In Her Shoes

Amazon.com
The Feller sisters are equal but opposite. Maggie is the good-looking, dyslexic little sister who knows how to get anything she wants--but not how to keep it. She "felt as if somewhere between the ages of fourteen and sixteen she'd walked off the edge of a cliff and had been falling ever since." Rose is the plump, practical, responsible older sister who knows about law but not much about her own happiness: "What did she like, besides shoes, and Jim, and foods that were bad for her?" When Maggie's latest eviction lands her in Rose's apartment, and Maggie insults Rose by seducing one of her sister's rare boyfriends, what follows is a chain of events by turns hilarious and heartbreaking. Embarrassed Rose evicts Maggie and begins a work sabbatical leading to a new livelihood and way of living. Maggie flees and runs away to Princeton. Masquerading as a student, she learns to love poetry and saves money for a trip to Miami--and a visit to a long-lost grandmother named Ella who might offer her a last shot at sanctuary. But In Her Shoes, the second novel from Good in Bed author Jennifer Weiner, is about more than the sisters' latest sibling rivalry; Maggie and Rose must sort out the childhood vulnerabilities and family mysteries that still linger two decades after their mother's death. In less capable hands, the plot might grow corny, but Weiner's humor and affection for the characters ultimately helps them transcend both neuroses and grief and learn the redemptive power of love. --Jane Hodges


From Publishers Weekly
Weiner, whose debut novel Good in Bed was an instant bestseller, is back with another exuberantly confident offering. Twenty-eight-year-old Maggie Fuller relies on her looks and size zero body to flirt her way through life while working dozens of dead-end jobs and dreaming of stardom. At the other end of the spectrum is her older, larger sister, Rose, who relies on her intelligence and is an accomplished attorney at a large Philadelphia firm. The only things that these two seem to have in common is their shared history, a loathing for their "stepmonster," Sydelle, size six feet and a passion for luxurious shoes. When Maggie is evicted from her apartment and loses yet another job, Rose takes her in and tries to endure her closet raids and endless insults. But her patience abruptly ends when Maggie crosses a line so sacred that Rose kicks Maggie out and all but terminates their relationship ("Her sister was like a fucking Weebel, [Rose] thought. She'd wobble, she'd screw up, she'd steal your shoes... but she'd absolutely never fall down"). The sisters go on with their lives and Maggie discovers that she has a brain and a will to learn, while Rose learns to loosen up a bit and finds that there is more to life than work. The two sisters also get to know their maternal grandmother, Ella Hirsch, who they haven't seen since their mother's funeral more than 20 years ago. With Ella's love and support, Maggie reaches out to Rose and the two begin to repair their relationship. In the end, these three remarkable women learn that they are stronger than they thought they were, that family ties are worth preserving, and that there are perks to sharing the same shoe size. Weiner, a marvelously natural storyteller, blends humor and heartbreak to create an irresistible novel.Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Weiner follows the successful Good in Bed with a wonderful contemporary fairy tale. (Yes, there is a wicked stepmother.) Meet plump, dependable Rose Feller and her gorgeous, out-of-control sister, Maggie. As children, they lost their mother and contact with grandmother Ella. Now, 20 years later, we follow their struggles to forgive the past, reclaim each other's love, and become their best selves. Within a year and a half, all three women, who seemed only to share a shoe size, possess more than they ever dreamed possible. Reworking the age-old theme that self-knowledge and acceptance are needed before love and happiness can be achieved, Weiner embroiders serious matters with threads of humor to produce a novel full of memorable characters and situations. (Every family should have a Mrs. Lefkowitz.) Here's a novel that satisfies on many levels. For most popular fiction collections.Rebecca Sturm Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland HeightsCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
It's hard to imagine two sisters more different than 30-year-old Rose Feller and her 28-year-old sister, Maggie. But as both embark on a journey of self-discovery, they learn they have more in common than they ever realized. Karen Ziemba's effortless narration of these two distinct characters aids in making this witty and poignant audiobook all the more realistic. There are moments that her thoughtful pacing causes a scene to drag, but this is forgivable, considering the excellent quality of her reading overall. IN HER SHOES is a fine audiobook for Weiner fans, as well as anyone who knows the struggle of stepping out from behind a sibling's shadow. R.A.P. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Weiner follows up Good in Bed (2001) with this engaging tale of two very different sisters and the grandmother they've been estranged from since their mother's death. Rose Feller is a successful lawyer whose life finally seems to be going right, until her feckless younger sister, Maggie, gets evicted from her apartment and needs a place to stay. Rose reluctantly lets Maggie move in with her. It's a mistake: Maggie steals Rose's shoes, halfheartedly looks for a job, and soon sets her sights on Rose's handsome new boyfriend. While the two sisters' relationship grows more strained, their grandmother, Ella, is trying to get up the nerve to seek them out. After the girls' mother--Ella's daughter, Caroline--died, her husband shut Ella out of their lives. When one of her granddaughters, who is in desperate need of help, contacts her suddenly, Ella sees a chance to finally get to know the girls. But can the rift between Rose and Maggie ever be healed? Weiner's second novel is every bit as enjoyable and moving as her first. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
The Washington Post Irresistible...

