Customer Reviews

The Shoe Queen

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It almost felt like I was there....some parts took a while to build, but overall I was entranced by the Bohemian theme of Paris. More than just a story about shoes, the Shoe Queen focuses on the Bohemian principles of Truth, Beauty, Faith, and Love. This is truly a story about a woman who is seraching for her meaning of existence and tells her stroy through her shoes. Must read for summer!

The idea for this book was great (although a little too Great Gatsby-esque at times), and I loved the detailed descriptions of the many beautiful pairs of shoes, being a shoe queen myself. And although this is not exactly "high art," the writing was decent and the story enjoyable.
However, by the end of the book, I developed a raging hatred for Genevieve. She is so silly and selfish, and she cares nothing for the feelings of others. She blames all of her misfortunes on everyone else, and I found it very dissatisfying that she never had to take responsibility for or suffer any consequences of her actions.
In the end, though she'd treated her husband abominably, she just ran off & lived happily ever after. Not the way it happens in real life, people.

The Shoe Queen is a beautifully written book set in 1920's Paris. The author is a master of word craft. Oddly enough, what I liked most about the book was the structure. I don't usually even notice structure, but it was so well done (mixing the present/past/pov's) that I often couldn't wait to find out where/who/when I would be next. (The chapter that ended with Robert opening the hotel room door and the chapter that started with what he found was absolutely and completely brilliant. I laughed out loud. And it wasn't because of the story. It was how the author wrote it.)

The story is of a young, married girl who is trying to escape the physical and emotional control of her life and find meaning. I really, really wanted to love the story. I couldn't.

There wasn't a single character in the entire book that I liked. I kept hoping that the author would give me something, anything to make Genevieve likable. But even as I came to understand her history and the reasons for her behavior, all I felt was anger. How could anyone be that completely self-centered? I get that that was the point of the book. I just feel like I need to have some relationship or some stakes in the characters so that I care that they change and learn (little as it was).

At the end of the day, I'm not sure I'd really recommend this book. I spent the whole time hoping for something that wasn't there. And while I felt the ending fit the book, I was left disappointed because I just didn't care.

On a different note... I have never been so utterly aware of how ugly my feet are in my life. ~G.

I was in between books and looking for something light and entertaining to read while on a recent trip. I found this book to be delightful! The plot delivered some surprises that kept me turning the pages to find out what the characters did next. ENJOY!

This book is no piece of beautiful, impressive literature but it is entertaining, fun, and light. As soon as I started reading, I plopped myself down on the couch and spent the whole afternoon there, until I was done reading.

As an Imelda myself, I reveled in the descriptions of all the beautiful shoes that Genevieve, the main character, collected. (If only I could have my own shoe room filled with 532 pairs of shoes!) The descriptions of Paris in the 1920s are lively, enjoyable, and easy to imagine. Any reader (especially a female shoe-lover or anyone who is interested in Bohemian Paris) would love this book. Everything seems beautiful and fun, sentiments that prevail throughout the entire book.

I am so glad I was lucky enough to randomly pick this book off the shelf. It was a great, fun read, perfect for summer!

This book is much different from the style I usually read and I rather liked it. The title and the beautiful cover drew my attention to the book (even though you aren't supposed to judge a book that way!) and I love all things Parisian, so I figured I'd give it a try. I wish I knew more about Bohemian Paris because I think this story would have made more sense if I understood the context.

This book is heavy. The language is no joke and the subject matter has many twist and turns. Just when you think you have the characters figured out, the author throws in another detail that spins the story differently.

While I was reading this book, I kept having flashbacks to Madame Bovary that I read in high school. I think I like this one better, but I kind of got excited that this could be the kind of story reviewed in high schools. It's been a long time since I've read fiction that's come out in recent years that I could see being taught in English class.

I purchased this book as I am a great fan of any work which takes place in Paris. As something of a Francophile, I thought it would be fun reading. There were some interesting tidbits with regard to Paris and we are provided some terrific descriptions of the city in the 20's.

