Shopaholic & Baby

By: Sophie Kinsella

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

With over seven million copies of her beloved books in print, Sophie Kinsella is a true phenomenon. Now, after nearly two years without a hilarious new Shopaholic novel, here’s Becky...and baby!

Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood) is pregnant! She couldn’t be more overjoyed - especially since discovering that shopping cures morning sickness. Everything has got to be perfect for her baby: from the designer nursery...to the latest, coolest pram...to the celebrity, must-have obstetrician. But when the celebrity obstetrician turns out to be her husband Luke’s glamorous, intellectual ex-girlfriend, Becky’s perfect world starts to crumble. She’s shopping for two...but are there three in her marriage?

Shop therapy: don't miss more in the Shopaholic series.

©2007 Sophie Kinsella (P)2007 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"Through it all, Becky never loses her spark, making this fifth entry in the Shopaholic series every bit as delightful and hilarious as its predecessors." (Booklist)

“From sonograms to the hottest baby strollers to tricked-out birthing rooms... Kinsella’s ode to baby blues is both sly and slapstick.” (Publishers Weekly)

“As fun as a shopping spree.” (Entertainment Weekly)

“Faster than a swiping Visa, more powerful than a two-for-one coupon, able to buy complete wardrobes in a single sprint through the mall - it’s Shopaholic!” (The Washington Post)

Nit picking, but...

I love the story line. Great for my 2hr commute everyday.

However, I hate that the narrator keeps changing. Why would an author or publishing house allow that. It's cring-worthy when you're binge listening to have the voice change of your favorite characters.

AND this narrator keeps calmly Suz "Suzy" - argh!! Super annoying. Luke sounds like some old stuffy British guy. Disappointing.

Fab book with a talented but ill-fitting narrator

The book was delightful (as are all Kinsella's titles--extremely workout-worthy!!), but the narrator, though I LOVE her in other British books I have heard, is way too old to play the voice of Becky B. She made her sound very middle-aged and masculine, and ALL the men sound the same- LuKe and all the rich guys sound identical, while the dudes from the poor side of London all had the exact same voice, too, so in one scene where they all end up in a room together, I couldn't tell any of them apart, lol. The worst was poor Becky, though--I kept picturing her as a 45 year-old, thanks to this narrator's deep, husky voice. I sure hope that subsequent titles go back to using the narrators with brighter, younger-sounding voices that fit Becky's personality!!

Narrator poorly matched

The book itself was every bit as fun as the first 4. I really enjoyed it. I hope there are more to come. The character is endearing, and a lot of fun to spend time with. The problem I had with Shopaholic and Baby was the narrator. She sounded stuffy and formal, which is so far afield of Becky Bloomwood. I found it distracting. And, she made Luke sound like some caricature of a British butler or something. Not to mention "Suzy" instead of "Suze". The narrator who read Shopaholic and Sister was good (not as good as Emily Gray but at least she got the tone of the character right), but let's face it. Emily Gray is the voice of Becky. I hope if there's another book in the series she'll narrate.

Great Read!

Still, Becky continues to amaze me. I love to listen how she gets herself out these messes. This was a fun read! Kept the commutes tolerable :)

Another shopaholic adventure

Always bring a smile to my face, and the narrator is spot on on how I would imagine their voices too. Pleasant to listen too..

Story fab; narrators drab

As in the last book in this series where Becky searched for her sister, the narrators destroyed the joy of listening to these books. I will start paying much closer attention to who the narrators are!

Love the Story, Hated the Narrator

The tone of voice used for Luke made him sound quite gruff. Not a fan. But even more annoying was the pronunciation of Becky’s friend Suzes’ name. She isn’t Suze Orman. She is Suz! But otherwise, in true shopaholic fashion, it was a good fun listen. I read this back when it first came out, and I am just listening to all of the shopaholic series again.

Love Becky and Baby!

Such a cute story with all our favorite lovable charters and a new baby to add to the bunch!

Good book, bad narration

I agree with the above review -- Emily Grey is Becky. I don't like the new narrator. "Suzie" throws me off too, and this narrator sounds much too formal. Emily Grey had Becky's flightiness down perfectly. The different pronounciation of Arcodus (Arc-a-dus in the previous book, Ar-code-us in this one) riles me too. Didn't this reviewer listen to previous books? Please go back to Emily Grey!

Must Read! Hillarious!

I loved this one! I was in tears of laughter during the first 20 minutes! Referred it to my friends (especially the pregnant ones) who've read the other books in the series. Even though the narrator has changed, you focus on Becky and her antics. Can't wait to see where Becky goes next.