Editor's Pick

Two reviews from Nausheen Rahman

Keeping readers on stitches . . .

29 May 2009, 18:00 PM
BOOK REVIEWS

Tired of all those tomes? Well, put the volumes aside and take a little time out for something light and witty. In Confessions of A Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella's very likeable but exasperating heroine has readers (especially us womenfolk) in stitches, on tenterhooks and in tears alternately, with her escapades. Many of us can identify with her at some point or the other. Being addicted to shopping is nothing alien to women in today's image-conscious, materialistic world. It's just not knowing when to stop that invites disasters! As we read how Rebecca Bloomwood (Becky), the protagonist, falls deeper and deeper into debt, we cannot help but sympathize with her while losing patience with her at the same time. Becky is a compulsive shopper and comes across as a flippant "head-in-the-clouds" young lady. She is a financial journalist, apparently with nothing going for her. She cannot manage her money matters, her self-esteem seems to be ebbing and she invariably gets herself into knotty situations. The really riveting part of the book comes when Becky discovers that she is capable of good journalism; it is at this juncture that she feels motivated and committed enough to turn in a really good story. Several other good things trail along as a result of this and our heroine undergoes a drastic change for the better. It gives one a good feeling to read how someone can go through a perfectly credible change of personality particularly when the writer shows up the person's foibles without being at all didactic. Kinsella's descriptions of Becky's scrapes, all of which revolve around her urge to buy and to keep on buying, are amusing, as well as thought-provoking. The other characters and her interaction with them are interestingly portrayed. There's Suze, her flat mate, who's just as crazy as her when it comes to shopping, there's Luke Brandon, a very successful entrepreneur with whom her relationship goes through various stages, there's Tarquin Cleath-Stuart, the "15th richest man in the country" (who has a big 'crush' on her, but by whom she's not at all attracted). There's Derek Smeath, her relentless bank manager and several others. The letters from the bank to Becky add a delightful flavour. Some of Kinsella's other Shopaholic novels are: Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, Shopaholic Ties the Knot and Shopaholic and Sister. Sophie Kinsella, a former financial journalist, has been adjudged "The New York Times Best-Selling Author". Read this book and who knows? You might become a Sophie Kinsella bookaholic! ******************************************

. . . and humour as a panacea

WHEN I read Moni Mohsin's The End Of Innocence last year, I really liked it. I had no idea then that I would be reading another book by this writer which would be so very different. The Diary Of A Social Butterfly is a compilation of selections from a column of the same name Mohsin used to write for the Friday Times of Pakistan. Butterfly is a unique character, what with her various idiosyncrasies: her atrocious spelling and malapropism, her nicknames for people, her obsession with being a part of all big events in town, her total disregard for the serious happenings in her country's political arena, etc. Against the backdrop of severe political strife in the country, is Butterfly's unreal world of riches and glamour. As shallow as it might be, this world depicts the lifestyle of a particular class and society (of "the rich and inane") everywhere, especially in our subcontinent. Every entry in this socialite's wildly funny diary has two headings or captions, one about the state of the country and the other about her: (1) Pakistan becomes an ally in the U.S. War against Terror. Butterfly quashes her sister-in-law's attempts to rise above herself. (2) U.S. sends Desert Force to Gulf. Butterfly bemoans the lack of good New Year parties. The book is replete with Butterfly's quotable quotes. "……. Anyways, I said to Janoo, why didn't he buy a book or something and read it to forget his sorrows about cricket and Bob Woolmer. And he said it was rich, coming from me, considering I couldn't name a single book if he asked me. So I said what nonsense he was talking. And he said, go on then, name one book you know well. And cool as a cucumber, I said, cheque book! Kaisa?". "Business typhoons", "textile magnets", "get knocked up by a truck", "laughed till I became historical" are a few of the gems. This is a book one can finish in a couple of sittings and have a hearty laugh into the bargain; it is one that can be read aloud with friends and enjoyed thoroughly in a group. The writer admits frankly in her 'Afterword', that the character of Butterfly is a combination of various women she's met and of herself; she is based on her own "hidden shallows", on one side of her personality, and on incidents that happen to others. As Mohsin narrates these incidents, other facets of Pakistan's violent period (Jan 2001 to Jan 2008) flash across the pages. We see how life goes on amidst all the insecurity and the horror in fancy drawing rooms, at lavish parties and among all the glitz.
Nausheen Rahman has studied English literature and is a critic and teacher.

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