9 1/2 Narrow
My Life in Shoes
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- ¥2,000
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- ¥2,000
発行者による作品情報
A funny, poignant coming-of-age memoir told through the shoes that she wore.
From baby booties to orthopedic brogues (and all the high and low heels in between) shoes mark important rites of passage, reminding us of both the good and bad times: the road not taken, the prince that got away, the missed opportunities, the traveling, the fun. Most of all, they bring to mind the people we’ve loved and sometimes lost along the way.
Combining tidbits of cultural history, Morrisroe chronicles her life as a bullied Catholic schoolgirl in “Moby Dick” brogues; a besotted college student in granny boots; an aspiring journalist in Annie Hall oxfords; a skeptical bride in her first Manolos; a reluctant fashionista in towering peep-toe pumps; and a concerned daughter, whose elderly mother hoped that her New Balance sneakers would help her regain her old balance. With wit and compassion, she introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters, from her grandfather, who treated the family to legendary foot rubs, to her husband, whose vast collection of vintage Puma sneakers threatened to overwhelm their apartment and derail their marriage.
Morrisroe’s “coming-of-age” is, at its heart, the story of a generation of women who’ve enjoyed a world of freedom and opportunity that was unthinkable to their mothers. Spanning five decades and countless footwear trends, 9 ½ Narrow is, like Love, Loss and What I Wore, about how we remember important events through a coat, or a dress, or in this case, a Beatle boot or Confirmation “wedgie.” With her charming sense of humor and irresistible voice, Morrisroe not only recounts her own story but also everywoman’s. Funny, candid and unexpectedly poignant, 9 ½ Narrow is about how we grow up, grow older, and finally grow into our own shoes.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Chatty and endearing, this episodic memoir flows rather organically in the capable voice of New York journalist Morrisroe (Wide Awake; Mapplethorpe: A Biography). A dedicated shoe hound since age 10, when her mother blurted out intriguingly that she actually had 12 toes when she was born (a confession the author was never able to substantiate), Morrisroe recreates many of her shoe lust milestones growing up in the 1960s in Andover, Mass., shopping for white Mary Janes, wedgies, Beatle boots, and ghillies. Begging her practical-minded mother for the latest shoe craze for Catholic school entailed visiting Reinhold's Shoe Store on Main Street, where the obliging salesman, "out of boredom or bad taste," would bring Morrisroe something he claimed was the "latest thing for the boudoir." As she grew into her elegant but problematic 9 narrow feet, specific shoes initiated her into first love, such as the ruby ballerina slippers that allowed her to get into sexy character for her community theater group's performance in high school, and the granny boots that she wore constantly during the Tufts-in-London college program where she fell for a Roger Daltrey lookalike. Straightforward and funny, Morrisroe proves to be a great companion as she navigates shoe stores, high heels, and foot fetishes.
