In Her Shoes : A Novel by Jennifer Weiner Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of In Her Shoes : A Novel
Book Review: Touching and Delightful
Summary: 5 Stars
I had delighted in Jennifer Weiner's first novel, GOOD IN BED, so I was eager to read her second book, IN HER SHOES. I was not disappointed. Ms. Weiner is gifted.IN HER SHOES has a more complicated plot than the other story, and the characters in this later work are realized more fully. Part of the charm of GOOD IN BED was its fairytale quality, which is not an element of IN HER SHOES.
Instead, SHOES features two sisters whose mother had died when they were young. At least partly as a consequence of being raised by a wicked stepmother (the only lapse into classic fairytale in this book) the sisters each have serious and distinctive emotional problems which they must surmount. The characters of these two sisters are well-developed, and believable, and altogether touching. In common with GOOD IN BED, IN HER SHOES offers heroines who are strong and pro-active, a nice change from all of the many self-involved Bridget Jones-type protagonists.
Ms. Weiner has conceived a clever plot here, and she reveals it in a slow and deliberate manner, telling a tale that seems altogether plausible. She has a marvelous eye for details of accuracy and a marvelous ear for dialogue. Her storytelling skills are lovely, and I look forward to seeing what next flows from her word processor.
Book Review: Sorry, this one didn't do it for me!!!!
Summary: 2 Stars
This is the second book for Jennifer Weiner. I had been waiting for this one for a long time as I adored "Good in Bed". Unfortunately, this book was NOT what I was hoping for. Although the writing style flows and can sometimes be witty, unfortunately, the storyline was boring. I just did not care about any of the main characters and in particular Rose. It seems to me this story has been told and retold before. Nothing new here.
Book Review: vox populi, vox feet
Summary: 1 Stars
I have no problem with mainstream entertainment, but sometimes it's just too obvious why popularity has a bad rap. This book is a blatant attempt to appeal to as broad an audience as possible and affected me no more than a random scan of television channels. My biggest problem is with the characters: the brainless bimbo Maggie, the plain-jane bookworm Rose (who, in a never-to-be-expected twist, is so much nicer than her perfect-10 sister), the worldly-wise, tough-cookie grandma who resolves all their problems. Can we have a little more substance, please? And what exactly is the author's problem with sexy-but-dumb Maggie? The way she's portrayed is more hateful and spiteful than anything I remember reading from any male writer...and I've read Norman Mailer! I know this book is all hyped up and that the author's previous book, Good in Bed, is a big success, and I don't expect a book to be "difficult" to be serious...but I don't like to be spoon-fed movie-of-the-week stereotypes either. I recommend Antonya Nelson for real female characters.