Photo: Elena Torre from Viareggio, Italia / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Sophie Kinsella, the pen name of Madeleine Wickham, basically defined a whole genre for a generation of readers. The Shopaholic series is the obvious touchstone, but what impresses me is the scale, over fifty million copies sold across more than sixty countries and forty-plus languages. That's not a niche success, that's a global phenomenon. I appreciate that an Oxford-educated former journalist chose to write witty, warm-hearted comedy and did it with real craft. She passed away in December 2025, just shy of her birthday, and her catalog of standalones like Can You Keep a Secret? and I've Got Your Number guarantees she'll keep finding new readers.
Overview
Madeleine Sophie Wickham (née Townley; 12 December 1969 – 10 December 2025), known by her pen name Sophie Kinsella, was an English author. She is especially known for her best-selling Shopaholic series of novels. By the time of her death, her books had sold over 50 million copies in more than 60 countries and had been translated into over 40 languages.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Sophie Kinsella
- Name (Japanese)
- ソフィー・キンセラ
- Reading
- そふぃー・きんせら
- Born
- December 12, 1969 (age 56)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Rooster
- Origin
- Roehampton, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- writer / novelist / journalist / musician / teacher
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Putney High School
- University
- New College
Awards & achievements
- 2009 Glamour Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Shopaholic | — | |
| Notable work | Shopaholic Abroad | — | |
| Notable work | Can You Keep a Secret? | — | |
| Notable work | Remember Me? | — | |
| Notable work | Twenties Girl | — | |
| Notable work | I've Got Your Number | — |
6. Links
Writer — see all → · Novelist — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.