Philadelphia Inquirer If chick lit is indeed a genre, Weiner is creating a smarter, funnier subspecies...[She] is a sharp observer of the frustrations of blood ties.

ANNOTATION

Maggie Feller is twenty-eight years old, has never held a job longer than three months, and dreams of stardom, the fulfillment of which has somehow sputtered despite the appearance of her left hip in a Will Smith video. Rose Feller is thirty years old, a fast-rising attorney at a big Philadelphia firm and in love with the absolute wrong man. Rose and Maggie's grandmother, Ella Hirsch, is ensconced in retirement-ville Florida, cramming her days with volunteer work that serves as penance for the death of her daughter. Ella hasn't' seen Rose or Maggie since the funeral, decades ago. In Her Shoes follows those three expertly realized and finely nuanced characters on an alternately hilarious and heartrending journey in search of contentment, connection-and each other.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Meet Rose Feller. She's thirty years old and a high-powered attorney with a secret passion for romance novels. She dreams of a man who will slide off her glasses, gaze into her eyes, and tell her that she's beautiful. She also dreams of getting her fantastically screwed-up little sister to get her life. together.

Meet Rose's sister, Maggie. Twenty-eight years old, drop-dead gorgeous and only occasionally employed. Although her dreams of big-screen stardom haven't progressed, Maggie dreams of fame and fortune — and of getting her dowdy big sister to stick to a skin-care regime.

These two women with nothing in common but childhood tragedy, shared DNA, and the same size feet, are about to learn that their family is more different than they ever imagine, and that they're more alike, than they'd ever believe. In Her Shoes observes Rose and Maggie, the brain and the beauty, as they make journeys of discovery. Along the way, the'll encounter a wild cast of characters and they'll borrow shoes and clothes and boyfriends, and make peace with their most intimate enemies — each other.

Funny and poignant, In Her Shoes will speak to anyone who has endured the bonds of big — or little — sisterhood, or longed for a life different from the one the world has dictated, and dreamed of trying something else on for size.

About the Author:
Jennifer Weiner is the author of Good in Bed. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, Adam, and her rat terrier, Wendell.

FROM THE CRITICS

People

Wonderful fit.

Publishers Weekly

Weiner, whose debut novel Good in Bed was an instant bestseller, is back with another exuberantly confident offering. Twenty-eight-year-old Maggie Fuller relies on her looks and size zero body to flirt her way through life while working dozens of dead-end jobs and dreaming of stardom. At the other end of the spectrum is her older, larger sister, Rose, who relies on her intelligence and is an accomplished attorney at a large Philadelphia firm. The only things that these two seem to have in common is their shared history, a loathing for their "stepmonster," Sydelle, size six feet and a passion for luxurious shoes. When Maggie is evicted from her apartment and loses yet another job, Rose takes her in and tries to endure her closet raids and endless insults. But her patience abruptly ends when Maggie crosses a line so sacred that Rose kicks Maggie out and all but terminates their relationship ("Her sister was like a f**king Weebel, [Rose] thought. She'd wobble, she'd screw up, she'd steal your shoes... but she'd absolutely never fall down"). The sisters go on with their lives and Maggie discovers that she has a brain and a will to learn, while Rose learns to loosen up a bit and finds that there is more to life than work. The two sisters also get to know their maternal grandmother, Ella Hirsch, who they haven't seen since their mother's funeral more than 20 years ago. With Ella's love and support, Maggie reaches out to Rose and the two begin to repair their relationship. In the end, these three remarkable women learn that they are stronger than they thought they were, that family ties are worth preserving, and that there are perks to sharing the same shoe size. Weiner, a marvelously natural storyteller, blends humor and heartbreak to create an irresistible novel. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal