Twenties Girl: A Novel

Written by Sophie Kinsella

Narrated by Rosalyn Landor

Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don’t get visited by ghosts. Or do they?

When the spirit of Lara’s great-aunt Sadie–a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance–mysteriously appears, she has one last request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie’s possession for more than seventy-five years, and Sadie cannot rest without it. Lara, on the other hand, has a number of ongoing distractions. Her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, her start-up company is floundering, and she’s just been dumped by the “perfect” man.

Sadie, however, could care less.

Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie’s necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different “twenties” girls learn some surprising truths from each other along the way. Written with all the irrepressible charm and humor that have made Sophie Kinsella’s books beloved by millions, Twenties Girl is also a deeply moving testament to the transcendent bonds of friendship and family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Jul 21, 2009
• ISBN: 9781415962985

Sophie Kinsella

Sophie Kinsella es el pseudónimo de Madeleine Wickham, escritora británica y antigua periodista financiera. Kinsella es la autora de las novelas No te lo vas a creer, La reina de la casa, ¿Te acuerdas de mí? y Una chica años veinte, además de la popular serie protagonizada por Becky Bloomwood, «Loca por las compras», de la que se han vendido millones de ejemplares y ha sido traducida a más de treinta idiomas. Sophie confiesa que le encanta ir de compras y la vuelven loca las rebajas, pero asegura que siempre paga las facturas, solo viaja a Nueva York por razones culturales y mantiene una excelente relación con el director de su banco.

[angelalam-300700 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a heartfelt tear-jerker! What started off with classic Kinsella comedy turns into a riotous journey to find the dragonfly necklace of a recently deceased 105-year-old great-aunt.

At turns hilarious and sorrowful, Kinsella manages to combine historical fact, modern day worries, and the zany strings of family ties together to create her latest masterpiece.

[thewallflower-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first chick lit I’ve read in a while. The last one I think was The She-Hulk Diaries? And I only read that for a very specific... reason.

The setup is quick. In the first chapter, there’s a lot of telling, not showing, about exactly the state of her life: work, family, social. Boom, boom, boom. Going right to the high concept–that being the main character sees the ghost of her 108-year-old aunt at her funeral.

The problem with this book, which I was worried about (and my worries came true) are two big ghost cliches: 1) they’re assholes 2) they have indeterminate powers. It happens in Drop Dead Fred, Little Monsters, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Ghost Dad, and Field of Dreams. The plot moves forward because the ghost provokes the main character into doing something they don’t want to do. Usually, this is forcing them out of their comfort zone. (Not like robbing a bank, I mean. Although that would definitely be outside the comfort zone for most people.)

For example, the main character is a job headhunter. And the ghost makes her character shout and act stupid during an expensive lunch, losing her last potential client. The ghost is selfish, leaves her protege in the lurch more than once, talks about how great her old life was, and makes no effort to understand who she’s haunting or explore her new existence. Instead, she annoys a person.

This ruins her life, tears down the status quo, and forces the protagonist into change they don’t want to make. This is proper story-telling procedure, so it’s fine. It fills all the requirements. But it’s cliche. I know how the story’s going to progress before it does.

But knowing how the story goes isn’t necessarily bad–look at all those damn Hallmark Christmas movies. Same damn story every damn time. But they must be making money because they keep making them.

Seems like the whole point of chick lit is to watch the main character suffer. Have them be embarrassed or act in foolish ways, get pulled down a couple hundred pegs. Reminds me of the “Dramarama” section of Seventeen magazine where teen girls told their most humiliating stories, like throwing up in front of their crush. Maybe it’s a hurt/comfort niche combined with humor.

Anyway, I’ve gotten off track. Do I recommend this book? Eh, I’d give it a tentative yes. The beginning is cringey. The middle is pretty good. The ending wraps up too neatly. You won’t learn anything about the 1920s (in fact, they tend to treat it as this wonderful magical era where people drank and danced and were free and no one was racist or sexist or greedy or abusive). So you won’t learn any history. But you will watch a woman mortify herself and come out better for it. Like Bridget Jones’s Diary.

[moukayedr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a great holiday book. Read it for pure fun and entertainment. It is worth it.

