Sophie Kinsella: Best-Selling Author of the Shopaholic Series Dies at 55

Sophie Kinsella was a British novelist best known for the best-selling Shopaholic series, which follows the lovable, spendthrift Becky Bloomwood. Born Madeleine Sophie Townley on December 12, 1969, in Roehampton, London, she worked as a financial journalist before becoming one of the world's most popular comic novelists.

Kinsella published her first novel in 1995 under the name Madeleine Wickham. As Sophie Kinsella she released The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic in 2000, launching a series that sold tens of millions of copies worldwide. In 2009 the first two Shopaholic books were adapted into the film Confessions of a Shopaholic. Her novel What Does It Feel Like? was named one of The New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2024, and she was shortlisted for Author of the Year at the 2025 British Book Awards.

Kinsella married Henry Wickham in 1991, and they had five children. She was diagnosed with glioblastoma in late 2022 and spoke publicly about her illness in 2024. She died at her home in Dorset on December 10, 2025, at age 55. Remembered for her warmth and wit, she made millions of readers laugh.

Achievements: Launched the Shopaholic series with The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (2000), Confessions of a Shopaholic adapted for film (2009), What Does It Feel Like? named a New York Times Notable Book (2024), shortlisted for Author of the Year at the British Book Awards (2025).

Birth: December 12, 1969 - Roehampton, London, England.

Profession: Novelist.

Interesting Facts: Her pen name combines her middle name with her mother's maiden name, and her first novel under that name was submitted to publishers anonymously. She began studying music at New College, Oxford, before switching to philosophy, politics and economics.