Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)When I first started reading Soup in the City, I was unsure of whether I was going to enjoy it or not. I can't read books about women who compulsively spend money, sending themselves into deeper and deeper debt - believe me, I've tried to read Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic books more than once. I'm too much of a worrier for it not to bother me. So of course, after reading about Avery buying a $50,000 coat off of eBay, I was troubled. Then, when Avery realizes the extent of her debt, she seems to exist in a state of denial, continuing to order expensive takeout and popping a sleeping pill every time thoughts about her debt surface.
But then, Avery begins to face her situation. She doesn't act perfectly, and makes many mistakes along the way, but she begins to pick up the pieces and confront reality. I really enjoy books with this sort of turnaround. I like seeing a character grow and change; not learning from past mistakes is perhaps the most frustrating character trait. And it's not a magical change. Avery falls back into old habits when she panics and doesn't always treat people the way they deserve to be treated. But still, it is incredibly rewarding to witness the changes she makes in her life. When she binges on donuts, she is as disgusted with herself as the reader is with her. That quality of writing characters is one that is harder than it seems; too often, in order to generate conflict, an author will continue a character down a repetitive path, despite the fact that it completely frustrates a reader.
Despite my initial misgivings, I definitely enjoyed this book. The story keeps the reader interested, and I love where Avery ends up. I enjoyed the business she created for herself; at the beginning of the book, I thought "she went to Yale? Really?" because her behavior was not consistent with that notion. But as she developed her business, her intelligence and aptitude really came to the forefront. Hollingsworth really deserves credit for this; she managed to write a character that had skills that were completely hidden from the reader (as well as from Avery herself). Yet, when she begins to display them, the reader isn't surprised because of the way she's written Avery. It's a difficult thing to do, and Hollingsworth accomplished it very well.
I'd recommend Soup in the City to anyone who enjoys reading a character driven story. You don't even really have to like chick lit - though it has those elements, the story isn't about Avery's search for a boyfriend. I think this book would appeal to a lot more people than the pink cover suggests. Give it a try! And a big thank you to Kelly Hollingsworth for sending me a copy of this to review!
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