Book Description
Workaholic attorney Samantha Sweeting has just done the unthinkable. She’s made a mistake so huge, it’ll wreck any chance of a partnership.
Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of her London office, gets on a train, and ends up in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she’s mistaken for an interviewee and finds herself being offered a job as housekeeper. Her employers have no idea they’ve hired a lawyer–and Samantha has no idea how to work the oven. She can’t sew on a button, bake a potato, or get the ironing board to open. How she takes a deep breath and begins to cope–and finds love–is a story as delicious as the bread she learns to bake.
But will her old life ever catch up with her? And if it does…will she want it back?
From Publishers Weekly
Samantha Sweeting, the 29-year-old heroine of Kinsella's latest confection (after Shopaholic Sister), is on the verge of partnership at the prestigious London law firm Carter Spink—the Holy Grail of her entire workaholic life. But when she finds she has made a terrible, costly mistake just before the partnership decision, she's terrified of being fired. In a fog, she stumbles out of the building and onto the nearest train, which drops her in the countryside, where she wanders to a stately home. The nouveau riche lady of the house mistakes her for the new housekeeper—and Samantha is too astonished to correct her. Numb and unable to face returning to London, Samantha tries to master the finer points of laundry, cooking and cleaning. She discovers that the slow life, her pompous but good-hearted employers and the attentions of the handsome gardener, Nathaniel, suit her just fine. But her past is hard to escape, and when she discovers a terrible secret about her firm—and when the media learns that the former legal star is scrubbing toilets for a living—her life becomes more complicated than ever. If readers can swallow the implausible scenario, then Kinsella's genuine charm and sweet wit may continue to win her fans. (July)
From Booklist
Fans of Kinsella's popular Shopaholic series will find the author in fine form here in her second stand-alone tale, following Can You Keep a Secret? (2004). Samantha Sweeting, an ambitious lawyer on the fast track to becoming a partner at her prestigious law firm, is horrified to discover an overlooked memo on her desk that ends up costing a client 50 million pounds. In a daze, Samantha hops a train and finds herself in the country. She walks up to the first house she sees and knocks on the door, intending to inquire about the nearest hotel, but Trish Geiger mistakes her for the new housekeeper. Still in shock, Samantha decides to go along with Trish and her husband, Eddie's, mistake, despite the fact that she has no domestic skills. Happily, she is aided by the handsome gardener, Nathaniel. He helps her forget about her London law firm, until she makes a startling discovery. Another charming winner from the delightful Kinsella.
Kristine Huntley
From AudioFile
Just hours before her long awaited promotion to partnership is announced, corporate attorney Samantha Sweeting learns she made a 50-million-pound mistake. Dazed and unable to confront the firm's principals, she boards a train out of London. Dropped off in the middle of nowhere, she asks for directions from a nearby country home, and this hilarious story of transformation from lawyer to housekeeper begins. Katherine Kellgren depicts the kind nouveau-riche landowners, Teddy and Trish, with exaggerated English accents. When handsome gardener Nathaniel makes it known he's ready for romance, this delightful, but somewhat implausible, story takes off. The narration is fast paced and the outcome predictable, but overall this is well done. G.D.W.
About Author
SOPHIE KINSELLA is a former financial journalist and the author of the bestselling novels Confessions of a Shopaholic, Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Shopaholic Ties the Knot, Shopaholic & Sister and Can You Keep a Secret? She lives in England, where she is at work on her next book.
Book Dimension
Height (mm) 210 Width (mm) 141
Sophie Kinsella has sold over 40 million copies of her books in more than 60 countries, and she has been translated into over 40 languages.
Sophie Kinsella first hit the UK bestseller lists in September 2000 with her first novel in the Shopaholic series – The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (also published as Confessions of a Shopaholic). The book’s heroine, Becky Bloomwood – a fun and feisty financial journalist who loves shopping but is hopeless with money – captured the hearts of readers worldwide. Becky has since featured in seven further bestselling books, Shopaholic Abroad (also published as Shopaholic Takes Manhattan), Shopaholic Ties the Knot, Shopaholic & Sister, Shopaholic & Baby, Mini Shopaholic, Shopaholic to the Stars and Shopaholic to the Rescue. Becky Bloomwood came to the big screen in 2009 with the hit Disney movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy.
