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The Personal Shopper

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The Personal Shopper - Reid, Carmen
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There's just one accessory Annie Valentine can't find -- the perfect man! Meet Annie Valentine: stylish, savvy, a multi-tasker extraordinaire. As a personal shopper in a fancy London fashion store, Annie can re-style and re-invent her clients from head to toe. In fact, this super-skilled dresser can be relied on to solve everyone's problems . . . except her own. Although she's a busy single mum to stroppy teen Lana, and painfully shy Owen, there's a gap in Annie's wardrobe -- sorry, life -- for a new man. But finding the ...

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The Personal Shopper 2007, Corgi Books

ISBN-13: 9780552154819

Trade paperback

Books by Carmen Reid

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Louizalass

Oct 25, 2007

CARMEN REID IS A FABULOUS READ!

And to think, I very nearly passed this book by!

Why? Well, the saying that you should never judge a book by its cover has never been so true. Pretty though the cover is - Barbie pink with the image of a glitzy high-heeled shoe and sumptuous shopping bags - I did assume that this was a definite chic lit offering. Some chic lit I have liked, but I really do think it's run its course and so very few authors can write it well (I do enjoy Sophie Kinsella - although I didn't much rate the one-and-only Shopaholic book I read - and Lisa Jewell) but most chic lit is written in a formulaic way and doesn't grab my attention at all. As an older woman, I try not to turn my nose up at such offerings, but really, what do books about sex, drinking, hangovers from hell and man-hunting have to offer me? I sooo can't be bothered and much prefer a good book.

Generally, the kind of books I like have a strong feel-good factor. They will feature a heroine who is feisty and funny; she will have problems to overcome and by dint of her own hard work, she will win through.

The books I enjoy will also be well written. I can't abide half-hearted writing.

One of my favourite tv programmes is Channel 4's '10 years Younger' where Nicky Hambleton-Jones takes a miserable duck and makes her a swan again. I am not a fashion plate, myself, although I do like to dress as well as I can, and whilst I am in no way a shopaholic, I do like to see how different styles of clothes plus a change of makeup and hairstyle can dramatically change the way a woman looks and feels.

Taking the time to read the blurb on the book's cover and after reading the first few lines, I decided that I might just enjoy Personal Shopper, after all.

Annie Valentine works as a senior Personal Shopper in a big London store. She knows her job inside out; she knows how to re-style the wives of billionnaires and re-invent even the most dull and invisible housewives who have let themselves go and lost sight of themselves when they disappear below the radar after putting their families first.

Annie is a sassy, thirty-something Londoner with two children. Besides her job in the store, Annie has fingers in other pies to make a decent living in order to support herself and her children. As she juggles these with an loving support network of a close sister, her mum and a most entertaining gay man-friend, she tries to fit in some kind of social life and, more importantly, would like to meet a special someone who she can settle down with.

I must applaud Ms Reid for describing Annie early on in the story for us. So often, when I'm usually halfway through a book, the author will decide to chuck in a random description of the heroine and you can bet she will be totally opposite to the one I've dreamed up, due to the lack of any clues.

Also, she gives Annie a definite voice. We know Annie is a Londoner born and bred and with the use of clever phrases and Annie-isms, every time she opens her mouth we know exactly how she speaks.

Each and every one of her other main characters, from her children (stroppy teen Lara and painfully shy Owen); to Annie's dragon of a female boss (so like one of my own recent employers, it was scary) are wonderfully rounded. They are all given great parts in this busy story and not one is a disappointment. I loved and hated them as necessary.

No way does the story focus totally on Annie's job as a Personal Shopper. You won't find screeds of fashion tips and hints cunningly included within the plot. You will find some, of course, but the theme is certainly not intrusive. We meet a few of Annie's favourite customers and their parts are well written and the interaction between them and Annie is not in any way unnecessary to the story. There's no padding in Ms Reid's writing.

Oh! And I have to tell you that Carmen Reid is also the only author I've read to date who can write a lovemaking scene which is actually delightfully sexy and funny and not at all clinical or mucky.

With lots of love and laughter, a little sadness and a huge amount of general entertainment, this is an irrepressible story with a heroine who will capture your heart.
My opinion in a nutshell? As someone else said: 'A fabulous read. A sexy read. A Carmen Reid..'

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