Once again, I have found a book that I absolutely loved, except for a few of “those” parts. I hate it when that happens! I want to recommend it unequivocally but I can’t. What I will do is steer you around “those” parts and we will celebrate together what is fabulous about the book.
“The Undomestic Goddess” is about Samantha Sweeting, a lawyer at a high-powered London firm. She has put so much time and effort into her work that she hardly has a life of her own anymore, but it’s paying off – she’s about to be made partner. But the day the decision is made, she stumbles across a memo buried on her desk, asking her to take care of an important matter by a certain date. That date has passed, and because she missed the memo, her client has lost 50 million pounds.
Samantha knows that such a huge mistake will cost her the partnership, but it also costs her the job. Hopping the first train she sees, she rides it blindly out of town, not knowing and not caring where she’s going. Her entire career has just gone up in smoke and she’s sure no other firm will want to hire her.
She ends up in a rural area and gets off to wander for a little while. Seeing a pretty house up ahead, she decides to ask the owners for a glass of water, but is mistaken for an applicant for the position of housekeeper. She winds up getting the job, really before having a chance to explain herself, and it’s a perfect place to hide out until everything dies down. There’s just one problem – she’s never done anything remotely domestic in her life.
Nathaniel, the hunky gardener, figures out immediately that she’s bluffing, and arranges for his mother to teach her the things she needs to know. She enjoys spending time with Nathaniel and his mother and soon a full-fledged romance is in bloom, until the press catches wind of Samantha’s whereabouts and she has to explain who she really is.
I enjoyed this book, I must say. Samantha’s exploits into the world of domesticity are hysterical and the romance is very sweet. But now, here’s the downside – the “f” word is used fairly frequently throughout the book and if that’s a concern for you, I’d suggest passing on this one.
Additionally, the parts I would recommend skipping are found on pages 8, 14, 115-117, 228-232 of the paperback version.
I bought a copy of this book and will be going through it with my black marker. But every reader has their own levels of sensitivity to certain content, so I advise you to make the judgment call that feels best to you.
(This book was published in 2005 by Dial Press.)
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