Rating: Summary: Disappointing follow-up; still somewhat enjoyable. Review: I picked up a discarded copy of Good in Bed at work one day when I had nothing to read on my subway ride home. I rarely read books by "women's authors", and the blurb on the back cover did not appeal to my tastes. To my surprise, I wound up loving it! In fact, I was so taken with Weiner's style (moreso than her characters) and wit that I found myself counting down the days until I could get my hands on her next book, In Her Shoes.Alas, I was sorely disappointed. I brought the book with me on a trip overseas last weekend, and read the whole thing in one go. Yes, it moved along quickly and passed the in-air time, but too much of my time reading was spent paying attention to the heavy-handed storyline and annoyingly clichéd, cookie-cutter characters. Although I'm surely mistaken, the book reads as though Weiner wrote the whole thing in a desperate attempt to get out a second book quickly enough after her earlier success, rather than taking the time to fully flesh out characters. At times, I felt like Rose was becoming Cannie (from Good in Bed) -- could Weiner really not come up with a more distinct type of protagonist? The most irritating moment in my reading experience came during the scene in the park when Rose meets Joy, Nifkin, and then finally Cannie. Could this encounter possibly have been more forced?? It was out-of-place, inconsequential, and awkward -- almost like a cheap sequel to a good film in which a character from part one (who's had the good sense to avoid part two) makes a 5-second cameo appearance just to boost sales. Bleh. Of course, In Her Shoes DID get me through a 7-hour flight, and for that it deserves at least 2 stars. Not having left it behind in the seat pocket gets it one more. I can't say I'll be recommending this book to anyone, but I am still eager to read Jennifer Weiner's third book when the time comes. I am patient -- she's obviously a good writer with lots of potential, it just doesn't come through in this latest book.
Rating: Summary: Great Good In Bed Follow Up Review: Ms. Weiner's debut, Good In Bed, left me eager for her next book, and In Her Shoes did not dissapoint. ... from the moment I opened this book, I was hooked, captivated by real and compelling characters who are just like so many people you know. Including yourself. Jennifer Weiner has a gift for creating characters who's greatest weaknesses are also what makes them so charming and likeable. In this particular book, the focus is on sisters, Maggie and Rose. Rose is the heavy set, intelligent, highly succesful one. Maggie, two years younger, is beautiful, outgoing, but not school or book smart (at first) and jumping from one job failure to the next. The relationship between Maggie and Rose is at the crux of this book -- complex because of a difficult past shadowed by a family tragedy. Jealousy threatens to tear these two apart, particularly through an act of deceipt. However, these two sisters find out that the ties that bind them are stronger than anything threatening to tear them apart. More than a Bridget Jones type story, this book will tug at your heartstrings, make you cheer for these likeable, perfectly imperfect girls all the way. Also parallel to the story is a Grandmother who links them to their past, and draws them toward a happy future. If you like happy endings, funny anecdotes, and great characters, this book is for you.
Rating: Summary: Payless at the library Review: I have thought about what it is that bugs me so much about Weiner's writing, and I think it basically comes down to two things. First, it's not even bad enough that's it's so bad it's good; it's mediocre, and in art, even chick lit, there's nothing so bad as mediocre. Second, I can't help feeling that Weiner has disturbing envy issues that come through via her characters. It is just not true that all thin women purge and that overweight women are generally smarter and more humorous. I can only think Weiner has gotten this far by striking a chord with obese and disgruntled women. I read in one of these reviews that Cameron Diaz was being cast as Maggie in the movie adaptation. That fits because I don't rate skinny Diaz either...just to show I'm an equal opportunity reviewer.
Rating: Summary: So, so good! Review: This book was a really great read. I did not think Jennifer Weiner could top her first book, Good in Bed, but this one may be even better. It has everything you want in a book; humour, drama, sadness, and that warm, fuzzy, feel-good feeling. Read it! You won't be disappointed!
