Inspired by the many frustrations of parenthood and the ever-present fear of failure, SHOES ON THE STAIRS centers around a mother’s struggle to accept what she has left behind after her death. She takes the reader on a journey of both laughter and tears while learning even the smallest of gestures can make a significant and lasting impact.* * *Claire Blackwell can’t find that damn white light. … damn white light. Thanks to a mishap at an intersection, she’s dead and stuck somewhere between Heaven and what seems like Hell as she is forced to watch her husband and children unravel without her. While she struggles to find answers for her limbo state, her family begins to see her, offering what she believes, is a gift of second chances.
As she navigates through this new, untouchable world and the challenges it creates, she is forced to face some sad and potentially dangerous truths. Determined, she works to mend her relationship with her family, but her stubborn teenage son refuses to acknowledge her, and when tensions escalate with his long-time bully, her inability to control the physical world around her leaves her fearing for her family’s safety. With her time running out, she must find a way to save them before the progress she has made is lost and she fades from this world forever.
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Jan Steele’s talent really shines through with her new release Shoes on the Stairs. I found the plot to be a unique one and it is quite refreshing to read something new to me. It was interesting to find that the main character, Claire, has become a ghost. With her new “life”, she sees the family she left behind in a whole different light. She discovers and learns more than she wanted to about them. I only intended to read just a few chapters before going to bed but wound up staying up to read the whole book.
Shoes on the Stairs is getting a well deserved five plus stars from me. I recommend this book for others readers. It is most definitely worth a read and should not be missed. I would love to find out where Miss Steele’s imagination will take her readers to in her next release. I am looking forward to it.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
Very different take on death and the afterlife
I absolutely loved this book. I wish I had known about “the shoes on the stairs “ concep that warmed and guided this family when my children were growing up. Very heartwarming and well written.
Loved this sweet book, the family dynamics, and courageous, adorable kids!
An inspiration- letting go and trusting all will turn out alright!
i liked the premise of the story, but overall I found it sad.
Couldn’t put it down.
It was a well written book about life after death in the here and now. I seldom stay up to read a book, but had to finish this one. It was very well done and easy to identify with for any Mother.
I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down and hated when I finished it.
sad and beautiful
I bought this book after reading a sample…I enjoyed the characters and the story. It’s about imagining how a mother might really feel after dying early and leaving her young family. She didn’t feel she had prepared them well for adulthood and is given a 2nd chance.
This book was such a tough read, but so worth it. I’m sure I’m not the only one who wonders what or if people can see/hear once they’ve passed. I found it fascinating how Claire is able to travel. It wasn’t what I was expecting. This book (even though fiction) really makes you think, especially if/what those in a coma or on their deathbed can hear. I’ve known grief is different in everyone, and I could relate a bit to everything Claire’s loved ones were dealing with.
This is an interesting and unique story that captured and held me from page one to the end. The author does a fantastic job bringing strong well developed characters and weaves a story of a mother’s undying love for her family,even after death. It’s an emotional story that’s both heartwarming and sad and is brought to life with very descriptive writing and detailed scenes with so much emotion that you can feel them coming through the pages. It’s a story of family,love and dealing with life’s happenings .. as in the bullying going on in this story. I loved and highly recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own and freely given.
5 STARS
This book brought tears to my eyes and gave me so many feels!
Shoes on the Stairs took me on a journey of EPIC proportions!!! As a mother, I could relate to the main character, Claire Blackwell. Her unexpected situation resonated with me and made me question how I live and see my everyday life. Be prepared to laugh and cry when reading this book!
Shoes on the Stairs by Jan Steele will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ARISTOCRACY!!!
Shoes on the Stairs by Jan Steele is described as inspiration from the many frustrations of parenthood and the ever-present fear of failure. Claire Blackwell was the mom who did it all. She sacrificed everything to make sure her husband and kids had all they needed or wanted. When she suddenly dies after a car accident, she is left with the feeling of unfinished business. She watches in horror as her husband and kids try to navigate a world without her. She expects a brilliant white light to take her to the afterlife but it never comes. As she struggles with her limbo state, her family begins to see and hear her. Starting with her youngest daughter, she works to help mend her broken family and discovers a situation which puts them in danger. Her son, Edward, had rising tensions with his long-time bully and as the situation escalates, Claire must find a way to help her family before it’s too late. Can she help them? Will she ever see that bright, white light?
I chose Shoes on the Stairs as it “centers around a mother’s struggle to accept what she has left behind.” I expected a journey of “laughter and tears.” What I got was a cringey story of a woman who thought she could control everything, even after death. I supposed Claire was written to be the stereotypical housewife who took care of everything for her family that when she was gone, they were lost without her. And it was true, her husband and kids are unsure where things are and how to do even the basic tasks. But Claire was a hard character to care for. I couldn’t relate to her at all. The language she uses was eye rolling horrible and not funny at all. At one point, to describe her own parents, Claire tells readers that “They bicker more often than a vegetarian farts”?!?!?! Seriously!?!?!? Overall, the book was not enjoyable. I didn’t laugh once, no heartstrings tugged. I do not recommend Shoes on the Stairs. I expected so much more than what I got.
Shoes on the Stairs is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook.