Undomestic Goddess

So here is another fun & frothy read from Shopaholic author Sophie Kinsella. Samantha Sweeting is on the fast track to partnership at a prestigious London law firm when she makes a horrible mistake, a mistake that could cost her everything. So she walks out the door, hops on a train going anywhere, and winds up in a lovely little town in the Cotswolds. Knocking on the door of a private home in hopes of getting a glass of water, she meets Trish Geiger, who thinks she's come to apply for the housekeeper position. Samantha is so distraught and confused that she doesn't dispute the idea, and soon finds herself in a blue maids uniform in a kitchen full of state-of-the-art equipment - none of which she knows how to use.

The Geigers are rich but not that smart, and the handsome gardener, Nathaniel, has a mother who's willing to teach Samantha how to cook and clean. So begins Samantha's new life, one she comes to appreciate and even like - until she realizes that maybe she didn't make a big mistake after all, maybe someone at the law firm used her for his own nefarious purposes.

As with all of Kinsella's novels that I've read, the characters are great - I can totally see Trish and Eddie Geiger, and Samantha and Nathaniel are extremely likeable. Yes, there's a bit of farce to it, but it's fun and entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Undomestic Goddess

Mistress of Rome

So I'll admit I had a little difficulty getting into this novel about ancient (1st century AD) Rome, but after about 2 chapters I was TOTALLY hooked! It's an exciting story with vivid characters - some fictional, some historical - and I am going online in a few minutes to reserve the sequel!

Thea is a Judean slave girl purchased as the ladies maid for spoiled rich girl Lepida. When Thea catches the eye, and heart, of the gladiator Arius, whom Lepida lusts after, she is sold into a life of prostitution a hundred miles from Rome. That Thea is able to survive, even thrive, is remarkable. That she eventually catches the eye of the twisted Emperor Domitian is just another reason for Lepida to hate her, and set out to destroy her.

This is one of those novels that, while having elements of romance, is also historical (and I think pretty accurate as far as that goes). There's also enough fighting, blood, and nastiness to make it a book that both women and men would enjoy. I just loved, and I highly recommend it.

Mistress of Rome

Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trollope

Hello all you Austenites out there - you have to read this book! I know, some of you probably think it's a travesty for modern day authors to update Jane's classic novels, but it's been happening for years - do you remember Clueless? And we can't forget Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, can we? So when a talented author like Joanna Trollope takes the lovely Dashwood sisters and brings them into the 21st century, how can we resist?

Elinor and Marianne - and all of the other characters - are basically the same people. They just have Facebook and Twitter and email accounts. Oh, and they've gone to school, and Elinor has trained as an architect (a much more useful skill than just drawing, don't you think?) and gets a job to help support the family. The best modernization has to do with Robert Ferrars, but I won't give that one away.

I think Trollope does a lovely job of keeping to Austen's story but rewriting it from a modern viewpoint. I think her update can bring a whole new group of readers to appreciate the great Jane Austen, and maybe even encourage them to have a read of the original source material. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Sense and Sensibility