Sophie Kinsella is probably best known for her Shopaholic series of chick lit books. However, this is an introduction to a standalone chick lit novel which displays signs of predictability, but equally at its most comic and touching.
The Undomestic Goddess (Black Swan 2006, ISBN 9780552772747) turns the tables in every possible way from the start, beginning with an empowered heroine and gradually turning her into something which is quite different from the development we would expect of a modern female protagonist. But it works, and teaches us all a thing or two in the process.
Synopsis of this Romantic Comedy
Samantha Sweeting works in London as a high-powered lawyer, desperate for a partnership in the firm and working hard, at the expense of everything else in her life. Then she makes a huge mistake which will cost her client millions of pounds.
Quite bizarrely, she just abandons her job and walks out of the office and catches the first train that comes along. When she gets off, she realises she has no idea where she is and, in going to ask at a large nearby house for directions, she is mistaken for the housekeeper who is meant to be arriving for an interview. Samantha is offered the job – and she accepts!
Her only, but major, problem is that she has no idea how to go about domestic duties. Chaos ensues as she wrestles with her domestic chores. But she falls totally in love with her new life, and with Nathaniel, the gardener, forcing her to make a decision about her two lives, and which now means the most to her.
The Characters and Comedy of Romance
Sophie Kinsella depicts likeable characters. The female protagonists are fully engaging, whereas the males are less rounded, which is true of a whole host of chick lit. However, it is written by a woman for female readers, who are much more likely to want to get inside the main female character’s head than the male’s in order to empathise.
There is great comedy potential here, exploited by the author in the overall description of the intelligent lawyer, ludicrously stuck in domestic life in a kitchen she cannot use, and also in her constant need to keep her deception covered up. There is lots of empathising to be done regarding the role in which Samantha finds herself. She has to hire a catering company and send out clothes to be cleaned. And there will be many female readers who can empathise with the hassle of domesticity in today’s busy lifestyle and how, sometimes, there simply isn’t time to be that ideal domestic goddess.
Fluffy, Predictable Chick Lit or a Good Romantic Read?
It is fair to say that there are elements of the far-fetched here, as in quite a few of Sophie Kinsella’s stories, such as Remember Me? But, of course, this is just what they are: stories to entertain, to take the reader on a journey otherwise unknown to them and making her laugh in the process.
As with any standard romance novel, the happy ending is never far away. Samantha has been on a steep learning curve and, having discovered that love can finally have a place in her life, it is heartening to see good coming out of an otherwise potentially disastrous beginning for Samantha.
Yes, the ending is predictable, but if you are reading chick lit, that, then, surely is the whole point – you do not want any nasty surprises at the end, only uplifting ones. This is a fun book full of escapism, just perfect for a lazy day or a holiday read. But be warned – you may do nothing else all day!
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