The winner of today’s giveaway will win a copy of the new book Spent: Memoirs of a Shopping Addict
As a child, Avis Cardella devoured the glamorous images in her mother’s fashion magazines. She grew up to be one of the people in them, living a life that seemed to be filled with labels and luxury. But shopping had become a dangerous addiction. She forwent food for Prada. Credit card debt blossomed like the ever-increasing pile of unworn shoes and clothing in the back of her closet. She defined herself by the things she owned and also lost herself in the mad hunt for the perfect pair of pants or purse that might make her feel whole. Spent is Avis Cardella’s timely, deeply personal, and shockingly dramatic exploration of our cultural need to spend, and of what happens when someone is consumed by the desire to consume.
I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of the book and I expected to love it. Sadly, this was not the case. Sometimes the book felt far more clinical than I was expecting, perhaps due to Cardella’s often formal writing style. Maybe she’s not asking for sympathy, but the formal writing style made it difficult to sympathize with Cardella over her shopping addiction – I just didn’t feel like I could relate to her story much at all. Putting that aside, however, Spent does serve as a good precautionary tale on overspending and shopping to fill a void.
How to Enter:
- Leave a comment telling me why you would like to win a copy of Spent: Memoirs of a Shopping Addict.
This giveaway will stay open through June 2, 2010. A winner will be randomly chosen using random.org.
