The Shoe Box Waltz

by Kathleen Patrick

Two women. A yacht in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

One choice that changes everything.

How can Cora move on and build the life she sees for herself?

The Shoe Box Waltz will take you on an emotional ride, blurring the lines between reality and fiction, between dreams and nightmares, between that which could have happened, and that which did.

So, I won’t use my own name. I’ll tell you this entire story, and you’ll think I made it up. You’ll have to; it’s fiction. That’s how fiction works. I’ll write about that time when Cora Daneli was traveling around Europe with a friend she’d met in a youth hostel in Oxford. That was before the boat, but that’s my story, so I’ll start at the beginning…

386 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 21, 2024

About the author

"Kathleen Patrick portrays humanity at its flawed worst and inspiring best."

Patrick is a poet and fiction writer with an MA in Creative and Professional Writing whose work includes poetry, short stories, and novels. She writes for adults, teens, and children. Her work has received honors from the Academy of American Poets as well as Loft-McKnight Awards in poetry and fiction.

Airmail: A Story of War in Poemswas her first published book. Mercy is her first coming-of-age novel, and Anxiety in the Wilderness is her first book of short stories. Perfume River, is a contemporary novel about searching for happiness in trying times. The Shoe Box Waltz is a gripping multidimensional novel that will leave you unsettled until the very end. Her latest book, So Many Wings, is a collection of poetry that reminds us that being human is tricky business.

Patrick describes herself as an "anxious optimist" full of hope; her books reflect that optimism and the importance of love and family. She taught middle school for over twenty years and said teaching seventh grade was the best job ever. She lives in Minnesota and enjoys reading, writing, traveling, and watching college basketball. She was once the hula hoop champion of Osceola County.

Reviews

[Brandee Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shoe Box Waltz by Kathleen Patrick is an enthralling novel that at times wraps its arms around to comfort the reader and at other times hits the reader with raw emotions. This book continues to showcase Patrick's ability to observe the human condition and represent it in poetic language that leaves the reader knowing exactly what the characters are going through along their lifelong journeys.

With The Shoe Box Waltz, Patrick has built upon some of her short stories from her collection Anxieties in the Wilderness. Throughout the novel, the reader follows the members of the Daneli family, mostly the daughters Cora and Caitlyn, as they journey through love, broken hearts, bruised bodies, adventures, relationships with friends, and so much more to find what they both desperately seek: their true selves. And as the story is told from different characters' perspectives, the reader gets a little closer to what it means to brave when all seems lost.

The novel starts with Cora's adventures traveling through Europe as a young woman, and all the excitement that entails. She meets Nancy who opens Cora's eyes to a different side of the world and educates her about art history, the performing arts, and taking chances. As travel companions, Cora and Nancy experience many of the ups and downs that plague two people who don't know each other well but who have agreed to what hopefully is safety in numbers. They talk, cry, laugh, get frustrated with each other, squabble, apologize, and plan the next leg of their trip. Cora's dream of traveling to Greece is suddenly put in peril as the young women go on one last Italian adventure, this time on sea. What happens on the boat will haunt Cora and Nancy for the rest of their lives.

The second part of the novel speaks to Caitlyn's state of mind as she works through her latest revelation of what love means to her and how she defines herself through her relationship with Greg. This takes place years after Cora's European travels, but the ghosts of the past have not left Cora in peace. At one time, the sisters had been very close. They played and laughed together and provided solace to each other throughout a somewhat turbulent childhood. They grew apart after Cora left for college, and had never been able to repair what they thought was broken between them. The reader grows attached to the sisters, understanding each one's plight and the distance those plights create between siblings once so close.

In The Shoe Box Waltz, Patrick does what she does best: she creates an environment of empathy for her characters that brings the readers a little closer to the truth of the human condition. This novel might offer some triggers for some readers regarding violence and different forms of abuse.

I received this book as an ARC. This review is honest and voluntary.

[C.A. Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Shoebox Waltz" by Kathleen Patrick is a captivating novel that follows the life of Cora Daneli, a young woman in search of adventure. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Italian coast, this book takes readers on a thrilling journey that explores the depths of human emotions and the unforeseen paths life can lead us down.

Kathleen's attention to detail is commendable, as she paints a vivid picture of each place Cora visits, which made me feel as though I was right there alongside her.

As Cora's journey progresses, she finds herself accompanied by a newfound friend she meets in a hostel. Their friendship adds an extra layer of complexity to the story, as they navigate the challenges and joys of their shared experiences. The dynamics between the two characters are well-developed, and their interactions provide moments of both heartwarming camaraderie and intense conflict.

With its gripping storyline and richly developed characters, this book is sure to captivate readers from beginning to end.

