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A review by ruthie_the_librarian
The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan
3.0
I think this is a 3.5 stars for me - Although there were lots of times this edged towards being really great, there were just a few things that nudged it back down again for me. There's a lot of sadness to read through the book, so you have to be in the right frame of mind for it. But it is very well written, sensitive & thoughtful, and moments of humour lighten the darkness throughout.
I struggled with the jumps between Masha & Alice for the first quarter of the book. I'm not sure what it was, and if the two voices weren't defined enough, but for some time I wasn't quite sure what was going on, or who I was supposed to be paying attention to. I much preferred Masha, and her dog, and I found myself feeling frustrated with Alice's character in the end, rather than sympathetic. This may have been because I had guessed what was coming, and so then it was merely a process of waiting for it to play out.
I was much more interested in Masha, and in her slow recovery from the most devastating grief. She intrigued me, and I was really hoping for her to recover and find happiness. The ending, for me, was unnecessary, and in my head that isn't the conclusion I wanted for her. I felt her dawning realisation that she could no longer use her grief to hide away from everything in life was far more interesting, and believable, than what ultimately happens.
Sally wasn't quite well defined enough for me, and as I read I was more interested in Kitty. I thought lots of the secondary characters were well-drawn, and interesting in their own right, such as Kitty and Flo, and Masha's parents.
This was a good, compelling read. It didn't capture me in quite the same way as her first novel, but I still enjoyed reading it a great deal.
With thanks to Netgalley for the copy.
I struggled with the jumps between Masha & Alice for the first quarter of the book. I'm not sure what it was, and if the two voices weren't defined enough, but for some time I wasn't quite sure what was going on, or who I was supposed to be paying attention to. I much preferred Masha, and her dog, and I found myself feeling frustrated with Alice's character in the end, rather than sympathetic. This may have been because I had guessed what was coming, and so then it was merely a process of waiting for it to play out.
I was much more interested in Masha, and in her slow recovery from the most devastating grief. She intrigued me, and I was really hoping for her to recover and find happiness. The ending, for me, was unnecessary, and in my head that isn't the conclusion I wanted for her. I felt her dawning realisation that she could no longer use her grief to hide away from everything in life was far more interesting, and believable, than what ultimately happens.
Sally wasn't quite well defined enough for me, and as I read I was more interested in Kitty. I thought lots of the secondary characters were well-drawn, and interesting in their own right, such as Kitty and Flo, and Masha's parents.
This was a good, compelling read. It didn't capture me in quite the same way as her first novel, but I still enjoyed reading it a great deal.
With thanks to Netgalley for the copy.