Shoe Addicts Anonymous

February 19, 2007
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.

August 27, 2007
Light and breezy as a pair of summer sandals, this chick lit about four very different women drawn into friendship by their shared love of fine footwear makes for perfect beach listening. Orlagh Cassidy doesn't create actual character voices per se, but she does differentiate her voice to make it clear who is speaking: a cool, confident, well-spoken tone for political wife Helene; a timid, self-deprecating voice for shy Jocelyn; a snappish, demanding tone for Jocelyn's snobbish and unreasonable employer. Cassidy's warm and expressive narration brings out the likability of the characters and will have listeners hooked on their humorous ups and downs. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's Press hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 19).