The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

I am a huge fan of Sophie Kinsella, which is why I selected this book from Margo's list for this challenge. Margo writes "I chose this book as it was a book I really laughed at. It made me really happy one time when I was feeling unwell. It's my favourite Sophie Kinsella book, the character is a bit dizzy, & I have to admit I can be a bit dizzy myself!"

Don't we all have our dizzy moments? =) The Undomestic Goddess is a fun read. My review, which is also on my blog, is posted below.
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The Undomestic Goddess
By Sophie Kinsella
Completed October 12, 2007

Sophie Kinsella does have a magic formula for her chick lit books: girl blunders, tries to hide from her mistake(s), meets boy, lies about said mistake(s) and then comes clean and hopes for "happily ever after."

The Undomestic Goddess is really no different than Kinsella's other books, but I did find her lead character to be more in control of her life. Samantha Sweeting is a high-powered attorney in London, working her way up the ranks at a large law firm. She discovers that she makes a huge mistake at work and flees in embarrassment. She ends up in the countryside, where she takes a job as a housekeeper. However, Samantha knows nothing about cooking, laundry or cleaning. Add a handsome lawyer-hating gardener to the story, and you got a cute, escapist story that is easy and fun to read.

I did enjoy reading Kinsella's accounts of the English countryside with beautifully depicted gardens, local alehouses and cobblestone streets. I have never been to England, but she really transported me there in this book.

Need a breather between edgy novels or just a break from life? Grab a Sophie Kinsella book. It's like a ride at Disney World - short, amusing, light-hearted - and always a ton of fun.

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

i finished The Undomestic Goddess yesterday as part of the challenge. it was one of Margo's picks. this was a super funny book and i immensely enjoyed it. it is the story a high-powered London lawyer who realizes that she has made a grave career error and subsequently runs off to the country and somehow finds herself becoming a housekeeper. this is a book that will make you laugh out loud and it is thoroughly delicious. i especially love the cooking bits. my full review is here. margo said she chose this book because she likes to laugh and it helped her get through a difficult period. what i have learned about margo: she has a great sense of humor and really likes to laugh. also the main character is really really smart and can think quickly on her feet. so i will also say that margo is intelligent and can think her way out of situations.

i highly recommend this book. :)

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

i finished The Undomestic Goddess yesterday as part of the challenge. it was one of Margo's picks. this was a super funny book and i immensely enjoyed it. it is the story a high-powered London lawyer who realizes that she has made a grave career error and subsequently runs off to the country and somehow finds herself becoming a housekeeper. this is a book that will make you laugh out loud and it is thoroughly delicious. i especially love the cooking bits. my full review is here. margo said she chose this book because she likes to laugh and it helped her get through a difficult period. what i have learned about margo: she has a great sense of humor and really likes to laugh. also the main character is really really smart and can think quickly on her feet. so i will also say that margo is intelligent and can think her way out of situations.

i highly recommend this book. :)

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Good gosh, I love chocolate. Just the very thought of it makes me salivate and crave its luscious goodness. I selected Chocolat as part of this challenge because I love chocolate so much - and it looks like Chasida and maybe Margo do too. Thankfully, I was not disappointed by this rich tale.

To those of you who have only seen the movie, this book is a different story. It's a darker, more spiritual story of Vianne, the "witch" who comes to a small French village with her young daughter to open up a chocolate shop at the beginning of Lent. She's embraced by several already-outcasts of the village and hated by the village priest, Reynaud, who sees her as a threat to the power he believes he has over the village.

Vianne is a multi-dimensional, smart and driven woman whose character I thoroughly enjoyed. Her intelligence and wit keep her one step ahead of those who are out to ruin her. I also enjoyed her daughter, Anouk, who is wild and smart and impish like many young girls. Her spirit is contagious and fun to read.

I highly recommend Chocolat to readers who enjoy a tale of good food, good friends and good indulgences - and not afraid to see the darker sides of things held in high regard, such as the Church, marriage and good health. Like the delicious enrapture of my favorite dessert, Chocolat is a delightful, almost sinful reading treat.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Also posted HERE .
I'm not a huge fan of chocolate. I knew it already. I'm more into those very unhealthy and very artificial pick 'n mix sweets, or cheesecakes or apple crumble, or ice-cream. But you don't have to love chocolate to enjoy this book, and I'm the living proof. I didn't crave for truffles or for easter eggs while I was reading it. In fact, it took me a while to get into it, but it won me eventually.
At first I was annoyed by Harris' use of the past and the present tense at the same time. I would have preferred if she sticked to one of the two. I know I'm a bit fussy, but I really tried not to be bothered by it. In the end, it was Vianne and her little daughter that made me love the book. Vianne is such a charming character, I was really fascinated by her, and even more maybe by her daughter Anouk, so wild and confident and understanding, the way only 6 years-old kids can be.

The story is a well-known one: Vianne, a traveler, decides that Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, a small town in in the French countryside, with its sad and grumpy faces, is in serious need of a bit of magic. But young Father Reynaud doesn't think so. It's just the beginning of Lent and he feels that the opening of a tempting Chocolate shop will tackle his authority and control over his "herd". Vianne Rocher is obviously ready for the challenge. All she needs is time, cause she has more than a special gift. She can read into people's soul and tastes, guessing exactly which one is everyone's favourite. Her kind and welcoming manners will do the rest. Slowly she manages to break the wall of hostility bringing a whole new approach to life for many people in the community, which involves cherishing pleasure, joy and friendship.

It's crazy how much the book is different from the movie. I thought I knew what to expect, but I was wrong. The movie was a light fairy tale. The book is much more complex than that. It tells us of Vianne's pasts, of her fears and nightmares and of her pagan beliefs, so brave to be shown in such a small and religious community. It also tells the story from the opposite perspective of the priest, which didn't do him any good, anyway! To those who might be offended by Harris's description of a Christian priest, I might say that she didn't invent anything. Yes, she chose one of the worst examples that could be, but it serves the story so well and it's also so true. Life is supposed to be enjoyed. Chocolate (or cheesecake for me) is there to help!

This book was chosen by two people: Chasida and Margo. I know Chasida chose it because she loves chocolate (fair enough!), but I couldn't find the reason for Margo. Thanks to both anyway:)