You sure have heard about In Valeria's shoes. You can well relate it to a book or a Netflix series. Or with both. Therefore, this time we want to focus on the book to discuss with you what you can find in it.
If you haven't given it a chance yet, or are wondering if it's worth reading after seeing the live-action series, here is the answer to your dilemma.
Who has written In Valeria's shoes?
The author and creator of Valeria's universe is the writer Elisabet Benavent. This writer was born in 1984 in Valencia and studied Audiovisual Communication at the University of Valencia, as well as a Master's Degree in Communication and Art from the Complutense University of Madrid. He was working in a multinational company. However, since she was little she had had a passion for reading and also for writing.
So one day he decided to capture the ideas that occurred to him and in 2013 he published the first novel: In Valeria's shoes, which was followed by the rest of the books that make up the saga.
It has sold more than 8000000 copies and even the first book has already been adapted into a television series produced by Netflix.
What is it about In Valeria's shoes
In Valeria's shoes we meet a main character, Valeria. She is in her twenties, and lives in a city for which the author does not cite a name, nor does she delimit a temporal space (a specific month, a year, etc.).
Valeria She is from Madrid and is married, but the love she felt for her partner, and which arose in adolescence, seems to have faded. She is a writer, so in her search for material for a second novel, she goes out with her friends, Nerea, Lola and Carmen. At the party she meets Victor, and the two begin to connect.
The plot will focus on that relationship that arises between Víctor and Valeria, and how she must deal with the situation that she lives, since she is married, although she is not having a good time with her partner. Of course, do not think that in the first book you will know what happens with the characters, since it is the first book in the saga.
Main characters
In Valeria's shoes she has many characters that we could highlight for you. But those that are most important are:
- Valeria. The protagonist, a woman who has a very determined character but, in reality, is very different from how she appears.
- Lola. She does not like to be called Dolores, she is very pretty, sophisticated and one-night stands.
- Carmen. She is the most loving, dreamy and very sincere when it comes to saying something.
- Nerea. She is Valeria's best friend since she was 14 years old, very pretty and comes from a rich family. Sometimes she is too innocent and can appear to be cold.
- Adrian. He is Valeria's husband, with whom she no longer has a good relationship.
- Victor. He is a friend of Lola and, when he meets Valeria, they feel a very strong connection.
What are the other books in the saga
With In Valeria's shoes you do not have a book with a beginning and an end, but a saga composed of four. All of them offer a temporality and sequence of events that occur to the characters. Does that mean you have to read them all? Yes and no. Normally the author leaves them a bit closed, but with many unknowns. If you have been hooked, the safest thing is that, after the first, you will be on track for the next three.
And what are those books? Well:
- In Valeria's shoes. The first of the saga and where it introduces you to the characters. Some say it is the weakest, but also because it serves as a presentation.
- Valeria in the mirror. Continuation of everything that happens in the first book, and an advance that not only has Valeria as its protagonist, but also her friends.
- Valeria in black and white. Third part in which he has to face a reality that he does not expect, but that causes conflicting feelings.
- Valeria naked. The end of the saga and a denouement for Valeria's story but, somehow, also for her friends.
In Valeria's shoes, the Netflix series
As we have mentioned before, the saga In Valeria's shoes has a series adaptation. Netflix was the one who got the adaptation rights and has already released several seasons.
Now, those who have read the novels and seen the series have been "disenchanted", since both have points in common, but many that are not as it really happens in fiction.
Therefore, if you really want to know what the real Valeria, her friends and other characters are like, we recommend that you read the book because it will not disappoint you.
Why read the novel
Finally, we do not want to leave this topic without giving you reasons to read In Valeria's shoes, by Elisabet Benavent. Besides that it was the first novel that this Valencian author released, and that it was so successful, the truth is that there are more reasons for you to read it, such as the fact that it deals with topics that may be important, such as feelings. The fact that narrate experiences by which readers, especially female readers, can be identified, makes it hook.
In addition, these feelings do not refer only to the partner, but also to friends, self-esteem problems, etc. that, somehow, they can even open the eyes of readers to realize that there are more people who have suffered than they; Or see the problem in perspective to get out of that "well" where they are.
Although it must be taken into account that it is a novel, and that the author does not delve into these issues, she does give them a voice so that people feel identified with the characters and with the situations that are narrated in the book.
Have you read In Valeria's Shoes? Do you share your opinion?