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The Shoe Queen
In The Shoe Queen, author Anna Davis immerses readers in the glitter and excitement of 1920's Paris -- where one woman's obsession with shoes leads her into a steamy affair that will make her question what matters most in life.
399 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
7 people are currently reading
360 people want to read
About the author
Anna Davis
8 books22 followersAnna Davis is the author of five novels: The Jewel Box, The Shoe Queen, Cheet, Melting and The Dinner, as well as short stories and journalism. She lives in London with her partner and two children.
Anna is also the founder and Managing Director of Curtis Brown Creative, the only creative writing school run by literary agents.
http://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/
Anna is also the founder and Managing Director of Curtis Brown Creative, the only creative writing school run by literary agents.
http://www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
July 14, 2008
I read this book in 3 days and enjoyed this chick-lit. It would be a great beach book, sitting in your beach chair, soaking up the rays and watching the waves come in.
I love Paris, especially Montmarte, so it brought me back to that wonderful city, eating pain de chocolat while sipping a cafe outdoors.
What did I learn from this book? Don't party and dance the nights away when you have a great husband waiting for you back home! And definitely, don't keep secrets from each other! Oh, and a room full of shoes will never make you happy.
I love Paris, especially Montmarte, so it brought me back to that wonderful city, eating pain de chocolat while sipping a cafe outdoors.
What did I learn from this book? Don't party and dance the nights away when you have a great husband waiting for you back home! And definitely, don't keep secrets from each other! Oh, and a room full of shoes will never make you happy.
October 30, 2007
Entertaining story about a spoiled, rich woman who derives meaning in life through her obsession with shoes and men. Majorly redeeming factor - the book is set in 1920s Paris and the author does an amazing job describing the era and culture. My bags are packed...I'm ready to go!
January 13, 2008
I'm not quite sure why I kept reading this. The only things I can say in my defense was that I enjoyed the fact that the book was set in Paris and that I got it for free. I finished it but I've even been too embarrassed to bring it into the free book exchange just in case someone tracks it back to me.
October 28, 2007
As I was reading this book I wondered several times, "Why am I still reading this?" The story was not very engrossing and, despite one revelation about Genevieve, the main character was very shallow and uninteresting.
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November 17, 2017Obsession, love, and shoes. Explosive combination in 1920s Paris. English Genevieve, married to a wealthy Bostonian, will only live in Paris, where she feels she can find life for herself and her 500+ pairs of exquisite shoes. Her notorious friend, Lulu of Montmartre, lives the boho life Vivi doesn't quite get. Vivi meets the world's most exquisite shoemaker (in every sense of the word) and begins a very complicated affair. Things get messy. Very messy. If you love 20s Paris, or shoes, a good if not great read. Curiously low key; I prefer a slightly higher octane.
December 13, 2021
Romanzo estremamente coinvolgente; leggero ma che da un accurato panorama geostorico; focus della trama molto originale
April 3, 2009
This book was dumb... not about shoes or queens OR about the steamy affair that the book jacket promised. Now I'm not always super keen on "quivering love pockets" and "rock hard swords" but if I'm going to read a freaking book that pretends to be about one woman who will stop at nothing to get her hands on the best shoes in the world, then there better be a little something exotic/erotic in there, or I'm just stuck reading a stupid story about a stupid lady and some stupid shoes. Seriously.
September 19, 2012
I think the story could have been told in half the time. It was alright, not inspiring or absorbing, quite an interesting glance at Parisian life in the 20's. The story didn't ever really develop, it kinda just trundled along taking you to an abrupt and unfulfilling conclusion. The descriptions of the shoes throughout was quirky but you soon became bored with them - was disappointed after reading the blurb thought it would far more entertaining.
July 12, 2014
A woman obsessed with shoes, set in Paris in the 1920s. Sounds like a perfect book for me. Sadly, it was not. I don't know if I expected more references to all the famous people living in Paris during that time, or if I just thought that things should be more exciting. Or maybe there just should have been more shoe conversation. Either way, it was just alright. Bummer. And the characters were not terribly sympathetic either.
June 12, 2013
Fellow readers, do yourselves a massive favor and do not read this book. It was an utter waste of time, with no plot or story line whatsoever. The ending of the story was just pathetic! I thought that the author left so many questions unanswered. I'd give it a star just for the sake of grading it.
August 19, 2007
A silly book. I was looking for a "timepass" that would be easy on the brain for those train rides when i couldn't take anything too deep. This fit the bill, but it was a ridiculous book. ah well. I guess it's what they call a 'beach read.'
July 3, 2008
I abandonned this because it's basically a Harlequin with a fancy cover....
December 7, 2017
It was very long and was hard to follow. Too many unnecessary characters.
February 20, 2021
There are two parts to this lovely story. Firstly, the immersion into 1920's Paris, so beautifully described you can envisage yourself there, at the parties, among the hedonistic artistes, sipping the cocktails, wearing the shoes. It's glamour and style, perfect escapism.
Underneath this is a story, which at times can seem a little lost, about a woman's identity and finding her place in the world, trying uncover her own potential, getting lost in the process, shaking off shame she has been saddled with since a teenager, accepting her mistakes and trying to figure out her own worth. This is the story that I really enjoyed.
