My love for all Sophie Kinsella novels was furthered last week upon reading Twenties Girl. Like all Kinsella novels, it features a heroine, Lara Lington, in dire need of sorting out her life, and there is of course, an eventual love interest. But the heart of the story is an endearing friendship between Lara and her great-aunt Sadie Lancaster. Who happens to be a ghost.
Yes, this seems like an unlikely premise for a "chick-lit" novel, but despite the various comic and romantic interludes, this novel often reads like a fantastic mystery. Sadie died at the astonishing age of 105, but was largely forgotten by her extended family and lived in a nursing home for decades with almost no visitors. Lara never knew her great-aunt, so she is thoroughly freaked out at Sadie's funeral when she discovers that she can communicate with her ghost. Also, Sadie's ghost isn't a wizened 105-year old lady, but instead is Sadie at 23, bedecked in flapper gear and desperate to dance the Charleston. Sadie isn't sure how this ghost stuff works, but she knows one thing - she needs her necklace before she can move on.
Once Lara has convinced herself that she isn't hallucinating and is really communicating with a ghost, she takes on the quest for the necklace. The nursing home doesn't have it, but there are a few theories as to where it might have gone that Lara needs to follow up. In the meantime, she is struggling at her job and Sadie's ghostly talents come in useful. Lara recently started up a headhunting business with her best friend Natalie, but when Natalie runs off to Goa for an extended vacation, Lara is left in the lurch and uses Sadie to spy on various recruits and let her know how to contact them. Then there's the family drama, with her Uncle Bill, a self-made millionaire with a chain of world-famous coffee shops, who may know something about that elusive necklace.
While all these plot points are being advanced, Sadie tries to give Lara a twenties makeover, dragging her to vintage shops to buy Bakelite make-up, "real" stockings, sparkly dresses and headbands, and forcing her to ask out a complete stranger on a date, just so that Sadie can go out for a night on the town. Lara is getting over a painful break-up with a man that she is convinced still loves her, but you can figure out what happens next. But you would be hard-pressed to figure out the rest of the story, which unfolds brilliantly in the final chapters as you discover how the mystery of Sadie's necklace is connected to her past in the 1920s and later to Lara's family.
Twenties Girl is a delightful novel with a lot of comedy, romance, and a simply great story. The romantic stuff is standard fare, but the actual "ghost story" is riveting and fun, and will really make you appreciate Kinsella's ability to neatly and sweetly wrap up even the craziest plots. The minute I finished reading, I ordered another Kinsella novel from the library. I suggest you do the same.
Once Lara has convinced herself that she isn't hallucinating and is really communicating with a ghost, she takes on the quest for the necklace. The nursing home doesn't have it, but there are a few theories as to where it might have gone that Lara needs to follow up. In the meantime, she is struggling at her job and Sadie's ghostly talents come in useful. Lara recently started up a headhunting business with her best friend Natalie, but when Natalie runs off to Goa for an extended vacation, Lara is left in the lurch and uses Sadie to spy on various recruits and let her know how to contact them. Then there's the family drama, with her Uncle Bill, a self-made millionaire with a chain of world-famous coffee shops, who may know something about that elusive necklace.
While all these plot points are being advanced, Sadie tries to give Lara a twenties makeover, dragging her to vintage shops to buy Bakelite make-up, "real" stockings, sparkly dresses and headbands, and forcing her to ask out a complete stranger on a date, just so that Sadie can go out for a night on the town. Lara is getting over a painful break-up with a man that she is convinced still loves her, but you can figure out what happens next. But you would be hard-pressed to figure out the rest of the story, which unfolds brilliantly in the final chapters as you discover how the mystery of Sadie's necklace is connected to her past in the 1920s and later to Lara's family.
Twenties Girl is a delightful novel with a lot of comedy, romance, and a simply great story. The romantic stuff is standard fare, but the actual "ghost story" is riveting and fun, and will really make you appreciate Kinsella's ability to neatly and sweetly wrap up even the craziest plots. The minute I finished reading, I ordered another Kinsella novel from the library. I suggest you do the same.
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