Author: Beth Harbison
Published: June 12, 2007
Genre: chick lit
Audiobook: 7 CDs
Narrator: Orlagh Cassidy
Source: borrowed from the library
My Rating: 1.5 stars
Synopsis (from GoodReads): Four different women. One common shoe size. And a shared lust for fabulous footwear. In this sparkling novel, the wife of a controlling politician, a debt-ridden eBay addict, an agoraphobic phone sex operator, and a nanny for the family from hell (who barely knows a sole from a heel but who will do anything to get out of the house) meet Tuesday nights to trade shoes, and, in the process, form friendships that will help them each triumph over their problems--from secret pasts to blackmail, bankruptcy, and dating. Funny, emotional, and powerful, Shoe Addicts Anonymous is the perfect summer listen.
My Thoughts: After listening to Beth Harbison's Always Something There to Remind Me (my review) and thoroughly enjoying it, I thought that I should give another one of her audiobooks a try. Unfortunately, this book just didn't meet any of my expectations going into it. First off, I found this book on the GoodReads recommendation program (who else loves that feature?!? I could sit there for days finding new things to read). I read the description (posted above), and figured that I would love this book. Besides that I liked Harbison's work, I also have a thing for shoes (some might call it an addiction, but I can stop buying shoes whenever I want!). Based on all those things, I thought that I would really enjoy this book. WRONG!!! There wasn't much to do with shoes (imagine my disappointment). Actually, nothing written in the description actually happens in the book!
If I would have to write a summary for the book, it would be this: three women lose themselves in the crazy world that is Las Vegas and lose thousands of dollars (each), so in order to repay their debts, they become phone sex operators. Yeah, that description is not like anything that they have posted on the website (I compared this to the description on GoodReads, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble).
The characters are lackluster, the plot was a bit boring, and I found it all very predictable. The worst thing about it is that the description is nothing like the book (I found myself checking the case and CDs several times to make sure that this was the right book). If there had been a more accurate description, I probably wouldn't have read this book. I just feel let down that the title and synopsis relate to the story in no way whatsoever.
What a shame. Definitely sounds like a case of false advertising :(
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you got the wrong book. The plot you are describing is "Secrets of a Shoe Addict", which is different book by Beth Harbison.
ReplyDelete