Beginning with the first paragraph, the reader is drawn in to a terrific story. From the onset, one is aware that the seemingly idyllic marriage between Genevieve and Robert is terribly flawed and things are not what they seem. "Vivi" is making an effort to fill her empty life with two things, artistic people and shoes. The shoes seem to be the answer to all that is lacking in her life. She fancies herself as a poet, but in fact, she simply does not have the talent. Therefore she surrounds herself with people who make her feel creative; artists, poets, writers and entertainers, all of whom she looks down upon.

At the center of everything is the relationship she has with the shoe maker and her shoes. A replacement for children, close friends and family. She was raised in the lap of luxury, but tries to live a bohemian lifestyle. For her, it does not work.

While the story remains a "pager turner" throughout most of the book, sadly, with about 20 pages to go, it simply becomes tired. I was not tired of the story, but it seems as though the author suddenly became bored with her own work. The story and writing become sloppy and the very descriptive beginning is forgotten at the end with a rush to the finish. The ending is weak and not well thought out, if not a bit disappointing. I would love to see this book with an ending which follows the rest of the story, rather than an ending which appears to be an afterthought.

I admit, I picked up this books because I could not resist the title. In reading this I could not help but relate the main female lead to Emma Bovary and Edna Pontellier. The yearning to somehow be more, to experience love, passion and to be more than just a wife or daughter is there. Also present is the cruelty that comes from that self involvement and the initial step to have the protection of acceptance from society in the form of a marriage.

The descriptions of 1920s Paris are wonderful. The inclusion of the many literary characters of that time just added to the lore and elicited a type of sympathy for Genevieve while at the same time a sort of hatred for her lack of strength in the beginning. The author deftly shows the vunerable side of the heroine with the childhood Mary-Janes and the pointed critism about her love poems lacking the ring of authenticity because she had never known love. Small details that reveal much.

In 1925 Paris, newly married to Robert of Boston, Genevieve Shelby King knows the importance of chic shoes. She aspires to always have the best looking pair on her feet. Her biggest rival in the shoe competition is Violet de Fremont as the pair are the superpower adversaries in the shoe war.

At a literary gathering, wannabe poetess Genevieve and her best friend Lulu spot Violet's latest and though the current shoe queen critiques her opponent's latest as being ancient history, she knows she has fell a shoe size behind her enemy. Desperate, she turns to the immortal designer Paolo Zachari to make her a special pair; he refuses telling her he is not interested in the crass money of her Brahmin Bostonian boogieman spouse. As Genevieve tries to persuade the king of shoe designing to help her keep her mantle, Robert knows his wife hides something critical from him and he vows to learn what that is.

THE SHOE QUEEN is a discerning keen satirical look at 1920s Bohemia Paris mostly through the eyes (and feet) of Genevieve. The story line lampoons the post WWI life of the Left Banke artistic community that uses the inane to forget the recent atrocities of the war to end all wars. Anna Davis provides an insightful glimpse as this tale is much more than just an aspiring poetess trying to keep her crown as THE SHOE QUEEN; Anna Davis opens the window to the since romanticized 1920s bohemian subculture.

Harriet Klausner

I'm a fashion student so I'm sucker for anything Paris related. I'm also fasinated by the 20's so this book peeked my interest from the beginning! And, okay the cover is pretty :) I wasn't expecting much but it drew me in instantly and I couldn't put it down until I finished! It turned out to be more than book about a women who loves shoes. It's also about love, lies, betrayal, and all that other good stuff! The descriptions of Paris (and most importantly the shoes!) are amazing. However parts of the book have a lot of hard to pronounce French words that make it hard for non-french speakers to imagine when you don't even know what they mean. Other than that, for the rest of the book you can easily imagine yourself in Paris along side Genevive, going to all the lavish parties, and wearing your own pair of Paolo Zacharis! ... Or at least you wish you were :) Great book!