[purple_pisces22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book. Honestly the nature of the story is what makes it a five star book for me. I love stories that involve a “real ghost”. This reminded me of “Spooky Little Girl” by Laurie Notaro, one of my favorite books. I love that Lara gets to know her aunt in such an unexpected way. Sweet book with a bit of a love story, and ghostly jealousy added in for good measure!

[allandanybooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm in love! I've read quite a few of Kinsella's books and this was definitely the best of them. It was so full of adventure and it made me laugh and cry. I also happen to like the 1920s a lot and this book was perfect description of that age. The book was emotional, funny and mystical. I just love that in a story. And I liked how everything turned out well in the end. And in the end Lara is finally happy. And of course, Ed was just delicious!

[kevinrubin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Twenties Girl" was a lot of fun! It was pretty much what I expected from Sophie Kinsella, of course, with the variation being a chick-lit ghost story!

It opens with 29 year old Lara getting dressed, while her parents wait, to go to the funeral of great-aunt Sadie, who she has no memory of having ever met or even heard of before, but has just passed away at the old age of 105, after a stroke years before and a few decades in a nursing home.

At the funeral home Lara does a typical Kinsella heroine thing by first going to the wrong funeral, and then the right one, where there's only her, her parents, sister and rich, successful uncle, his wife and their spoiled, rich daughter. Everyone's grumbling about how awful to have to attend aunt Sadie's funeral because she was a nobody.

At least until aunt Sadie's ghost haunts Lara, starting at the funeral when she demands her favorite necklace, and suggests that Lara announce that she thinks she was murdered, as a way to stall the cremation, at least until the police determine that wasn't the case…

What follows after that is the quest to find Sadie's favorite necklace. Sadie is only visible and audible to Lara, but can scream loud enough to influence other people, though they don't know what made them think those thoughts.

But Sadie's not quite happy just looking for the necklace. At heart she's still in her twenties, in the 1920's, and really wants to party before her time is finally up. But she can only do that vicariously through Lara.

Lara's quite typical of Kinsella's characters, always making up quick lies to cover up things that don't really need covering up, and then having trouble keeping up with it all.

Overall, it was a lot of fun, just like all of her books I've read so far.

[annhepburn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Reread. On the one hand, this is one of my fav Sophie Kinsella books. The humour is even more to the forefront here, though there is of course room for sweet romance too. And on the other hand, the audio is read by Roaslyn Landor who is my FAVOURITE narrator ever. So the combo makes this a great pick in every respect. I'll probably reread this annually.

[whybehave2002 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this not to be quite as funny as the other Kinsella books I've read. That doe not mean it was not good. It is a wonderful story about family with fun characters and a spin on learning how important family history can be.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fun, light read about a young woman, Lara, and how she finds her way into a more positive life. I really don't see how to write this review without spoilers, so avert your eyes if you don't want them, or come back after you've read it. Thank you.

I don't care much for Lara; in fact, I find that I don't care for most of the supposedly sassy girls in many of these modern humor-romance tales. They come across as self-obsessed, idiots who whine a lot. So, there was much about this story which annoyed me, namely, Lara. Also it seemed to jump around in tenses. What redeemed it was the plot and Sadie, the ghost of Lara's great-aunt who has come to her for help. Sadie is not really likable either, she is quite annoying, at least to Lara, so perhaps that is why I liked her. Sadie has come as her 23 year old self from about 1927, and she was a full-on flapper of her generation. She needs her necklace, which is missing. She had worn it all her life, but it isn't with her when she died. Since Lara is the only one who can see her, or hear her when she isn't screaming, she demands that Lara find the necklace.

I won't be keeping this book, but it served its purpose to entertain for two days while I was fighting a fever, and I really did enjoy enough of it that I don't resent having read it.

[karenduff · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

while i liked the story i found the characters annoying. while it seemed like a good idea to have a ghost that could influence people by shouting at them it doesn't work quite so well in the beginning when she is doing it for herself and doesn't care how it effects people, works slightly better towards the end when she is using this ability to help Lara and her new company. as for Lara she is that chick-lit staple twenty something who is obssessed with a man who has just dumped her, thinks if she can just get him to talk to her then he will see the error of his ways and they will live happily ever after.

what i don't understand, and not just in this story but in most chick-lit, when these women are obssessed by any man it is never one who is not only drop dead gorgeous but also a decent human being but someone who is gorgeous but knows it and is self-obssessed. i know this is so that in the end they will see the error of their ways and fall for the nice guy who has liked them all along but it is a bit annoying as well as predictable.