Underneath this is a story, which at times can seem a little lost, about a woman's identity and finding her place in the world, trying uncover her own potential, getting lost in the process, shaking off shame she has been saddled with since a teenager, accepting her mistakes and trying to figure out her own worth. This is the story that I really enjoyed.
January 25, 2025
It’s different than anything I have read before and it’s rich, a different type of drama the English literature is definitely different than the American and also it’s an old book that takes place in the 1900s in Paris. I am not sure how I feel about it but what I can say that you can’t just undo mistakes and go forward from them. A woman would choose love over security. Friendship is more important than any lover.
January 15, 2021
Secrets ruin lives. What we choose to hide only hurts us in the long run--and can hurt others as well. While it was interesting to read about the characters and to watch the plot unfold, the best part of the book was about the shoes! And though I wouldn't really recommend the book, it isn't bad. It was a quick read and I didn't feel like I wasted my time, but it wasn't spectacular in any way.
January 3, 2019
A simplistic story and annoying characters but i enjoyed it for it's snapshot of Paris iin the 20s and the insight into why some people are fascinated by shoes. Have me some food for thought. (But truly, all the characters for in my nerves :)
April 14, 2019
Easy to read but have gotten to the end and keep thinking what was the point - feel like there were things I wanted to know about Josephine that never got answered - and would have added to the story. Not really sure what rating to give it as it was enjoyable till the ending frustrated me.
July 13, 2020
This book bounced back and fourth between characters to keep you curious about their story. The tale of the past and future of a woman obsessed with shoes reveals what will truly make her happy in life. You can feel the emotions of the characters more and more throughout the book.
August 25, 2019
LOVED this book and some of the Paris history woven in between the story.
May 13, 2020
I was very dubious as it was a Christmas present with a trashy cover, not the green one, but ended up loving this sad tale.
June 17, 2020
I love anything 1920s and flappers that sounds historically accurate so reading this book was a satisfactory pleasure and time well spent.
October 21, 2020
I wasn't thrilled with this book - it was probably accurately written for the time and place, but not something I want to read about. It was depressing with no redeeming conclusion.
December 30, 2022
Labai paprasta, lengva istorija. Be jokio įspūdžių.
April 1, 2024
I don’t know how I feel about this book. So many things and sub plots happening I couldn’t wrap my brain around it sometimes. It was good for the Paris historical fiction aspect.
September 14, 2024
3-4 Stars. I don't know how I feel after finally finishing this book.
August 22, 2025
It was ok, not fabulous.
Far too much waffling in places
The ending was very wishy-washy too, I thought she had more about her!
Far too much waffling in places
The ending was very wishy-washy too, I thought she had more about her!
September 23, 2016
An intriguing novel set in 1920s Paris, The Shoe Queen chronicles a fairly tortured and tumultuous period in the life of an English woman of noble birth, Genevieve Shelby King.
A self confessed shoe-a-holic, her collection has 523 pairs in it, all lovingly stored in their original boxes and kept in a dedicated shoe room in the Parisian apartment she shares with her wealthy Boston-born industrialist husband, Robert. Many have been hand-made, and even more have never been worn.
Those that are worn are prey to a range of calamities which render them ruined through accidents such as having red wine spilled on them, mud splashed onto them from a passing carriage, and most bizarrely, by a kitten whose feet have been dipped in blue paint running over them (well, it was 1920s Paris where experimental performing art performed by candlelight at midnight on sinking barges on the Siene was de rigueur!). I can’t recall the telling of the wearing of a single pair of shoes that doesn’t have some accident befall those expensive items (it may be worth reading the book simply to note the many mishaps Genevieve’s shoes meet with).
Genevieve falls in love with a pair of exquisite shoes a friendly social rival, Violet de Fremont, is wearing, and discovers they have been handmade by a relatively unknown but genius shoe maker, Paolo Zachari. Who, maddeningly, initially refuses to even see her, let alone agree to make her a pair of his extraordinary, one-in-a-million pair of shoes.
Well, they aren’t really shoes. They are artwork displayed on one’s feet.
(As a scintillating side note, the artistic shoemaker in the novel, Paolo Zachari, is based on a real life person from the early 1900s, Pietro Yanturni, who had a shop off the Place Vendome with a bold sign stating: Pietro Yanturni: World’s Most Expensive Shoes. He created shoes that would be absolutely perfect for this clients, who, in a fascinating twist of customer service, had no say in how the shoes would look, what materials would be used or even when the shoes would be read. Some clients waited for years for their Yanturni’s).
And so the story starts. Genevieve’s obsession with shoes is beautifully brought to life throughout the book, taking up just the right amount of space in a book that isn’t really about shoes, or even the love of shoes, but a complex woman, seeking her own authentic path, who happens to love shoes.
This isn’t high literature and it won’t challenge you in too many intellectual ways, but I found it a delightful novel with some intriguing ideas that got me thinking about shopping, shoes and our lives.
