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blovessummer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
jelomath's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
Most of the story is told in the first person by Masha, who is still trying to come to terms with a tragic event that occurred 12 years prior. Her palpable grief is still as raw as it was when the event occurred. The reader can see that Masha is sleepwalking through life while those who care about her are unable to help her move forward; their pain over her sadness is equally moving and tangible. However, a chance encounter with an eccentric bag lady whom she calls Sally Red Shoes changes the trajectory of Masha's life. The two strike up an unlikely friendship, and Masha begins to reexamine her life and relationships in a profound, transformative way. This storyline is infused with a wide range of emotions that immersed me fully into Masha's world. I enjoyed spending time with her and her friends, and felt transported into each scene.
The rest of the story is told in the third person, centering around a single mother named Alice whose own burdens are slowly revealed to the reader. The third person narration felt like an effective method for experiencing Alice's story and its progression over the course of the novel, providing a bit of distance and perspective. The emotional connection I felt to Alice was just as strong as the one I felt with Masha.
While this novel deals with heavy themes, I felt that they were handled with a great deal of care and humanity. I felt that this gave the novel emotional depth and allowed me to fully connect to the stories. The writing was beautiful and gave a magical feel to the story. The power of connections are at the heart of this novel, and will undoubtedly cause readers to reflect on their own lives and relationships long after reading the final page.
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity read an early copy of this novel; I can't wait until it is released over the summer, so I can discuss it with my reader friends!
tamara_danielle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
amotisse's review against another edition
4.0
megan_f_hobbs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
christinebeswick's review against another edition
3.0
smittenforfiction's review against another edition
3.0
May 26, 2019: Really enjoyed this! Review coming soon :)
May 30, 2019: Review
I requested the ARC for The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes because of its publisher - Crooked Lane Books. I LOVED Little Darlings by Melanie Golding, which was also published by CLB, plus the cover for Sally Red Shoes is just FANTASTIC, so I was pumped to be approved for an advance copy. I thought The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes would just be a straight up Women's Fiction with some great characters, emotion, a great message, but it ended up being so much more than that.
“Life is full of small joys if you know where to look for them,”
Who would have thought a bag-lady who frequents the local cemetery to feed the crows and sing to the birds would end up giving someone the exact advice they needed to stop surviving and start living? The main character of The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes is Masha, who gave this mysterious bag-lady the name "Sally Red Shoes".
• Masha: finds relief in almost drowning herself regularly to keep "inner demons" away (guilt from her son's death). Her son, Gabriel, died twelve years ago. She enjoys walking through the cemetery, visiting the graves of strangers. She likes to dive into their lives, find their stories, and shares them with the reader. She wants to find a way to not just survive, but to live.
• Thankfully, Masha has great friends and meets a few new ones who give her what she needs to heal her heart. Her dog, Haizum, plays a pretty big part in the story. Edward was basically like a father to her son Gabriel. "Sally Red Shoes" gets Masha's brain turning and Kitty Muriel is a new acquaintance who's there to put those big, new thoughts into action. Kitty seems like a simple, attractive, happy person who you secretly judge, thinking she's happy because she hasn't had tragedy in her life, but you come to find you are very, very wrong about her. She actively chooses life even though she's experienced tremendous loss.
"Because I believe that one day, the joy of being alive would be brighter than the despair that my Joy was dead."
• Along with Masha's story, we also learn about Alice, a single mom, with a son named Mattie. She's also had a lot of loss in her life, which has made her become an overprotective mother to her teen son, and he's secretly resenting her for it.
› Likes 😻
• Kitty Muriel stole the show for me. I'd love to read an entire novel about her life before she met Masha.
• Twist at the end that I knew was coming from the beginning but still left me with my jaw hanging. It was so much more than what I thought it was going to be.
• Love the message that we have the power to choose happiness.
• Felt lots of emotion throughout this story. I laughed, I cried.
• There are so many great conversations to have about this book. It would make a great Book Club selection!
“When the music ends for someone you love you don't stop dancing. You dance for them as well.”
› Dislikes 😾
• transvestite is referred to as "ladyboy" :/
• a joke about people being drugged without their consent
• Didn't find out Masha is a psychotherapist until page 79?
• What are "ethnic earrings"?
• "She looks like a demented rag doll" (woman insulting another woman)
• I didn't like the way Masha talked about her clients, mocking them, hiding smiles.
• Masha claims to be "in control" when confronting a group of teens and using the F word. How in the world is that "in control"?
› The Ending blew me away. Wow, wow, wow.
› Final Thoughts
• The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes is a moving novel about loss, grief, healing, hope, learning how to live life to the fullest, having the wisdom to know when to ask for help and the courage to let people in.
› Trigger Warnings
• death, missing child, dead child, miscarriage, grief, depression, drowning, abandonment, illness (cancer)
Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.
*Quotes taken from an ARC copy and subject to change*
Check out other book reviews on my blog: http://www.amandadroverhartwick.wordpress.com
dawnlizreads's review against another edition
3.0
Alice's story is also poignantly told, particularly how it progresses.
However, I did struggle with how the stories connect (it becomes clear as the story goes along). I won't explain why as would probably give too much away. I think I would have just preferred to have Masha's or Alice's story rather than both.