Running in Heels - Anna Maxted

Advantages: Frothy, funny Summertime laughs
Disadvantages: Cliched, hackneyed, predictable beach-fodder

...more than justified. Running in Heels is a frothy little number which contains all the key elements of any successful chick lit novel. I’ll run through my checklist, and with luck, you’ll get a flavour of what to expect from this warm, comforting almond croissant of a book. You may wish at this point to run a warm bath, light some scented candles and relax with me as we enter the happy, girly world that exists only behind those hallowed pink covers…. ...
...of the tree, we need a Heroine. We need her to be just like us – a bit clever, a bit funny, but mostly very insecure and a bit lost in this crazy world. Step forward Natalie – ‘Nat’ – our ideal specimen. She’s a great girl, but like us, she is besieged by those funny little problems that modern urban living has a habit of throwing up just when we think we’ve got all it sorted out. Nat is in her twenties, pretty good looking - and of course, frantically ... Read review

Advantages: a bit more realistic than most chick-lit
Disadvantages: actually depressed me at times

I don't really know if books should depress you. Certainly whether or not a book that's clearly chick-lit in a slight disguise should depress you. But I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. Anna Maxted had already dealt with serious issues with both realism and humour in her debut novel "Getting Over It" in which the heroine dealt with her father's death and the impact it had on her family and life. And I actually expected "Running In Heels" ...
...married and she feels upset about it. Fair enough, I thought, that happens a lot. Little did I know how far it would affect her . . . Obviously Natalie, the heroine of our novel, has problems to start with. Which seem like the usual problems. She has a boyfriend she doesn't care all that much about. She thinks she's fat. Her mother prefers her older brother and is constantly disappointed in her. And she feels like she's losing her best friend. ... Read review

Advantages: Good plot, well-formed characters, humour and a real issue
Disadvantages: A bit predictable, could just be taken at face value

...real gem, it is overlooked. Running In Heels is not some pathetic prose-soap-opera about a spoilt middle class young woman who has to learn to grow up; at least, it's not just about that... This novel deals with relationships. Natalie's romantic relationships, from the boring-but-dependable Saul to the exciting druggie Chris to her best friend's brother, Andy. It also charts her relationships with her mother and brother and her best friend, Babs, ...
...However, it is primarily about the most important relationship that any of us will ever have: our relationship with ourselves. I'll be honest with you: I first read the book because I was suffering an eating disorder and wanted 'trigger material' to help motivate me in my quest to starve myself into an early grave. What I found was a startling honest portrayal of a normal young woman struggling with her eating disorder that neither glamourised nor ... Read review

Advantages: Amusing, Strong main characters
Disadvantages: Weak supportig characters, predictable ending

...\'ve always wwasnted different things. but that\'s about to change. Confronted by challenges that they never asked for, forced apart by mistakes not their own, will Cassie and Lizbet ever realise the real meaning of sisterhood, or will true nature ruin everything...? Overall It\'s an well observed look at sisterhood and captures the love/hate relationship to a tee. It\'s highly amusing but also has harrowing moments and also looks at the question of natrue v\'s nurture. it\'s enjoyabl light reading. Also by Anna Maxted (I\'ve never read anything else writen by her but will now) Getting Over It Running In Heels Behaving Like Adults Being Commited RRP £7.99... Read review

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Advantages: Brings to light some moving emotions
Disadvantages: none

...Now before anyone starts to think i am having a totally blonde moment, i am not. Well okay, in this instance I am not. I have sent an email to Ciao and I have asked for this book to be included on the list for Anna Maxed because I have just finished reading it and whilst it is all still fresh in my memory I thought I would share my thoughts and feelings with you about this book. (here it is in the right place and ive had to re-jig all the sentences, when i thought they did it all for me :o(....) (",) The Books theme (",) Behaving like adults is a typical Anna Maxted book, for those of you who may have read "Running in heels" or her first book "Getting over it" then you will know that emotional issues are the basis of the story. For example with Getting over it we have the issue of death and bereavement and how people cope... Read review

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Advantages: different from the norm
Disadvantages: subject matter not everyone's cup of tea!

...This is the story of Holly Appleton. She’s engaged to Nick and runs a dating agency called ‘Girl Meets Boy’. Her sister Claw also works with her, as does Nige her camp (but straight) friend. Holly and Nick live together, he is a children’s party entertainer and dresses up as Mr Elephant for a living. Holly wants him to ‘move on’ and decides to shake him up a bit. She goes on a date with one of her clients, Stuart Marshall. And this is where this chick lit book is 20,000 leagues different from all the others. Anna Maxted always packs a punch in her books – she’s written two others (Getting Over It and Running in Heels). In Running in Heels she deals with an eating disorder and in Behaving Like Adults she deals with the subject of date rape. You may have gathered I haven't read the first one (but I plan to!). Stuart Marshall is Mr... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful