Rating: 2/5
Review:
Not for me
I’m afraid I
didn’t get on very well with The Emperor of Shoes. I should have
done, really – it’s well written and has a noble aim, but it
completely failed to engage me.
Set in China in
2015, Alex is made to take over from his father as controller of the
shoe factory he owns. The father is an uncaring, ruthless employer
who exploits his workforce and treats them badly, while Alex has a
conscience and has also fallen for a beautiful worker in the factory,
who is also a fearless campaigner… I’m afraid it just felt like
a very corny set-up. This is a serious work of fiction and very well
written, but I really was constantly reminded of the Mill-Owner’s
Son Falls For Factory Girl cliché. The romance didn’t convince
me, I didn’t get much sense of place in China, the message seemed
rather heavy-handedly presented and the Jewish Guilt stuff didn’t
do a lot for me either.
I’m sorry to be
critical of a well-written book with a fine purpose and one which
many people have plainly found very good, but I’m afraid I had to
struggle to keep going and I can’t recommend it.
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