In Her Shoes: A Novel [Paperback]

Jennifer Weiner (Author)

Book Description

Release date: July 8, 2003

Meet Rose Feller, a thirty-year-old high-powered attorney with a secret passion for romance novels. She has an exercise regime she's going to start next week, and she dreams of a man who will slide off her glasses, gaze into her eyes, and tell her she's beautiful. She also dreams of getting her fantastically screwed-up, semi-employed little sister to straighten up and fly right.

Meet Rose's sister, Maggie. Twenty-eight years old and drop-dead gorgeous. Although her big-screen stardom hasn't progressed past her left hip's appearance in a Will Smith video, Maggie dreams of fame and fortune -- and of getting her big sister on a skin-care regimen.

These two women, who claim to have nothing in common but a childhood tragedy, DNA, and the same size feet, are about to learn that they're more alike than they'd ever imagined. Along the way, they'll encounter a diverse cast of characters -- from a stepmother who's into recreational Botox to a disdainful pug with no name. They'll borrow shoes and clothes and boyfriends, and eventually make peace with their most intimate enemies -- each other.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press; Reprint edition (July 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743418204
• ISBN-13: 978-0743418201
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (304 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

JENNIFER WEINER is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ten books, including Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, which was made into a major motion picture, and The Next Best Thing. A graduate of Princeton University, Weiner lives in Philadelphia with her family. To learn more, find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or at JenniferWeiner.com.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#59 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction

#77 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

#92 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

#59 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction

#77 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Literary

#92 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 62 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Good In Bed Follow Up February 2, 2003

By [e-mail]

Format:Hardcover

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.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Try it- You might like it February 10, 2003

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

I read the first review on this page and decided to get the book anyway. I had read Good in Bed on a recent vacation after I picked it up with some other books on a whim. Never heard of Weiner or the book, and I loved them both. It was one of those great books--you know, the kind where when you finish, you don't want to let go of the characters. So, I heard that In Her Shoes was something of a sequel, so I rushed out and bought it. While I was disappointed that I didn't have much of an opportunity to learn more about Cannie, Joy and Nifkin, I was so distracted by my interest in Rose and Maggie that I hardly remembered why I bought the book in the first place.

Weiner does such a great job of writing about human, likeable characters that I was completely caught up in their lives. As quickly as I read the book, and as anxious as I was to see how it all turned out, I dreaded turning the final page because I didn't want to let go of these characters either. To me, that is how I judge a good book. If the characters show up in my dreams or if I just find myself wondering about what happened to them weeks after I finished the book, then it is a winner on my list.

Good job Weiner! Can't wait for the next one...

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hooked Right Away February 1, 2008

By M. Jones

Format:Paperback

From the moment I read the first few paragraphs of this book, I fell in love. Jennifer Weiner effortlessly seams character plots throughout this book, which follows two sisters who have nothing in common but the size of their feet and their love for designer shoes.

Rose is the ugly-duckling who grew into a swan but doesn't quite realize it, while her younger sister, Maggie, has been the beautiful girl all her life who struggles with a learning disability and uses men to get by. The book takes such a personal look at the depth of two people that society fits into two typecasts: the older heavyweight, responsible woman in Rose versus the beautiful, spontaneous child-like qualities in Maggie. The themes can be recognized in every woman's life. We all know the girl who gets everything because she's beautiful but has deep rooted fears, or the woman who doesn't recognize her own spirit and beauty because she's grown up with poor self-esteem.

Rose and Maggie grow considerably throughout the book. I flipped through each page, rooting that each would find their way and become that better person that we all try to see in ourselves. I couldn't put the book down. This is the first time I have ever read a Jennifer Weiner novel, and this surely will not be my last.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Four and a half stars... April 3, 2006

By Cynthia K. Robertson TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I was thoroughly enchanted with Jennifer Weiner's Good In Bed, and found In Her Shoes to be even better. In Her Shoes had everything that made her first novel so good, but was less over-the-top.

Rose Feller is a 30-year old lawyer living and working in Philadelphia. Rose got the brains in the family (Princeton undergrad and University of Pennsylvania Law School), but not the looks (she's very large and very unstylish). Her entire life, Rose has had to look after her wayward sister. Maggie is very thin, actress pretty and very fashion conscious. But she also suffers from dyslexia. She is a user, and each scrape she gets herself into is more outrageous than the previous one. Rose is always the one responsible for picking up the pieces after each episode. It will take a major crisis for them to discover how much they love and need each other, and how well they compliment each other. Despite so many differences, both girls are looking for love, respect and a sense of self-worth.

There is enough high-drama in In Her Shoes for a soap opera. Rose and Maggie's mother committed suicide when they were young. Their passive father remarries a horrid, domineering woman they call the step-monster. Their father severed all contact with their maternal grandmother, and the girls are rudderless without nurturing, maternal guidance.

Jennifer Weiner is an extremely witty and talented writer. Even when situations are serious, her characters are able to find the humor in things. Weiner is especially good at self-deprecation. When one character starts getting cold feet about asking someone on a date, she writes "He'd been in a war; he'd survived a wife, he'd watched his son become a Republican with a Rush Limbaugh bumper sticker on the back of his minivan.... He's survived worse things than this." Weiner creates characters we can identify with-they're very real and very human. Even the horrible step-mother, Sydelle, is shown to be vulnerable at times.

This is the second Weiner novel to deal with the importance of sisters, mothers, family and friends. I can't wait to see the movie with Toni Collette, Cameron Diaz and Shirley MacLaine. These accomplished woman are just the actresses to bring this novel to life. Read more ›