Read the full review
A self confessed shoe-a-holic, her collection has 523 pairs in it, all lovingly stored in their original boxes and kept in a dedicated shoe room in the Parisian apartment she shares with her wealthy Boston-born industrialist husband, Robert. Many have been hand-made, and even more have never been worn.
Those that are worn are prey to a range of calamities which render them ruined through accidents such as having red wine spilled on them, mud splashed onto them from a passing carriage, and most bizarrely, by a kitten whose feet have been dipped in blue paint running over them (well, it was 1920s Paris where experimental performing art performed by candlelight at midnight on sinking barges on the Siene was de rigueur!). I can’t recall the telling of the wearing of a single pair of shoes that doesn’t have some accident befall those expensive items (it may be worth reading the book simply to note the many mishaps Genevieve’s shoes meet with).
Genevieve falls in love with a pair of exquisite shoes a friendly social rival, Violet de Fremont, is wearing, and discovers they have been handmade by a relatively unknown but genius shoe maker, Paolo Zachari. Who, maddeningly, initially refuses to even see her, let alone agree to make her a pair of his extraordinary, one-in-a-million pair of shoes.
Well, they aren’t really shoes. They are artwork displayed on one’s feet.
(As a scintillating side note, the artistic shoemaker in the novel, Paolo Zachari, is based on a real life person from the early 1900s, Pietro Yanturni, who had a shop off the Place Vendome with a bold sign stating: Pietro Yanturni: World’s Most Expensive Shoes. He created shoes that would be absolutely perfect for this clients, who, in a fascinating twist of customer service, had no say in how the shoes would look, what materials would be used or even when the shoes would be read. Some clients waited for years for their Yanturni’s).
And so the story starts. Genevieve’s obsession with shoes is beautifully brought to life throughout the book, taking up just the right amount of space in a book that isn’t really about shoes, or even the love of shoes, but a complex woman, seeking her own authentic path, who happens to love shoes.
This isn’t high literature and it won’t challenge you in too many intellectual ways, but I found it a delightful novel with some intriguing ideas that got me thinking about shopping, shoes and our lives.
Read the full review
July 28, 2008
The Shoe Queen is a beautifully written book set in 1920's Paris. The author is a master of word craft. Oddly enough, what I liked most about the book was the structure. I don't usually even notice structure, but it was so well done (mixing the present/past/pov's) that I often couldn't wait to find out where/who/when I would be next. (The chapter that ended with Robert opening the hotel room door and the chapter that started with what he found was absolutely and completely brilliant. I laughed out loud. And it wasn't because of the story. It was how the author wrote it.)
The story is of a young, married girl who is trying to escape the physical and emotional control of her life and find meaning. I really, really wanted to love the story. I couldn't.
There wasn't a single character in the entire book that I liked. I kept hoping that the author would give me something, anything to make Genevieve likable. But even as I came to understand her history and the reasons for her behavior, all I felt was anger. How could anyone be that completely self-centered? I get that that was the point of the book. I just feel like I need to have some relationship or some stakes in the characters so that I care that they change and learn (little as it was).
At the end of the day, I'm not sure I'd really recommend this book. I spent the whole time hoping for something that wasn't there. And while I felt the ending fit the book, I was left disappointed because I just didn't care.
On a different note... I have never been so utterly aware of how ugly my feet are in my life. ~G.
*Sexual content.
The story is of a young, married girl who is trying to escape the physical and emotional control of her life and find meaning. I really, really wanted to love the story. I couldn't.
There wasn't a single character in the entire book that I liked. I kept hoping that the author would give me something, anything to make Genevieve likable. But even as I came to understand her history and the reasons for her behavior, all I felt was anger. How could anyone be that completely self-centered? I get that that was the point of the book. I just feel like I need to have some relationship or some stakes in the characters so that I care that they change and learn (little as it was).
At the end of the day, I'm not sure I'd really recommend this book. I spent the whole time hoping for something that wasn't there. And while I felt the ending fit the book, I was left disappointed because I just didn't care.
On a different note... I have never been so utterly aware of how ugly my feet are in my life. ~G.
*Sexual content.
April 30, 2009
This book is much different from the style I usually read and I rather liked it. The title and the beautiful cover drew my attention to the book (even though you aren't supposed to judge a book that way!) and I love all things Parisian, so I figured I'd give it a try. I wish I knew more about Bohemian Paris because I think this story would have made more sense if I understood the context.
This book is heavy. The language is no joke and the subject matter has many twist and turns. Just when you think you have the characters figured out, the author throws in another detail that spins the story differently.
While I was reading this book, I kept having flashbacks to Madame Bovary that I read in high school. I think I like this one better, but I kind of got excited that this could be the kind of story reviewed in high schools. It's been a long time since I've read fiction that's come out in recent years that I could see being taught in English class.
This book is heavy. The language is no joke and the subject matter has many twist and turns. Just when you think you have the characters figured out, the author throws in another detail that spins the story differently.
While I was reading this book, I kept having flashbacks to Madame Bovary that I read in high school. I think I like this one better, but I kind of got excited that this could be the kind of story reviewed in high schools. It's been a long time since I've read fiction that's come out in recent years that I could see being taught in English class.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews