"This expensive, glossy world is where I've been headed all along. Limos and flowers; waxed eyebrows and designer clothes from Barneys. These are my people; this is where I'm meant to be."
Becky Bloomwood Universally beloved by readers, Sophie Kinsella's national bestseller, Confessions of a Shopaholic, introduced the irrepressible one-woman shopping phenomenon, Becky Bloomwood. Now, in this hilarious follow-up, Becky and her credit cards are headed across the Atlantic....
With her shopping excesses (somewhat) in check and her career as a TV financial guru thriving, Becky's biggest problem seems to be tearing her entrepreneur boyfriend, Luke, away from work for a romantic country weekend. And worse, figuring out how to "pack light." But packing takes on a whole new meaning when Luke announces he's moving to New York for business-and he asks Becky to go with him!
Before you can say "Prada sample sale," Becky has landed in the Big Apple, home of Park Avenue penthouses and luxury department stores.
Surely it's only a matter of time until she becomes an American TV celebrity, and she and Luke are the toast of Gotham society. Nothing can stand in their way, especially with Becky's bills miles away in London.
But then an unexpected disaster threatens her career prospects, her relationship with Luke, and her available credit line! Shopaholic Takes Manhattan-but will she have to return it?
購物狂挑戰曼哈頓
蘇菲.金索拉的作品全球暢銷超過3,500,000冊,
購物狂系列已被譯為22種語言,即將改編為電影劇本
紐約,這個金錢打造、光鮮亮麗的世界,就是我命中註定要待的地方!
天啊,我真喜歡在國外購物。當然啦,在任何地方購物都是美好的,但在國外購物的好處是:
* 你可以買到英國沒有的東西。
* 你可以暗示別人你常跑國外。(「喔,這個啊,是我在紐約買的。」)
* 外國錢不算錢,所以你可以盡情地花。
好啦,好啦,我承認美金是一種有價值的貨幣,但是從英鎊到美金的環境中,你會覺得沒有花到真正的錢,而且我總是搞不清楚匯率到底是多少。
重點是,那個不重要。因為這裡是美國,大家都知道美國的東西便宜很多,這是普通常識。所以基本上,我依循的原則就是,「每樣東西都划算」!
「討人喜歡、樂觀、永遠時髦的麗貝卡回來了!金索拉的購物狂系列繼續登峰造極,購物狂迷們請準備再次享用名牌盛宴。」─娛樂週刊
「希望銀行帳單上不只有黑紅兩色的讀者們,這本書是你們的最佳選擇。」─每日鏡報
作者簡介
蘇菲.金索拉(Sophie Kinsella)
紐約時報暢銷書作家,被奉為「都會小說」的代表人物。《購物狂的異想世界》、《購物狂挑戰曼哈頓》、《購物狂,我們結婚吧》、《購物狂姐妹花》、《購物狂與寶寶》迄今全球總銷售逾三百萬冊,並擁有超過二十二國語言的翻譯本。
蘇菲擅長將幽默的元素融入筆調之中,深刻描繪都會女性真實又爆笑的生活經驗,她可以說是最會把笑話用文字呈現出來的都會小說家。購物狂系列將女主角麗貝 卡的生活與個性描寫得淋漓盡致,藉由她的心路歷程,引導讀者探索那無從宣洩的慾望背後更深層的東西,深深吸引讀者的真心共鳴。
她在成為作家之前是位財經記者。看完本書之後,可別以為她也是個購物狂-她本人造訪紐約的目的皆出於文化層面。蘇菲目前與家人住在英國。
作者網站:www.randomhouse.com/bantamdell/kinsella/index.html
City Chic部落格:blog.yam.com/fulloncity/
SHOPAHOLIC TAKES MANHATTANChapter OneOK, dont panic. Dont panic. Its simply a question of being organized and staying calm and deciding what exactly I need to take. And then fitting it all neatly into my suitcase. I mean, just how hard can that be?I step back from my cluttered bed and close my eyes, half-hoping that if I wish hard enough, my clothes might magically organize themselves into a series of neatly folded piles. Like in those magazine articles on packing, which tell you how to go on holiday with one cheap sarong and cleverly turn it into six different outfits. (Which I always think is a complete con, because, OK, the sarong costs ten quid, but then they add loads of accessories which cost hundreds, and were not supposed to notice.)But when I open my eyes again, the clutter is all still there. In fact, there seems to be even more of it, as if while my eyes were shut, my clothes have been secretly jumping out of the drawers and running around on my bed. Everywhere I look, there are huge great tangled piles of . . . well . . . stuff. Shoes, boots, T-shirts, magazines . . . a Body Shop gift basket that was on sale . . . a linguaphone Italian course which Im definitely going to start soon . . . a facial sauna thingy . . . And, sitting proudly on my dressing table, a fencing mask and sword which I bought yesterday. Only forty quid from a charity shop!I pick up the sword and experimentally give a little lunge toward my reflection in the mirror. It was a real coincidence, because Ive been meaning to take up fencing for ages, ever since I read this article about it in The Daily World. Did you know that fencers have better legs than any other athletes? Plus, if youre an expert you can become a stunt double in a film and earn loads of money! So what Im planning to do is find some fencing lessons nearby, and get really good, which I should think Ill do quite quickly.And then -- this is my secret little plan -- when Ive got my gold badge, or whatever it is, Ill write to Catherine Zeta-Jones. Because she must need a stunt double, mustnt she? And why shouldnt it be me? In fact shed probably prefer someone British. Maybe shell phone back and say she always watches my television appearances on cable, and shes always wanted to meet me! Well probably really hit it off, and turn out to have the same sense of humor and everything. And then Ill fly out to her luxury home, and get to meet Michael