[myntop · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Twenties Girl was my book club's choice for November. I should mention that I've gotten into the habit of NOT reading the blurbs on my book club books and just diving right in. That being said, when I started reading I was expecting just a fun chick lit book. What I got however, was a fun chick lit, romance, mystery, paranormal book that was really interesting! Lara, the main character, is going through some troubles in her life like any main character of a chick lit book. As a character, she's witty, amusing, frustrating, and lovable. When a ghost starts to haunt her, bringing in the paranormal element, everything starts to change. A hunt for a necklace and attempts to win back her boyfriend as well as win more clients turns into an investigation and a chance to turn her whole life around. As a reader, you find yourself becoming more and more proud of Lara as the story weaves on and ultimately I was left equally immensely happy and slightly sad for her by the end of the book. I can honestly say I was a fan of this book.

[theyodamom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Audio-This was not the funny story I have grown used to from Sophia Kinsella. It had it's funny parts, but it had a feeling of melancholy through much of the book. Perhaps because I saw myself in the characters flaws.
Lara is a nice young lady with her own business and a fabulous boyfriend. Everything is going her way. Till her fabulous boyfriend dumps her, without saying why. Her partner leaves town, and all their clients that she was to take care of. She has no idea how to handle this side of the business. Her parents and friends thinks she's gone 'nutters' texting her ex constantly. To to it off she is being haunted by her Great Aunt. (What a mess.)
Sadie is her Great Aunt, she has just died at the age of 105 in a nursing home. She wants something, something that was hers and now it's lost. She in a funny lighthearted character that shows up in her twenties.
The two of them engage in all kinds of craziness. The search opens many new doors, and slams a few others closed. Lara has a chance to learn of her heritage and learn her own heart in this journey. Perhaps even give up her obsession with her ex ?
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was so close to my own life, with her job, her partner, her love, her obsession. I can't wait to read another book from this author.

[christineellei · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I modern young woman haunted by the ghost of her great aunt (a flaper). A fun quick read.

[sararomancelove · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For me this is one of the best chick-lit books ever.
It is funny, original, and surprising.
It has a family secret to uncover and a magical twist.
I have read all of Kinsella’s books, but this one is most definitely my favorite.

[brendaklaassen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book because it was one of my group's monthly read. I found the story fun reading and lighthearted. The emotions of the characters were real-to-life. This book helped this reader to relax and escape daily life. I will seek out this author again in the future.

[booksniff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book!! There were so many funny parts, and the story line was interesting the whole time. I really loved the characters. This is one of the best (or maybe THE best) book by this author!

[susanbevans · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Twenties Girl is just the kind of book that I love to be able to recommend! I have not read Sophie Kinsella's wildly popular Shopaholic series, but if they are anything like Twenties Girl, I know I'll fall absolutely head-over-heels in love with them. The story is a fantastic blend of romance, cozy mystery, and chick-lit, and is 100% laugh out loud funny.

Twenties Girl is a fast and absorbing read. A delightful, pure comedy that will leave you wanting to read more from this imaginative author, it is a book that is both engaging and satisfying. The characters are well developed and believable and there are enough twists and turns in the story to keep the reader guessing.

If you are looking for a smart, light-hearted and fun read, look no further than Sophie Kinsella's Twenties Girl: a story so genuine and full of heart that you will want to read it cover to cover without stopping.

[kathylcsw · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up because I was in the mood for some light, "chick lit" reading. While the book wasn't awful, it left much to be desired! The characters were not particularly likeable.

I absolutely hated the ghost character of Sadie. She was annoying, selfish, and oblivious. All that screaming in people's ears and demanding so much of Lara got old very quickly. I found nothing positive in her character.

Lara was a weak character who allowed everyone to push her around. She never stood up for herself and allowed Sadie to put her in ridiculous situations.

I have enjoyed other books by Ms. Kinsella, but not this one. I gave it 2 stars to help me justify the fact that I actually finished the book.

