"One thing you can always count on in life is that if you're actually living it instead of just watching, there will always be more channel markers and more stumbling blocks and more growth rings along the way."
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Fabulous in Flats by Mary T. Wagner iUniverse
book review by Libby Grandy
Mary T. Wagner is a gifted storyteller and writer. In Fabulous in Flats, Wagner turns everyday events into interesting, often funny stories. Wagner received awards for her previous books, Running with Stilettos and Heck on Heels. This book is no less praise-worthy.
Wagner asserts in the foreword that she is not going to give up wearing spike heels but admits they are not suitable for every occasion, such as housework, snowshoeing, or horseback riding. This is evident in her first chapter, "The Sisterhood of the Chop Saw." The fact that she had never read the words "chop" and "saw" in the same sentence did not deter her from acquiring the necessary equipment and protective gear to cut bricks for a patio. The reader vicariously becomes another volunteer for the project along with her family and friends.
Other diverse chapters cover an array of subjects from beloved pets and snow days in the Midwest to more somber references to her serious horseback riding accident, family illness and divorce.
Wagner writes about her experiences as a criminal prosecutor, writer, mother and friend with transparent honesty. The reader can relate to a too-busy life and understands when she says, "...I had too many things to think about at once," and goes to her computer to book a week at a writer's retreat in the woods to do the"the Walden thing." She wears both her flats and stiletto heels with good humor and grace. Fabulous in Flats is essay/memoir writing at its best.