have important life discoveries and be profoundly moved? Probably not. Not every book has to be a classic! Just enjoy it for what it is, not what it's not.

Have you ever felt like the rug has been completely pulled out from under your feet? Something you've worked for all of your life within grasp and the harshly yanked away from you because of one little mistake? Samantha has. High flying city lawyer Samantha is due to take up a partnership position at her firm when a costly mistake has her running for the countryside. Samantha has to overcome the massive change in her surroundings and acclimatise to her new state of domesticity. I think this was the first book by Sophie Kinsella that I had read, and it definitely got me hooked on her writing style and I have enjoyed many since reading this. The story follows Samantha as her high flying career comes crashing down around her and she finds herself making her way on to any train to anywhere as long as it's far from London. Blagging herself as a Cordon Bleu trained housekeeper Samantha joins the Geigers. Without a clue how to turn her own oven on, or whether her Hoover needs bags or has a cylinder she embarks on a journey which could possibly have a harder learning curve than studying for her law degree. Cue crush-worthy Gardner Nathaniel. Nat is nobody's fool and calls Samantha out as the fraud she is, after their first meeting. Nat sees an opportunity to help Sam and offers his mother's services to teach her to cook and keep house. I loved Samantha's character. She is down to earth and completely relatable to anyone who has ever felt any pressure and who just needs to get away from it all. You will be laughing throughout as this feel good romance twists and turns as Samantha changes almost beyond recognition. The writing is witty and has you feeling like you are with Samantha the whole time. You'll want to keep reading to the end as a plot twist is thrown in meaning changes for the characters. I often think it's nice to see some of the story told by other characters, however in a case like this where the protagonist is so likeable, reading purely from her perspective just makes it easier for you to like her and want the best for her. I also loved how easy it was for me to imagine the characters. For me Samantha was a cross between Kate Hudson and Jennifer Love Hewitt. It makes it easier to imagine yourself in her place if you can really see the character bringing you a whole lot closer to the story. I also really liked Nathaniel's character. He was easy going and complimented Samantha's highly strung and nervous exterior, teaching her to appreciate taking time to carry out tasks and to actually live life. Having said that, who doesn't love a good hottie to read about? I think if you haven't read this, or haven't read it for a while it is a good read for any Sophie fans, but also for any fans of Lindsey Kelk and Paige Toon.

A fun book, a page turner perfect for days at the beach. It makes you think about life and choices....

"The Undomestic Goddess" ist einfach ein großartiges, witziges und sehr unterhaltsames Buch. Und dabei ist die Hauptperson, Samantha Sweeting, zumindest auf den ersten Blick ganz anders als Kinsellas sonstige Protagonistinnen. Samantha ist eine Karrierefrau, eine erfolgreiche Anwältin mit einem fantastischen Gehalt. Ihr größter Wunsch ist es, Partner in ihrer Anwaltskanzlei zu werden - doch kurz bevor das geschehen soll, passiert Samantha etwas Schreckliches: sie macht einen Fehler, der ihre Firma 50 Millionen Pfund kosten wird... In Panik flieht Samantha aus der Stadt in ein kleines Dorf, wo sie Zuflucht in einem Haus sucht. Das dort lebende Ehepaar denkt jedoch, dass sie sich als Haushälterin bewerben will - und Samantha bekommt den Job. Nicht nur haben die Geigers jetzt eine Haushälterin, die eigentlich so etwa das zwanzigfache von dem verdient, was sie ihr zahlen, sie haben auch eine Haushälterin, die noch nicht einmal weiß, wie man Toast macht. Oder einen Backofen anschaltet. Samantha braucht Hilfe - und zwar schnell. Und sie findet auch jemanden, der ihr zur Seite steht. Doch das alte Leben in London ist nicht leicht zu vergessen. Vor allem, weil Samantha nicht glauben kann, dass wirklich SIE diesen Fehler gemacht haben soll. Ein supergutes Buch, das man sehr schnell durchlesen muss, weil es einfach mitreißend ist. Super! Ms. Kinsella - weiter so! :-)

Such an entertaining read it was. The author's writing style is so funny that it had me laughing my heart out at some places. Its a chick-lit, easy, breezy read. I wanted to read the confessions of a shopaholic by the same author but had to drop that idea as I already had watched the movie. All in all very engaging read. Go for it.

esta autora me encanta y el libro no defrauda. muy divertido!!