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.