There's Something About Sophie Kinsella Stories

A large parcel arrived that afternoon. A parcel that carried books! I can't tell you how excited I was, not just because they were books, but because they were my first review copies. Two books, 'I've Got Your Number' and Twenties Girl’ by Sophie Kinsella immediately got my attention. My first introduction to Kinsella books. I picked ‘I’ve Got Your Number’ first. It was a big fat book and I wondered if it would be able to hold my interest.

But it did and how! In that 400+ page book, not a single page was boring.

She wrote her first seven novels as Madeleine Wickham. Having read a Madeleine Wickham book, I can say that they are very different from Sophie Kinsella books. Even Sophie Kinsella said it in an interview (to Woman and Home). ‘I changed my name to Sophie Kinsella because these novels were so different. I found a new voice and a way of writing, and I found it addictive,’ she said.

I'm very fond of her stories, as they never disappoint. Whenever there's a bad reading phase, when no book manages to grip me, I pick a Kinsella book, and it immediately uplifts my mood.

There's something about Sophie Kinsella books!

The writing style

Sophie Kinsella writes in a chirpy, conversational style, always in first person. Like the protagonist is sharing everything with a friend. It helps you connect with the character and her situations better. And a story can never disappoint you if you feel connected to the characters.

The heroines: so similar yet so different

Be it Poppy Wyatt of I've Got Your Number, or Emma Corrigan of Can You Keep a Secret?, or Fixie Farr of I Owe You One, or Katie Brenner of My Not So Perfect Life: they are so similar in so many ways. They are like any girl next door, they’re peppy and kind, they’re hopeful, helpful, and most importantly, they never give up!

 

AND YET, they’re so different from each other. Isn’t it amazing? That a writer manages to create such characters, who are so similar yet so different?

 

Happy, uplifting vibe

‘Don't beat yourself up for not knowing the answers. You don't always have to know who you are. You don't have to have the big picture, or know where you're heading. Sometimes, it's enough just to know what you're going to do next.’

― Sophie Kinsella, The Undomestic Goddess

One of the main reasons why I am not able to finish any book is, they are slow and tend to meander. Kinsella stories are fast-paced. Fast-paced, not rushed. They evoke happy, bright imageries. It makes you feel that there’s hope and you know that everything will be alright. It doesn’t mean her stories do not have conflicts. They do! In fact, her stories are full of conflicts, odd situations, troubles and utter confusion. But there’s is a happy, uplifting vibe in her stories that perks you up.

Humour

‘The trouble with me is, I can’t let things go. They bug me. I see problems and I want to fix them, right there, right now. My nickname isn’t Fixie for nothing.’

This is the opening line of ‘I Owe You One’ and it made me smile.

Humour is the characteristic feature of her writing, one of the strengths of her books. I giggle several times while reading her books (and get strange looks from my husband).

“We're playing Scrabble. It's a nightmare."

"Scrabble?" He sounds surprised. "Scrabble's great."

"Not when you're playing with a family of geniuses. They all put words like 'iridium'. And I put 'pig'.”

―  I've Got Your Number

The chemistry

Frankly, her books are not ideally romantic. But the romance has a very special place in her stories, and it’s so endearing. There’s certain kind of sweetness and warmth in the relationships.

‘Lover? I don’t know. I don’t know if she loves me. I don’t know if I love her. All I can say is, she's the one I think about. All the time. She's the voice I want to hear. She's the face I hope to see.’

___I’ve Got Your Number

I am a very impatient reader. If a book doesn’t grip me by 50-60 pages, I leave it unfinished. But I haven't met any Kinsella book that I could not finish. And it’s a big thing for me, as a reader. Even if I can’t call it my favourite, a Kinsella book would be entertaining for sure.