TWENTIES GIRL (Sophie Kinsella)

I'm not quite sure why I delayed reading this novel by Sophie Kinsella, one of my favorite chick-lit authors.  I think it may have been because it features a ghost and my first reaction to that was, "Oh, no!  Does EVERY author now have to start featuring the paranormal?"  Well, as it turns out it was well worth the wait.  There is always something beguiling about Kinsella's heroines.  In the hands of many other authors the same characters might be shallow and fluffy, but Sophie Kinsella brings them to life in a way that makes you laugh and cry as they develop into "real" people.

Lara Lington begins as a typical chick-lit heroine, career challenged and unlucky in love, with understanding parents, an unscrupulous business partner, an ex-boyfriend whom she is convinced is "the one" (if only she can convince him!), and a host of not-so-nice relatives.  When Lara attends the funeral of her 105-year-old great-aunt Sadie she meets Sadie's ghost, a carefree, twenty-three year old flapper who cannot rest until she recovers a lost necklace, which she expects Lara to help find against seemingly impossible odds (since Lara is the only person around who can see or hear her aside from when she SCREAMS in people's ears).  With Sadie's help and interference Lara begins to see her life and her relationships in a different light.  Comedy is one of the mainstays of Kinsella's novels and no one will be disappointed here, but there is also a strong element of pathos as Lara begins to look at Sadie's life and her years in the nursing home after a stroke.  One of the best scenes in my mind is when Lara goes to Sadie's nursing home and drops off chocolates and some CDs of music from the first half of the 20th century.  When nurse Ginny starts to play one of the CDs for the residents Lara sees their reactions and suddenly envisions them as beautiful young people dancing the Charleston.  Her sudden realization that every one of them is still a young, energetic person trapped in an aged body is sort of profound, if I may use that word.  It certainly struck o chord with me!
I would wholeheartedly recommend "Twenties Girl".  It was a delightful, uplifting, and satisfying experience!