Erica Orloff

I got more than I bargained for in this book (in a good way). I picked it up randomly from the library shelf and hadn't even read the tagline ("Their friendship has survived boyfriends, husbands, big eighties hair, labor and delivery, but can it outlive them?") before I started reading it.

The reference to High Heels in the title made me think it would be light (and I just didn't think about what the reference to heaven might be alluding to).

This is a split-perspective story, alternating show more between the narrative of Lily and her best friend Micheal. This is the tale of Lily turning 40 and learning she has cancer. And dying of it.

It's also the tale of how Micheal comes to be the father of Lily's two children after she passes away. Gay Micheal, who was brutally beat up to within an inch of his life by his college teammates when they had an inkling of suspicion that he might not be straight.

Extra heavy duty stuff.

The kind of stuff Literature is made of. But in this case, the auther takes a lighter approach to the heavy topics (while not making light of them) and it becomes chick lit. Really friggin' good chick lit. This book tugged at my heart strings but was not painful to read.

I don't know if there was an overriding message such as Live Life to It's Fullest or You Never Know Where Life Might Lead You (both themes that do flow from the book) or if it was just an all too real narrative of a woman dying of cancer meant to stand only for that. Either way it was well-done. show less

I don't often read "chick lit" romances, just because most of them remind me of an episode of Sex and the City--and I'm not a fan of the show. I am so, so happy that I picked up Erica Orloff's DO THEY WEAR HIGH HEELS IN HEAVEN? though, because this story transcends typical "chick lit" books.

Lily has just turned the big 4-0. With two children, the teen-aged Tara and seven-year-old Noah, an ex-husband endearingly called The Spawn of Satan who has a child-bride in London, and a gay best friend, show more Michael, Lily lives a full life. She's also a columnist for the local newspaper, and even though her dog is now wearing a t-shirt that says "My Bi**h is 40", she has a very fulfilling life.

Her editor at the paper, Joe, wants her to get a mammogram done for Breast Cancer Awareness month. Except good humor isn't going to get her through this one. There's a spot on her breast that the doctors are worried about, and rightfully so. Lily has cancer, the bad kind that has already spread to her lymph nodes, and life is about to get a whole lot more complicated.

DO THEY WEAR HIGH HEELS IN HEAVEN? is, to put it simply, amazing. Filled with laughter, tears (have a box of Kleenex handy!), and the ups and downs of daily life, Erica Orloff has captured everything there is to love, friendship, and tragedy.

One of my favorite chapters in the book is the part where Lily comes up with questions for God, besides the high heels in heaven one. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is there cancer, not to mention snakes and cockroaches? Why is a good man hard to find? Is Satan real? Does God really have a problem with gay people? Do dogs go to heaven? Most importantly, why does Lily have to die before she's old?

This book is a winner. The love between Lily and Michael, and that between Lily and her children, is perfectly told. You won't go wrong with this book, and the tears you'll shed while reading it are well worth it. show less

For some reason, when I bought this book I didn't even read the blurb. That's how much I loved the cover and the title *blush* Between the title and the cover I figured it was something about angels and didn't even think about reading the blurb and since my instincts rarely deceive me, I went with the flow. And I'm glad I did. Because I'm sure that I would've seen that "C word" part and freak out and then I would've miss a good book.

Lily, a single mom and a reporter, is asked to do an show more article about breast cancer and mammograms. She already has the article planed out. She know how it's going to sound like, what she's going to write about. But then the test results come back and the doctors tell her they need to perform more tests. When Lily find out that she has cancer she refuses to be a victim, saying that if she's going to die, she'll do it with style.

I liked Lily. Lily is a loving mother, a very good friend and a strong woman. She's the type of person that goes through life with a good dose of sarcasm and a strong will. She won't let what happens to her crumble her. If she falls, she gets back up. She's witty and funny.

Lily's best friend is Michael, an English professor. Michael is the best friend every girl needs. The one that stands next to you no matter what, the one you can call in the middle of the night because you have a problem, knowing that he won't hang up the phone and will actually listen to what you have to say, the one that will always remember your birthday and even if you're too old for funny gifts, he'll get you a gift fit for a 20 year old. Yes, Michael is gay, but I don't think that his sexual orientation comes between Lily and him. Only, of course, if they have the hots for the same guy. He takes care of Lily when she's sick and agrees to take over the custody of her kids after she dies. He's the best friend ever.

The book is different from what I usually read. It's bittersweet and it made me cry. Yes, CRY cry. It takes a lot to make me cry, but this book did it. I think everyone should read it. show less

This book was such a powerful but simple book. I was right in that it was a quick read, partially because I just couldn't put the book down but it was much more of an intense book than I had imagined.

The story is told in two voices, Lily Waters, a journalist who is divorced with two kids; and Michael Angelo (yes yes, very humorous) who is her gay best friend and pretty much the only father her children have known. The first scene of the book is the morning of Lily's fortieth birthday, with show more Michael calling her at five thirty in the morning to make sure he's the first person to wish her a happy birthday. It is already there that we see the deep connection these two have to each other.

The book is ultimately about Lily's discovery that she has been diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer. It was a complete accidental diagnosis-it was supposed to be a humorous tale of her breasts getting smashed and kneaded like dough. . . It turned into so much more than that.

The author, Erica Orloff, is one I had never heard of before, but writes so simply and beautifully about what what all of us want and few of us truly have: a friend that will be there no matter what-holding the pot you puke into or raising your children when their "Spawn of Satan" father ditches them for a child bride in England.

This book was originally supposed to be one of those books I read and immediately swapped back but I think I'm going to keep this one on the shelves for now . . . who knows? Maybe I've found that friend who will sit with me while I puke or they are still out there. . . show less