[vickilesage · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! I have to admit I like all of Sophie Kinsella's book but there was something different I really liked about this one. She approached chick lit from a new angle and it totally worked. A very enjoyable read!

[athenable · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of those books that gets much better as it goes along. The characters are sometimes nerve-wracking, but Kinsella turns them into people you can care about.

The story is pretty weird, even if you ignore the ghost aspect, but it's nothing if not entertaining.

[tigerbuns · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First off, my rating of four stars is purely genre-related. I wouldn't set the book on my favourites-shelf, nor would I recommend it to friends as a first choice - I recommend other genres, usually, books that impress me, books I got totally absorbed in and close with a sigh of satisfaction and a feeling of admiration towards the skills of the author. This is not one of those books, but it was fun to read. And, by the way, I don't mean to diss the author in any way, as I'm sure that's what she writes her books for. Kinsella has a knack of writing a mixture of comedy and romance that is just right for couch/chocolate afternoons, and I ploughed through the book in two sittings.

The first chapters were a bit of a test of patience, containing everything what stops me from marathoning her books (I always need a break after reading one). Her heroines are always, always messing things up in a big way, acting stupid and simpleminded for the sole reason of plot development and getting into one cringeworthy situation after the other, continually making things worse, and this one is no exception. Reading the first chapters of any of her books is always a bit of an ordeal for me. It's such an overload of embarrassment, and you see the next disaster coming pages before it happens, so the willing suspension of disbelief is forced to hop along one very, very thin line, on one leg. (Why did I read the book, then? Oh, I was in the mood for it. But you do have to be in the right mood - forgiving, willing to accept what the author presents, and prepared to not dwell on things too much - otherwise the book will only annoy you.)

Still, I felt that this time things got bearable fairly early on, and I was able to enjoy the sometimes silly plot without getting too exasperated. The story got into swing, the narrator actually got some character development, and the rest of the book was really fun to read. There were some convoluted situations and constructed-seeming conversations and reactions of the characters, but there were quite a few situations and conversations that had me laugh out loud, so it was pretty balanced. The love interest was a typical Kinsella-prince in a way, but he was likeable and had character. The focus was both on the girls' friendship and on the romance, which I liked. The story was pretty gripping in its own way, and sort of rewarding, if you don't expect too much. There aren't any insights or revelations to be had from this book, there's not much to be learned, and nothing to expand your mind. The plot elements and devices are far-fetched and there's always a hint of fairy tale in the way the problems get solved, so it's more like a romantic comedy movie than like real life - but who's looking for real life in chicklit anyway? So if you are willing to read something undemanding just for the sake of girl's heart-entertainment (or the sake of comfort reading), with a bit of romance and a lighthearted story, try it out.

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought some of the scenes with Sadie were particularly hilarious - I could easily imagine the distractions of a very loud ghost that only I could hear! One of the best parts of this novel was watching Lara start seeing people and situations the way they really were instead of what she thought they were. It made her more genuine and likable and it made her life more fulfilling.

[sunnycouger-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So I've been kinda entrenched in a couple of book series back to back recently one about fantasy alternative universes and the other about Arthurian legend set in the dark ages. With that in mind I really thought it was time to go back to reading something kinda light and fluffy. A friend had mentioned about reading Twenties Girl and it reminded me that I had that book and had never got round to reading it, so when I was looking for something fun to read it seemed like the perfect go to book in that regard.

It was a fun book - the main character was eccentric enough to be interesting but not zany enough to be annoying. I liked her flaws (maybe because they are a little close to me own?) and I loved that there was a dash of art stuff in it. Okay, it was subtle but even a tiny hint of excuse to read about some form of art history (even if it's fictional) and I'll take it. Maybe my romantic side, but I do sometimes look at old portraits and wonder about their story so this appealed to me. Her relationship with Josh, her ex she was still obsessed with and Ed, the American that she only met because of Sadie, were both handled well.

I did find Sadie a bit annoying. She was so OTT and so selfish at times, but I guess that was kind of the point, but she definitely had her moments. The stuff when Lara and Ed kissed for example - I almost yayed out loud when Lara yelled at her for her attitude, but she did tend to come good in the end. Her love & life story were equally tragic but I was so pleased that somehow it all came together for them all.

