Saturday, August 6, 2022

The Smell of Roses by Elizabeth Crocket

 


Until I read this book my only knowledge of shoe shiners was from old American movies from my childhood where little boys popped their rags at train stations before breaking into a tap dance and I still remember the old song, Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy; but I probably didn’t think such an occupation existed in real life. I have now looked in Google and found there is a shoe-shining business in Sydney’s trendy Queen Victoria Building being run by an Englishman with a business degree here in Australia so Sam from this story is quite a credible character! I read also that there are still shoeshine stands at American airports although they are decreasing in number. Now that I’ve got that out of the way I can go ahead with my review.

This is a good story in the contemporary romance genre but it is more than a rom-com. Sarah has worked hard in helping her father and brothers keep their highly successful business at the top. She has come to a point in her life, however, where she is beginning to question if this is all there is for her. The story is about her progress in exploring new pathways and facing her problems with the ways she deals with stress and her relationships with her parents and brothers.

Sarah and Sam come from different worlds but their friendship is based on their similarities. Sarah’s openness with people she meets allows her to draw on their stories and put her life into perspective. 

This book is about looking for meaningfulness and personal satisfaction, and the hope that those things can be achieved. It was an entertaining, enjoyable read.



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