I will be very honest and say I picked this book up on the fly and was solely attracted by the cover. Looking for a fun read to pack into the beach bag on holiday, I saw pink and grabbed for it.
The Undomestic Goddess tells the story of Samantha, a high powered city lawyer whose sole purpose of being, is her career. Then, one day she makes a huge mistake, which promises to destroy her carefully built life. She does the unthinkable, and flees the city on the first train she finds. Once out in the countryside, she finds herself mistaken as the new housekeeper at a grand house. Before she knows it she finds herself in the role of housekeeper – with absolutely no knowledge of how to perform the most simple of domestic tasks! She soon finds beauty in her new life, and slowly begins to fall in love with it. But her old life seems determined to track her down…..
When I read the synopsis – I was a tad concerned. I realised that the novel had been printed several years ago and I thought it was going to offer outdated views. As a Mum of two young children, I am, for the most part tied to a domestic life, although I am currently back at university all with the aim to build a new career for myself. I thought I was going to be reading a book which preached at me about how amazing it is to be some sort of Stepford type woman. I cracked the spine and began to read despite these reservations, and I was very glad I did!
The Undomestic Goddess is warm, witty and at times, hilarious. It was not at all what I feared, and instead it delivered a refreshing dollop of my own view on feminism, which is that every woman should have the ability and confidence to be able to choose her own path in life. As far as I am concerned if a branch of feminism is telling women that to be a true feminist then they must have a high flying career and eschew domesticity, then how is that any different from a traditional patriarchal society telling a woman that she must stay home and raise the children? Choice is where true equality lies.
Some years ago I read one of the Shopaholic series, which I really enjoyed, and after enjoying The Undomestic Goddess too, I am very keen to read more by Sophie Kinsella! I sailed through this novel in just a day or so. It is bags of fun with wonderful characters to boot! Highly recommended.
Synopsis
Samantha thrives under pressure. A high-powered London lawyer, all she can concentrate on is taking the next step in her career; eating, sleeping, seeing friends – even taking a breath – will have to wait.
But just when she’s about to get everything she has ever wanted, Samantha makes a mistake. A fifty-million-pound, career-destroying mistake. Unable to face the consequences, she does the unimaginable and runs away…
Catching the first train she can, she finds herself in the countryside, outside a beautiful grand house. Mistaken for another woman, she falls into a new job as the family’s housekeeper.
Disaster ensues. In a blink, her life has shifted from writing briefs to washing them – and she has no idea how to work the washing machine. Let alone the oven. A former master of the takeaway menu, she’s now expected to whip up fine cuisine.
But gradually, she falls in love with her new life in a wholly unexpected way. Will her employers ever discover the truth? Will Samantha’s old life ever catch up with her? And if it does…will she want it back?
About the Author
Sophie Kinsella is a writer and former financial journalist. She is the number one bestselling author of Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number, Wedding Night, My Not So Perfect Life, Surprise Me, the hugely popular Shopaholic novels and the Young Adult novel Finding Audrey. She lives in the UK with her husband and family. She is also the author of the children’s series Mummy Fairy and Me / Fairy Mom and Me, and several bestselling novels under the name of Madeleine Wickham. Visit her website at http://www.sophiekinsella.co.uk.
Emma R. 