Twenties Girl

Sophie Kinsella


Remember Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's? How she would do the most absurd things, live for pleasure, be delightfully self-centered and benign all at once and make you love her for all of it? 
Sadie, the co-protagonist of this wonderfully light book channels Holly's essence in the most endearing manner possible. 

Lara Lington, the 'heroine' of this novel is very like the other chicklit gals we have come to recognize. She is attractive, unlucky in love (till the 'hero' comes along), perpetually in foot-in-mouth situation and utterly confused.

Oh yeah, she can also talk to her great-aunt Sadie's ghost. Who, by the way, is not 105 - Sadie the ghost, is a 23, snooty fashionista belle with a wicked sense of humor. 


The story begins with the death of her 105 year old great-aunt Sadie. Lara, wallowing in self-cooked misery about her break up with boyfriend Josh is not exactly willing to go. Turns out, neither is the rest of the family.
At the funeral, only her family and her billionaire uncle, Bill Lington's family turns up (a sum total of 8 people including the vicar). The only glitch is Sadie is not quite ready to say goodbye. Not without her necklace, which somebody has stolen from her.


Thereby follows a pleasantly twisting plot; with Lara managing to halt the funeral under the cover of a murder story, Sadie, a handsome American hunk, Sadie, Sadie-Lara-american hunk's bizzare love triangle, hilarious patch up attempts with Josh, Sadie, a mystery involving the missing necklace and a painting, Sadie, occult powers and Sadie.


While Lara is the actual protagonist, it's Sadie who charms her way into your heart, with her unapologetic wit, unabashed sense of fun and a believable measure of tenderness. Also, quite risqué, this one! Leaves you in throes of giggles over flapper dresses, barney-mugging and her un-twenties ideas.


Charmingly written characters, a delicately balanced and touching insight into Sadies and Lara's friendship, and sprinkled with the twenties element (as Sadie belongs to the 1920's) Twenties Girl makes for an amazingly fun and enchanting read. 


Rating: 4/5  While most of the characters are predictable, the plot line is fresh and extremely entertaining. A book you will smile your way through and not put down till you are done with it. Those who will ban it outright for being chicklit, don't. It's that good a book. So, unless you are loaded with stubborn testosterone or are resolutely averse of the happy-bubbly feeling, you should definitely pick this one up.