In Her Shoes
Author: Jennifer Weiner
ISBN: 0743418204

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner tells the story of sisters who couldn’t be more different. Rose is a successful Philadelphia lawyer while Maggie is between jobs, apartments and boyfriends. When Rose walks in on Maggie and Jim, the man Rose dreamed of marrying, Rose has had enough.

Sick of taking care of her little sister, Rose throws Maggie out, quits her job at the law firm and unexpectedly starts a dog care business. Maggie, with nowhere to go runs to the one place she never thought she’d fit in: Princeton University, Rose’s alma mater. Pretending to be a student, Maggie successfully lives in the library for a semester, until she is found out. With no one else to turn to, Maggie calls her estranged Grandmother who lives in Florida and books a one way ticket to the sunshine state.

Ella, Rose and Maggie’s grandmother hasn’t seen her grandchildren since her daughter and their mother died years before. She isn’t quite sure how to begin a relationship with them and is grateful when she has the chance to reunite with Maggie and later Rose.

Each chapter is told from the perspective of Rose, Maggie or Ella. Hearing each woman’s voice allowed me to get into their head. At times, I truly hated Maggie, but after hearing her side of the story, I was able to empathize with her.

The book has a heartwarming ending and a happy reunion between the two sisters. While the book is a little more dramatic than most sisterly arguments, having a younger sister myself, I was able to relate to some of the annoyances that Weiner describes.

Unfortunately, I saw the movie (and didn’t like it) before reading the book. After reading Weiner’s other books, I have to say, this isn’t her best. It was a bit slow to get through and I found it hard to identify with the characters.

However, if you are a fan of Good in Bed and Certain Girls, you’ll be delighted to know that Cannie Shapiro makes a cameo in this book!

The lesson I took away from this book was that no matter what, sisters are forever. People come and go, but a sister will always be a sister and will be there for you when you least expect it.

2/5