The Silver Shoes: A Novel by Jill G. Hall

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

In her second novel, Jill G. Hall, author of The Black Velvet Coat, brings readers another dual tale of two dynamic women from two very different eras searching for fulfillment.

San Francisco artist Anne McFarland has been distracted by a cross-country romance with sexy Sergio and has veered from her creative path. While visiting him in New York, she buys a pair of rhinestone shoes in an antique shop that spark her imagination and lead her on a quest to learn more about the shoes’ original owner.

Almost ninety years earlier, Clair Deveraux, a sheltered 1929 New York debutante, tries to reside within the bounds of polite society and please her father. But when she meets Winnie, a carefree Macy’s shop girl, Clair is lured into the steamy side of Manhattan–a place filled with speakeasies, flappers, and the beat of “that devil music”–and her true desires explode wide open. Secrets and lies heap up until her father loses everything in the stock market crash and Clair becomes entangled in the burlesque world in an effort to save her family and herself.

Ultimately, both Anne and Clair–two very different women living in very different eras–attain true fulfillment . . . with some help from their silver shoes.

Praise

“The crash of 1929, speakeasies and musical reviews, artistic challenges, family secrets, secret desires, romantic complications?these are just a few of the ingredients in Jill G. Hall’s wonderful new novel, The Silver Shoes. Clair and Anne are two compelling characters born decades apart into drastically different circumstances. Each must face her own dilemmas and neither has an easy solution.” —Judy Reeves, author of Wild Women, Wild Voices

“What a delight! Hall captivates and pulls the reader in; the story is as sparkling and fun as the silver shoes that connect the two women together–pure entertainment!” —Michelle Cox, Author of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series

“You’ll be cheering for both of these heroines as they insist on finding their own way as artists, no matter what the men in their lives want them to be. Hall’s descriptions of Anne’s visual art, inspired by the silver shoes, are delicious.” —Janice Steinberg, art journalist and author of The Tin Horse

my thoughts:

A terrific tale about a pair of shoes and the women who owned them. Talk about top notch writing and fantastic storytelling! I just LOVED The Silver Shoes by Jill G. Hall.

Okay, so the book isn't just about the shoes, its about these two fascinating women - Anne and Claire.  In the present day, we have Anne.  She's an artist who struggles to make ends meet. She's dating a man name Sergio who lives across the country in NYC.  She wants him to ask her to move in with him, but so far he's not asking.  On a trip to see him, she goes to an antique shop and buys a pair of shoes.  These pair of shoes will spark her creative juices and finally get her to figure out what it is she really wants for herself.  As for the owner, her name was Clair. Her story takes place in 1929.  Living under her father's roof and rules, Clair wants more from life. She befriends a woman named Winnie who shows her a different side to Manhattan (speakeasies, jazz, and musical revues).  A friend who inspires her to seek out her own passion for performing.  As Clair experiences freedom, she finds herself coveting a beautiful pair of silver shoes - shoes she knows her father would disapprove of.  However, the stock market crashes and life becomes much more difficult for Clair.  And that is all I will write about the story.  Suffice it to say, both women have interesting stories and their connection through the shoes is terrific. I will say that I definitely enjoyed reading about Clair much more than Anne - I just found her story so interesting and couldn't help but root for her from the beginning.

Hall has written an engaging and fun story that I didn't want to put down for anything. I just loved getting lost in Clair's world as we learned about her life and those beautiful silver shoes that connect her to Anne. I loved the rich details about life in 1929 - the clothes, the music, the atmosphere, and the world itself.  And I loved reading about these two women finding their voices, their passions, and their dreams.  Such a wonderful story!

I would happily recommend The Silver Shoes for fans of Jill G. Hall and anyone looking for their next great read - you will LOVE this book!

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: The Silver Shoes

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!