Sophie has also written seven standalone novels which have all been bestsellers in the UK, USA and other countries around the world: Can You Keep A Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number, Wedding Night, and My Not So Perfect Life, which was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for Best Fiction in 2017.
In 2014 she published a Young Adult novel Finding Audrey about a teenage girl with social anxiety and her madcap family, and in January 2018, Sophie published her first illustrated book for young readers about the charming adventures of a mother-daughter fairy duo, Mummy Fairy and Me (also published as Fairy Mom and Me).
Sophie’s latest novel, Surprise Me, published in February 2018, presents a humorous yet moving portrait of a marriage—its intricacies, comforts, and complications. Surprise Me reveals that hidden layers in a close relationship are often yet to be discovered.
Sophie wrote her first novel under her real name, Madeleine Wickham, at the tender age of 24, whilst she was working as a financial journalist. The Tennis Party was immediately hailed as a success by critics and the public alike and became a top ten bestseller. She went on to publish six more novels as Madeleine Wickham: A Desirable Residence, Swimming Pool Sunday, The Gatecrasher, The Wedding Girl, Cocktails for Three and Sleeping Arrangements.
Sophie was born in London. She studied music at New College, Oxford, but after a year switched to Politics, Philosophy and Economics. She now lives in London, UK, with her husband and family.
Visit Sophie's Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/SophieKinsell...
对于大多数人来说,学生时代的努力是为了有更多选择的权利,这其中就包括选择一份光鲜的工作。 这本告诉我们,光鲜的工作未必适合自己。而如果一个人因为读书好,学历高,职业背景好就只能迫于世俗选择那些别人“看上去很美”的工作和生活的话,那么其实TA是放弃了自己选择的权...
评分对于大多数人来说,学生时代的努力是为了有更多选择的权利,这其中就包括选择一份光鲜的工作。 这本告诉我们,光鲜的工作未必适合自己。而如果一个人因为读书好,学历高,职业背景好就只能迫于世俗选择那些别人“看上去很美”的工作和生活的话,那么其实TA是放弃了自己选择的权...
评分对于大多数人来说,学生时代的努力是为了有更多选择的权利,这其中就包括选择一份光鲜的工作。 这本告诉我们,光鲜的工作未必适合自己。而如果一个人因为读书好,学历高,职业背景好就只能迫于世俗选择那些别人“看上去很美”的工作和生活的话,那么其实TA是放弃了自己选择的权...
评分对于大多数人来说,学生时代的努力是为了有更多选择的权利,这其中就包括选择一份光鲜的工作。 这本告诉我们,光鲜的工作未必适合自己。而如果一个人因为读书好,学历高,职业背景好就只能迫于世俗选择那些别人“看上去很美”的工作和生活的话,那么其实TA是放弃了自己选择的权...
评分对于大多数人来说,学生时代的努力是为了有更多选择的权利,这其中就包括选择一份光鲜的工作。 这本告诉我们,光鲜的工作未必适合自己。而如果一个人因为读书好,学历高,职业背景好就只能迫于世俗选择那些别人“看上去很美”的工作和生活的话,那么其实TA是放弃了自己选择的权...
