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Press clippings, reviews, and blog posts about Manolo the Shoeblogger’s The Consolation of the Shoes
*****
The 48-page story is delightfully absurd, but it is far too affectionate to be considered a parody of Boethius’s The Consolation of Philosophy. (I’d call it an homage.) The writing is deft and graceful, a pleasure to read. I’m dying to know the true identity of this writer and hope that he will publish a novel soon […] I’ve narrowed him down to: someone with a degree in philosophy and probably a guy. Fans of John Kennedy Toole will see a kindred spirit at work here.
*****
The honest truth is that I thought the whole thing was a hoax. Manolo the Shoeblogger had, supposedly, written a book called The Consolation of Shoes, an obvious parody (homage?) to Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy. It even had an introduction by the deliciously over-the-top character Herr Professor Doktor Boethius von Korncrake.
Then Manolo sent me a *.pdf copy of his book, and I’ll be darned if it isn’t a real thing: a book-length version of Boethius’s Consolation, except with shoes.
[…]
If you know your Boethius, it is very funny, with several laugh-out-loud moments. I would highly recommend it for anyone toiling away at serious Boethius scholarship. Go ahead, give your mind a break, and let it dangle its toes in the sparkling stream that is The Consolation of Shoes.
Unlocked Wordhoard, June 13, 2007
*****
I will just commend The Consolation of The Shoes as the perfect pocket book, to be kept about one’s person when one inclines to lofty philosophical thoughts which are nonetheless rooted in the reality of our own flawed humanity.
*****
If you appreciate the Manolo (and if you don’t, is there something being wrong with your intelligence and wit?) then you should spend your measly six dollars on this piece of The Manolo’s writing instead of on a cheap pair of flip-flops from The Old Navy.
*****
Philosophy is fused with fashion and a dash or two of nostalgia. If you are already a Manolo fan, then you’ll find this little book both funny and thought-provoking.
*****
If you are a fan of [the Manolo’s] blogs as we are, you will want to get a copy of this immediately. His facetious wit is ever present and you will be thoroughly entertained by tales of young Manolo’s humble beginnings and his search for the miraculous shoes of heaven. His words leave an indelible impression on the mind and I found myself returning to them often after reading the book, giggling to myself at the memory they bring forth.
*****
…buy this book or, more exactly, pamphlet The Consolation of The Shoes by Manolo the Shoeblogger. It is indispensable reading, stunningly witty and hugely informative.
Roger L. Simon, Pajamas Media, May 27, 2007
*****
“You don’t have to have a fascination with shoes to enjoy the cultural and literary phenomena that is Manolo the Shoeblogger. Manolo embodies a certain fabulousity, a verbal elasticity and a post, post-Grey Gardens j’ne se qua for word lovers and shoe lovers alike.
“Published by the New Pamphleteer, The Consolation of the Shoes is a must for writers seeking inspiration and motivation. Nobody writes the way Manolo does; he stands as a beacon for what is possible when we paint with our words and create sublimely entertaining worlds.”
*****
“What follows is a tour de force like no other–for although it is solidly grounded in that best and most elegant of philosophical tradition of the Socratic inquiry, Manolo’s opus is at the same time breezy, funny, unpretentious, and eminently readable. The Manolo is trying to both grasp the meaning of Lady Fashion’s words and to find that elusive perfect pair of shoes. His quest is peppered with the occasional accounts of Manolo’s pitiable childhood, the description of the boisterous, mustachioed senor Mercurio, Manolo’s first employer, and others of the sort, but also the metaphysical musings on that very serious topic that we all love dearly, the Shoes. Revelations spring out of Manolo’s variegated and amusing prose like rare resplendent orchid flowers from the luxuriant tropical vegetation…”
Shoesense writing at ShoeBlog, May 20, 2007.
*****
“Riffing on Christian philosopher Boethius’ 6th-century work, the Consolation of Philosophy, Manolo’s writing integrates medieval-style text about longing for inner happiness with a fashionisto’s 21st century crisis of faith to create a social statement of footwear equality. Manolo’s erudition leads the reader on a humor-filled treasure hunt through oblique pop-culture references, quotes from Paradise Lost, the annals of European art history, and world culture.”
“From the Stacks,” Utne Reader, May 18,2007
*****
“A couple of book-publishing veterans, who have started a company called the New Pamphleteer, are starting to harvest the best of these online dispatches for publication in a series of 4-by-6-inch pamphlets, an old-school approach that just might convince literary purists that cyberprose is a worthy pursuit.”
“Shelf Life: Attack of the Pamphleteers,” Utne Reader, May / June 2007 Issue
*****
More coming soon…
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