Shoe Addicts Anonymous (Paperback)

~ Beth Harbison (Author) "Sex in a box..." (more)
Key Phrases: shoe addicts, been outbid, Deena Oliver, Gerald Parks, Phil Carson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Arriving just in time for beach-read season, the effervescent hardcover fiction debut of cookbook author and romance novelist Harbison features four D.C.-area women who meet weekly to swap and chat about... shoes. Trying to get a handle on her massive consumer debt, Lorna Rafferty posts an Internet ad looking to trade footwear with women who have good taste and wear size seven-and-a-half. A senator's trophy wife, Helene Zaharis, is dreaming of escaping her loveless marriage when she stumbles upon Lorna's post. Overweight phone sex operator Sandra Vanderslice struggles to overcome her agoraphobia long enough to attend the shoe meetings. After a few funny missteps, the threesome finds a fourth member, Joss Bowen, the nanny of a shrewish socialite's hellion boys. Joss couldn't care less about shoes, but uses the group as a reason to get out of the house. Harbison does a fine job of showcasing how each woman is trapped—Lorna by her debt, Helene by her marriage, Sandra by her self-image, Joss by her employment contract—and how the fresh eyes of the group allow them to see themselves in a new light. Harbison creates vivid, convincing characters and handles them well. Reading this novel is like eating a slice of cake. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In this entertaining novel set in Washington, D.C., three very different women are brought together by a shared passion: shoes. They meet once a week to trade Manolos and Maglis, but soon they rely on each other for much more. Lorna, a debt-ridden waitress, founded the group to curb her destructive shopping sprees. Helene, a senator's trophy wife, attends to escape her loveless marriage and the banality of high-society life. Sandra, an overweight phone-sex operator, hopes the group can help cure her agoraphobia. They're joined by Joss, a young nanny, who doesn't care about shoes but needs a place to avoid her demanding boss. The four women become fast friends, trusted advisors, and eventually business partners. Readers will root for these four plucky women. Like the designer shoes that pepper its pages, this book is pleasing and stylish. This frothy confection is sure to fly off the shelves this summer. Aleksandra Kostovski
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312348231
• ISBN-13: 978-0312348236
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,615 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!!!, June 12, 2007

By	www.bookshipper.blogspot.com/ "www.bookshippe... (Montreal, Quebec) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Shoe Addicts Anonymous (Hardcover)

After reading the preface of this book I thought "this sounds a little corny - but whatever". I am so glad that I picked it up. While there is lots of talk of shoes (never quite understood the fascination myself) - this book turned out to be a little treasure.

The writing is honest and crisp. The main characters - while all flawed are all likeable and entertaining and there is even a little bit of a "spy" angle (very small, but funny).

The biggest surprise for me was that although it is a chick lit book, this bok was written with warmth and humor and comes across as a sensitive understanding of women and what we go through.

EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Forget diamonds, shoes are really a girl's best friend.., July 12, 2007

By	K. Hinton "avid reader" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Shoe Addicts Anonymous (Hardcover)

Shopaholic Lorna Rafferty is nearly drowning in her debt, but for some reason she can't seem to stop buying new shoes. With a job as a waitress that gives her enough for the need but not the greed, and barely enough money to buy food, let alone other necessities, Lorna finds herself in a quandary about what to do regarding her financial situation. When she realizes that her spendthrift ways might soon leave her both homeless and carless, Lorna decides to get a grip on her spending and buckle down on her finances... only what is she supposed to do about her shoe addiction? So begins the creation of Shoe Addicts Anonymous, Lorna's brainchild wherein women in the D.C. area who are a size 7 1/2 can meet once a week and swap their designer shoes with one another... Lorna has no idea the sort of people her Gregslist ad will attract, but luckily meets some great women because of it.

Her compadres in shoe addiction are:

Helene Zaharis, the wife of a prominent politician who also takes her shoe addiction to extremes; though her marriage is no cake walk and her husband uses money to keep her in line, when Helene goes too far for a pair of Bruno Maglis, she turns to Shoe Addicts Anonymous for help.

Sandra Vanderslice, an agoraphobic phone sex operator who uses online shopping to feed her addiction. Sandra's psychologist suggests that she get out of the house more and meeting women who share her interests seems to be the perfect solution.

And Jocelyn Bowen, a nanny for two young boys whose impossible mother makes unreasonable demands on Joss's time. Though she could care less about shoes, Shoe Addicts Anonymous will get Joss out of her employers' home one night a week--and that's as good a reason as any, as far as Joss is concerned.

Through a love of shoes, these women form a bond of friendship that allows them to look past their social and economic differences and to just see each other as individuals. Shoe Addicts Anonymous becomes a place where they can vent their frustrations, confront their fears, and just be themselves without worrying about what people will think about them. This book was delightfully written, and full of anecdotes and one-liners. It's definitely going to be one of the runaway chick lit books of the summer and I'd recommend it as a great beach read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars marvelous detail!, June 17, 2007

By	Constance Atkins - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Shoe Addicts Anonymous (Hardcover)

There are several simultaneous and interesting plots threading through the book and they are all tied up nicely at the end. It's fun!