This was definitely a fun book to get back on the chick-lit horse and reminds me why I enjoy the genre.

[pussreboots · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Twenties Girlis by Sophie Kinsella is the story of a ghost, Sadie, trying to get her stolen pendant back. She only has the help of her great niece, Lara.

Lara Lington is also the niece of a coffee baron — a self made millionaire who is now traveling the British isles (and quite possibly the world) hocking his "two coins" approach to success. Lara's side of the family, though, is rather average and Lara is sick to death of always being asked if she's one of THE LINGTONs.

Lara is also struggling to keep her newly started agency afloat. She's left in a lurch with her cofounder missing and no good leads coming in. So the last thing she wants to have is the now flapper fashioned twenty-something ghost of her recently buried (at age 105) great aunt yelling at her day in and day out to find her pendant.

It takes a while for the book to settle into itself as Lara and Sadie come to an understanding. Lara learns about her great aunt's extraordinary life, uncovers the truth behind a well known (but little understood) painting, and ultimately finds the pendant. There are other surprises along the way, making the initial slow start well worth the effort of listening to.

[versha.bharat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"I'm allergic to family occasions. Sometimes I think we'd do better as dandelion seeds-no family, no history, just floating off into the world, each on our own piece of fluff.”

This was ‘the-line’ that caught my attention that I had to grab this book...

The thing I like about Sophie Kinsella’s books are that ; they are 100% refreshing 'throughout'. If you want to read a book purely for entertainment and escape from this world then you got go for this book blindly (or any SK’s book for that matter). Lara the protagonist of this story is just a girl next door dealing with day to day problem in her own way that you can connect to her very easily that’s what made me want to know more about her. So I totally enjoyed it!!

[melissarochelle_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to read this because I've enjoyed everything else by Kinsella and I was pleasantly surprised to see that this is a ghost story. A really sweet, not at all scary, ghost story.

[marlene9nl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a fun book. I do not easily laugh out loud while reading so I remembered the first time I read an English book and I could not stop laughing. That was Can you keep a Secret also from this writer. When i started to read and I realised it was about a ghost I worried I would not like it. thought it was a mystery book or something, but I was so wrong. It was so much fun and such a nice idea. Maybe there have been tons of books like this and I don't know cause i do not read romantic mysteries, but I loved this idea. Meeting a ghost from the twenties and doing there bidding. I never could finish Shopaholic because the main character kept on making the same mistakes but this was so different. thanks for all the laughing Mrs Kinsella.

[tracey8824_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Twenties Girl is a fun read. I enjoyed the ghost aspect which made it a little different from Sophie Kinsella's other books.

[nicola26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I quite enjoyed this one. I don't think it was as good as other books I've read by Kinsella but it was still pretty enjoyable. It follows the story of Lara and her family after Aunt Sadie's ghost turns up to Lara only. Sadie has a necklace that she needs before she can rest and demands Lara help her find it. Lara gets herself into all sorts of situations under the guidance of her aunt and it was quite fun to read. I think the book was far too long though- the story just felt really dragged out at parts, especially towards the end. All in all though, I liked it and I found the characters very interesting- I especially liked hearing about Aunt Sadie's life.

[hopingforchange · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I swear that Kinsella/Wickham just keeps rewriting her previous novels! Twenties Girl features the same ditzy but lovable heroine and the same stoic but kind love interest that we have seen in many other Kinsella novels. To me, Lara could just as easy be Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic series, which would make sense because Ed is pretty much Luke as well. I do not remember the name of the female lead in Undomestic Goddess, but she is also very similar to Lara/Becky. Even the family members are the same--the anxious mother, the slightly removed father who is never quite sure what is going on around him.

Kinsella does have stock characters, but they are good ones. The heroines' behavior is cringe-worthy at times, and thus both hilarious and familiar to readers. The heroes are dashing and attractive and infallibly very rich with short, American names and short, American personalities. For "chick lit," the tales are entertaining.

What saved this book for me was Sadie herself, the real twenties girl. Sadie's character clearly drew the vast majority of Kinsella's attention. Sadie is complex, with unpredictable emotions and an incredibly dense history. She makes Lara look like stale bread. If Kinsella could have done with the other characters what she did with Sadie, this book would have been spot on. Maybe next time!