Book 40: In Her Shoes, by Jennifer Weiner

I don't generally go for books from the "chick lit" genre; however, Jennifer Weiner has been highly recommended on a number of blogs that I frequent on a regular basis. Also, since Curtis Hanson has a film based on the book being released later this year, I became intrigued. I am pleased to say that I was not disappointed, as the book offers a lovely character study of three different women. The two primary characters are Rose, a 30-year-old lawyer who lives a structured, maybe boring existence, and her sister Maggie, a 28-year-old free spirit who cares primarily about looking good. We also get to see the viewpoint of senior citizen Ella, who happens to be Rose and Maggie's grandmother, but has been out of touch with them from childhood on. It sounds like a pat tale from that brief description, but the three women are so richly drawn that the book is a pleasure to read. In addition, peripheral characters such as Ella's gentleman friend Lewis and Rose's lawyer acquaintance Simon are so charming that it's hard to resist them. The book is sometimes predictable, but I never found myself caring. Seeing the characters evolve was rewarding and enjoyable to the point that I look forward to reading Weiner's other books at some point in the very near future.