Douglas and play with the baby. Well be all relaxed together like old friends, and some magazine will do a feature on celebrity best friends and have us in it, and maybe theyll even ask me to be . . ."Hi, Bex!" With a jolt, the happy pictures of me laughing with Michael and Catherine vanish, and my brain snaps into focus. Suze, my flatmate, is wandering into my room, wearing a pair of ancient paisley pajamas, with her blonde hair in plaits. "What are you doing?" she asks curiously."Nothing!" I say, hastily putting the fencing sword back. "Just . . . you know. Keep fit.""Oh right," she says vaguely. "So -- hows the packing going?" She wanders over to my mantelpiece, picks up a lipstick, and begins to apply it. Suze always does this in my room -- just wanders about picking things up and looking at them and putting them down again. She says she loves the way you never know what you might find, like in a junk shop. Which Im fairly sure she means in a nice way."Its going really well," I say. "Im just deciding which suitcase to take.""Ooh," says Suze turning round, her mouth half bright pink. "What about that little cream one? Or your red holdall?""I thought maybe this one," I say, hauling my new acid-green shell case out from under the bed. I bought it last weekend, and its absolutely gorgeous."Wow!" says Suze, her eyes widening. "Bex! Thats fab! Where did you get it?""Fenwicks," I say, grinning broadly. "Isnt it amazing?""Its the coolest case Ive ever seen!" says Suze, running her fingers admiringly over it. "So . . . how many suitcases have you got now?" She glances up at my wardrobe, on which are teetering a brown leather case, a lacquered trunk, and three vanity cases."Oh, you know," I say, shrugging a little defensively. "The normal amount."I suppose I have been buying quite a bit of luggage recently. But the thing is, for ages I didnt have any, just one battered old canvas bag. Then, a few months ago I had an incredible revelation in the middle of Harrods, a bit like Saint Paul on the road to Mandalay. Luggage. And since then, Ive been making up for all the lean years.Besides which, everyone knows good luggage is an investment."Im just making a cup of tea," says Suze. "Dyou want one?""Ooh, yes please!" I say. "And a KitKat?" Suze grins."Definitely a KitKat."Recently, we had this friend of Suzes to stay on our sofa -- and when he left he gave us this huge box full of a hundred KitKats. Which is such a great thank-you present, but it means all we eat, all day long, is KitKats. Still, as Suze pointed out last night, the quicker we eat them, the quicker theyll be gone -- so in a way, its healthier just to stuff in as many as possible right away.Suze ambles out of the room and I turn to my case. Right. Concentrate. Packing. This really shouldnt take long. All I need is a very basic, pared-down capsule wardrobe for a romantic minibreak in Somerset. Ive even written out a list, which should make things nice and simple.Jeans: two pairs. Easy. Scruffy and not quite so scruffy.T-shirts:Actually, make that three pairs of jeans. Ive got to take my new Diesel ones, theyre just so cool, even if they are a bit tight. Ill just wear them for a few hours in the evening or something.T-shirts:Oh, and my embroidered cutoffs from Oasis, because I havent worn them yet. But they dont really count because theyre practically shorts. And anyway, jeans hardly take up any room, do they?OK, thats probably enough jeans. I can always add some more if I need to.T-shirts: selection. So lets see. Plain white, obviously. Gray, ditto. Black cropped, black vest (Calvin Klein), other black vest (Warehouse, but actually looks nicer), pink sleeveless, pink sparkly, pink -- I stop, halfway through transferring folded-up T-shirts into my case. This is stupid. How am I supposed to predict which T-shirts Im going to want to wear? The whole point about T-shirts is you choose them in the morning according to your mood, like crystals, or aromatherapy oils. Imagine if I woke up in the mood for my "Elvis Is Groovy" T-shirt and I didnt have it with me?You know, I think Ill just take them all. I mean, a few T-shirts arent going to take up much room. Ill hardly even notice them.I tip them all into my case and add a couple of cropped bra-tops for luck.Excellent. This capsule approach is working really well. OK, whats next?Ten minutes later, Suze wanders back into the room, holding two mugs of tea and three KitKats to share. (Weve come to agree that four sticks, frankly, doesnt do it.)"Here you are," she says -- then gives me a closer look. "Bex, are you OK?""Im fine," I say, rather pink in the face. "Im just trying to fold up this insulated vest a bit smaller."