从纯粹的审美角度来看,这本书的结构设计简直是一件精密的艺术品。它不是传统意义上的线性叙事,更像是一个多维度的拼贴画,不同的时间线、不同的叙事视角,像碎片一样散落在全书各处。起初,这种碎片化可能会带来一些阅读上的阻碍,需要读者主动去寻找它们之间的连接点和意义所在,但这正是作者的高明之处——他奖励那些愿意投入精力的读者。随着阅读的深入,那些看似无关紧要的细节开始相互呼应,不同的叙述者之间的信息不对称构成了叙事张力的主要来源。这本书对读者的耐心和专注力要求很高,它拒绝提供廉价的娱乐,而是要求你参与到意义的建构过程中。当所有线索最终汇聚成一个宏大的图景时,那种豁然开朗的满足感是无与伦比的,它证明了作者在布局之初就已经洞悉了一切,并将每一个看似随意的笔触都纳入了整体的宏伟蓝图之中。
评分这本书的叙事节奏简直是大师级的,它不动声色地将你拖入主角复杂纠结的内心世界,让你在不知不觉中与角色的困境产生强烈的共鸣。作者对于人物心理描摹的细腻程度令人叹为观止,那些微妙的情绪波动,那些隐藏在日常对话下的暗流涌动,都被捕捉得精准到位。读到某个关键转折点时,我甚至能想象到自己如果处于那种境地会如何手足无措。故事情节的推进并非一蹴而就的戏剧化爆发,而更像是一层层剥开洋葱,每深入一层都能发现新的层次和更深远的含义。书中对于环境和氛围的渲染也极其到位,那种淡淡的忧郁感,混合着一丝丝对未知的憧憬,萦绕在字里行间,让人沉浸其中,难以自拔。特别值得称赞的是,作者没有落入俗套地给予简单粗暴的解决方案,而是让角色的成长和蜕变显得真实而有说服力,充满了人性的光辉与挣扎。这种对生命本质的深刻探讨,让这部作品远超一般的消遣读物,更像是一面映照我们自身困境与渴望的镜子。
评分如果用一个词来形容阅读这部作品的体验,那一定是“震撼”。这种震撼并非来自情节的惊天逆转,而是源于其内在逻辑的严密与情感张力的持久性。作者构建了一个极其自洽的世界观,在这个世界里,所有的因果链条都看似偶然,实则必然。我发现自己沉迷于分析人物的选择,试图预测下一步的发展,但每一次的猜测最终都会被作者以一种既出乎意料又在情理之中的方式打破。这种对读者智力的尊重和挑战,极大地提升了阅读的参与感。特别是关于“选择与后果”这一主题的处理,展现了极高的文学成熟度,它迫使读者思考,我们生命中的关键分岔路口,究竟有多少是自由意志的结果,又有多少是环境和宿命的必然。读完后,我花了很长时间才真正回到现实世界,因为书中的那个世界感太强了,那种独特的氛围感久久不散。
评分我必须承认,这本书的语言风格是极其独特的,它带着一种近乎诗意的疏离感,却又在最恰当的地方迸发出令人心碎的真实感。作者似乎非常钟爱使用那些不落俗套的比喻和意象,每一次阅读都像是在解谜,试图捕捉隐藏在华丽辞藻背后的深层意图。有些段落的句式结构异常复杂,需要放慢速度,甚至需要回溯阅读才能完全领会其精妙之处,但这绝非故作高深,而是为了服务于主题的深度。书中对于时间流逝的描绘尤其出色,它不是线性的,而是以一种记忆和情感的碎片化的方式存在,让你感觉过去、现在与未来的界限变得模糊不清。这种叙事上的实验性,虽然可能让部分读者感到有些门槛,但对于追求文学深度和风格创新的读者来说,无疑是一场盛宴。我尤其欣赏作者在处理宏大主题时,依然能紧紧抓住个体经验的微观视角,让哲学思辨最终落脚于有血有肉的人。
评分坦白说,这本书的社会观察角度非常尖锐,它毫不留情地揭示了现代生活中那些被我们习以为常却又极度压抑的社会规范和期待。阅读过程中,我时常感到一种被“看穿”的尴尬,仿佛作者将一把手术刀精准地刺入了集体潜意识的痛点。它不是那种直白的批判,而是一种微妙的、渗透到骨子里的讽刺,让你在笑声中感到后背发凉。故事中的那些配角虽然着墨不多,但每一个都栩栩如生,他们如同社会群像中的典型样本,共同构建了一个复杂而又有些令人窒息的现实图景。作者似乎对人际关系中的权力动态有着异乎寻常的敏感度,无论是家庭内部的隐形控制,还是职场中的微妙角力,都被描绘得入木三分。这本书的价值在于,它不仅仅是讲了一个故事,它更像是一份对我们所处时代精神状态的诊断书,促使我们停下来审视那些我们从未质疑过的“理所当然”。
评分An interesting life transforming story.
评分相比之下还是比较喜欢Remember me和 Can you keep a secret.
评分Very vivid and easy-reading.Don't like the end though.
评分This novel is unbelievable......????
评分An interesting life transforming story.
本站所有内容均为互联网搜索引擎提供的公开搜索信息,本站不存储任何数据与内容,任何内容与数据均与本站无关,如有需要请联系相关搜索引擎包括但不限于百度,google,bing,sogou 等
© 2026 book.quotespace.org All Rights Reserved. 小美书屋 版权所有