Rating: Summary: Jennifer Weiner has done it again! Review: Having read Good In Bed, I couldn't wait to read Jennifer Weiner's second novel. I wondered if it would be as good as her debut effort. The answer is a resounding YES! In Her Shoes is a story about two sisters who have nothing in common, save for their size feet. Rose Feller is a successful Princeton-educated attorney who loves food and romance novels. Her younger sister, Maggie Feller, is a drop-dead gorgeous fashionista whose only ambition is to become a big Hollywood star. But instead of crashing cast parties with A-list celebrities, Maggie is often unemployed and in trouble -- and Rose has to constantly bail her out. When a family secret and a wayward grandmother resurface, these two women are forced to reassess their lives and learn what it's like to be in the other person's shoes. There are some interesting twists in the novel. Jennifer Weiner has again delved into human relationships with refreshing clarity and wit to boot. In Her Shoes is not quite as gripping as Good In Bed, but it is wonderful and poignant nonetheless. Weiner, like Marian Keyes and Anna Maxtet, touches on real issues that affect today's woman. Her novels are above today's run-of-the-mill, must-find-a-potential-husband-before-I-turn-thirty chick lit. And so I urge you to pick up this gem!
Rating: Summary: Another hit by Jennifer Review: Just as good as "Good in Bed"!
Rating: Summary: it's been done before Review: I loved Good in Bed but this was too close in story line and not nearly as clever. I had a hard time finishing this book because I kept feeling I had read it before. In her fist book, the main character had a life changing experience and then walked her way (literaly) to a thinner, healthier women with a child and a husband who was right there under her nose from almost the beginning. This story has 2 sisters (of course they hate each other...mostly due to envy) Both have life changing experiences and find a way to change. One of them even walks her way to a thiner, healthier women with a man who was right under her nose the whole time. Sound Familiar? I thought so. I don't know that I will ever read another one of her books for fear that I will already know the story...beginning, middle and end.
Rating: Summary: In Her Shoes Review: Well, I'm actually reading this book right now, because it was recommended in this magazine I read. I'm reading it in hebrew, but by browsing in the author's website, I can see it's translated in her style, and really well - might I add. I really like the book, especially the parts with Ella. I'd defenatly recomend In Her Shoes.
Rating: Summary: The struggle of 2 sisters. Review: Rose Feller is the older sister who is a successful attorney and constantly bailing her younger sister out of trouble. Things look to be finally going her way, she has a great boyfriend and good shoes and work is going ok. Maggie is the younger sister who is the one who has always been told that she is beautiful but stupid. She has a severe learning disability which she also uses as a crutch to keep from having to act as an adult. Rose yet again bails Maggie out and Maggie ends up living with her for a while. All is not as good as they operate on different value sets. Then Rose comes home early and finds Maggie and her boyfriend having sex. Rose kicks them both out and the falls apart. When she finally gets out of bed she decided to take a leave of absence from work and winds up starting a pet care business, and loving it. She also meets someone who she used to work with and falls in love. Maggie on the other hand lives the life of a street person at Princeton until she uncovers a long lost grandmother. She then goes to Florida to live with her and through the help of the "older" people in the complex finally finds what she is really good at and makes it into a career and is able to make amends with Rose. I really enjoyed this audio and how the sisters make amends. It was not one of those "poof" I forgive you stories!
Rating: Summary: Good In Bed is much, much better Review: I really enjoyed the middle third of this book. The first half is kind of slow and all over the place. We have Maggie, who really is an underdog and in spite of her horrid ways we want to know why she ruins everything she touches. Rose is kind of an archtype for the plump, hard-working "everywoman" but falls flat in the identifiable area if you've not been exactly "in her shoes." Ella, the grandmother, is introduced early on. The author jumps around between these three women and makes none of them really intriguing, in my opinion. The middle of the book sets all three women into action to take control of their lives and is really interesting. However, the book again falls flat in the last third as things very conveniently fit together. I was really caring about the characters and just felt unconnected and uninterested in the direction their actions lead them. I had high hopes for this book after reading the author's first book, Good In Bed. Was disappointed. If you're looking for a good, fun, engaging and meaningful read pick up Good In Bed. Ms. Weiner is very talented and I would definitely give another book of hers a chance but this one just did not thrill me.
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