I had a hard time putting this book down and it definitely made me feel all the emotions. Fantastic story.

[JoAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shoe Box Waltz is the story of lives intertwined, each one shaped by the others it touches. Each of these lives is in turn shaped by single defining moments, a moment that we never expect to possess such impact. This is a novel of the power of such encounters, seemingly so fleeting and unimportant at the time, as they become amplified. While its author, Kathleen Patrick, labels this a psychological novel, I am inclined to class it as a literary fiction: character-centric and deeply reflective, rather than psychological in the academic or manipulative sense.

The novel revolves around a young woman, Cora, and takes us through three interlocking periods of her life: her youth, her childhood, and her adult life after a traumatic event. As she moves through these periods of her life, she encounters people whose decisions shape the course of her own experience: Nancy, Caitlyn, Maureen, and later, Ian and Ray. There is also an unnamed external narrator, perhaps a sentient persona in Cora’s subconscious. This reader found the novel to focus heavily on the experience of being a woman and the trials of womanhood; a topic I enjoy and appreciate as a woman. A note: Readers should be aware they may find elements of the novel triggering; but, as women generally know, a woman’s life in this patriarchal world is inherently fraught with trauma.

Divided in two parts, bifurcated as Cora’s life becomes, the reader is given a view into the inner perspectives of each of these individuals in Cora’s life, as well as a her own. Each chapter is narrated by a different individual, some also switch position from 1st to 2nd to 3rd, offering the reader a wholly different voice and understanding of Cora’s story. In some cases, the switch of perspective is jarring, but overall, the mechanism works to deliver an unusual reading experience.

Patrick’s prose is literary; thoughtful and evocative, stealthily drawing emotion from the reader. That said, some descriptions and phrases read poorly, dated, and somewhat cliché: “shapely legs” for instance, provides no real fleshy image for this reader. Despite this, I was compelled to read on, finishing the novel in the space of three days. Cora’s story — and Nancy’s intervention in it — was magnetic.

Readers who enjoy historical literary fiction, with a feminist tint, will be sure to find The Shoe Box Waltz a moving and emotional experience, well-worth the effort of reading it.

[Lis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Shoebox Waltz ties many stories into one. The main story centers on Cora, a small town girl from Iowa that takes off to see the world. While on that adventure some things happen that permanently alter her life. Other characters come in and out, but I am unsure of the why for some of them. I am wondering if there is meant to be a second book, as there are many questions left unanswered. I had to start the book over several times, as I found myself getting a bit lost in the characters. I wanted more time with some to figure out their part in the story. There were parts that sucked me right in and left me feeling like I was there with the characters, which is why I rated this three stars. I’m glad I read it. I really enjoy Kathleen Patrick’s books. This one just left me with more questions than answers, but maybe those will be answered if there is a sequel.

[Meighan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially intriguing, seemed somewhat mysterious. Seems it is going to tie multiple storylines into 1. Then storylines trail off, or unravel and none ever get wrapped up. I’m not entirely sure of the point, aside from it is thought provoking (the effects of a small decision, follows people through their lives, see different sides of a human). I most annoyingly have no clue why the shoe box waltz would be the title (was a quick chapter, we don’t find out what the shoebox was or the reason for the “waltz”- that is the most bizarre thing to me).

[Sarah P Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters are fascinating and I love the sense of voice through the narrative and dialogue. The traumatic scenes are handled with power and grace--it's a difficult subject but Patrick moves deftly through those scenes.
The code-switching in tenses and voices was disconcerting at first but I caught up. Patrick has raised the raised the bar on the "unreliable narrators" concept. A bit of an emotional roller coaster and well worth the read!

[Nyssa Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

"It doesn't matter if it happened... it's true."

This book grabs your attention from the first moment you start to read it. The author poured a lot of her heart and soul into this book, and you can clearly feel it in the writing. The Shoe Box Waltz has an interesting POV and is written in such a unique manner. You get invested with the characters so fast that you have to know how the rest of their story goes. It's definitely such an interesting book.

[Nevaeh Ruegger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Cora is one that I will continue to remember for times to come. I was encapsulated by this story and found myself turning page after page. It follows her life and different periods and how things have affected her. I greatly appreciated this read and it was emotional and gripping.

[Texas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Shoebox Waltz - I could not get into this book. Bored, after seventeen chapters, I gave up trying. Source: StoryOrigin. 3*

[Margie McPherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Kathleen Patrick’s writing as it is lyrical and poetic. The story is intriguing though I did have difficulty following the multiple characters and story lines.

[Casey Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book truly wowed me. I enjoyed the plot and all of the characters. The pacing was done well and I didn’t feel like it left me longing for anything.