Zoe Fishman Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Bratz: Clued In! Books

Zoe Fishman is a bestselling American author popularly known for her Inheriting Edith, Saving Ruth, Driving Lessons and Balancing Acts. Her novels have been translated into German, Hebrew, Dutch, Polish, and Italian and are also available in large print editions and audio formats. She has won several awards including a Mom’s Choice Award, IndieNext Pick, Emerging Author Picks, Barnes & Noble Hot Read. Profiles and interviews of her have been featured on FGTV, Mobile Bay Magazine; NBC’s The Huffington Post, and The Atlanta Jewish Times.

Inheriting Edith

In Inheriting Edith, Zoe Fishman tells us a heartwarming story of two lost and broken women who form a bond that mends their broken souls. We meet Maggie Sheet, a single mother working as a house cleaner dreaming of the day when her financial crisis will end and start a whole new chapter in her life. Her life, however, changes when she comes to discover that her friend and former friend has committed suicide and left her an expensive home in Sag Harbor. But there is a catch- she has to take care of Liza’s aging mother Edith- and so the name Inheriting Edith.

Liza’s mother has genuinely enjoyed her independence despite being 82 years old. But after her daughter’s death and her Alzheimer’s disease, her independence becomes threatened. She is stubborn and “heavily guarded,” which makes it almost impossible for Maggie and her daughter to adjust to their new life. Maggie tries to help Edith in every way possible, but since her daughter’s death hurts Edith, she pushes her away. But that’s not until Edith suffers from a fall and she must rely on Maggie.

Edith starts to worry that the memories of her young self and her daughter might disappear forever, and so her Maggie agrees to write down her memories. This allows the two to open up to each other and develop a close relationship revealing to each other their dark secrets and also open up on the hurt that Liza left behind. The two women help each other heal and work on a healing process from their damaged pasts. The more Edith shares with her daughter’s friend, the more the two women fill in the missing pieces of their lives.

While Inheriting Edith seems like a light read at first, the main characters backstories gradually become more complex, showing their hidden sides of their personalities, explaining in detail the roots of their actions. Even the supporting characters in the story are diverse and play a crucial role in Maggie and Edith healing. A perfect example is Esther, who’s Edith’s best friend who meddles in about everything, but she is quite useful after Edith is diagnosed. She also helps Maggie in adjusting.

Zoe Fishman has crafted a beautiful story about personal healing and learning to work through personal mistakes to create second chances in life. There are light moments in the story, plenty of drama, a bit of romance, and a strong bond at its center. Strong friendship can bud from some unexpected places, and the friendship Edith and Maggie find in each other help them learn acceptance, forgiveness, and the true meaning of friendship.

Balancing Acts

Side plank, child’s pose, corpse pose, and a downward dog. All these might sound foreign and scary to the reader as it does to four women living in New York City. For the women at Prana, a yoga studio in Brooklyn, life has become complex balancing between the dreams that they once had for themselves and the reality they are living now.

We meet Sabine, a book editor who dreams about writing her novel but only spends her days editing manuscripts written by others. Once a successful photographer, Naomi is now struggling to find new inspiration through web design as she raises her child. Then there is Bess, a journalist who dreams of more than just writing copies on a fallen starlet. Lastly, there is Charlie the owner of the yoga studio who unites the four women together and struggles to remain open up and remain honest even after a heartbreaking breakup.

All college friends, the ladies are reunited at a reunion party in the city when initiating a chat how things were back then and how they are now. Eager to spike up business for her emerging yoga studio, Charlie invites Sabine, Bess, and Naomi to attend an introductory class on Saturday mornings. And even though each woman has a unique reason for showing up each Saturday, they eventually learn a lot about themselves.

Balancing Acts is an inspirational, upbeat story centered on the complex lives of four women- all who by the end of the story, feel like best friends. The author does a fantastic job of providing detailed information about all the four women allowing the reader enough information and time to relate with each one of them and their troubles without the narrative breaking into random information or clichés. The characters are relatable; female readers will find a true reflection of themselves through either of the women. The story is narrated in third person perspective, thus allowing the author enough time to dissect each character for the reader to understand them better.

Zoe Fishman conversational skills are great and fantastic. Not at one point does the reader feel dropped in and out of the characters chats. The conversations are in such a way that is reading them; the reader can already clearly hear the women speaking the natural speech in their mind. Even though each woman had a reason for trying yoga and step beyond their comfort zone, yoga is just a frame for the larger story. The author makes references to texting and facebooks something that every modern reader is accustomed to. Overall, Balancing Acts is a refreshing, fun, captivating, and engrossing story about friendship, breaking emotional barriers, and marching confidently into a bright future. Their friendship can help them mend their current life crisis. Women who love fiction will find their true reflection in Fishman’s characters.

2 Responses to “Zoe Fishman”

1. Virginia M Rusch: 4 years ago

   Looking for Zoe Fishman’s book Discovering Maggie. I don’t see it on any of her lists. Just finished reading Inheriting Edith and Discovering Maggie is in the back of book. Is it coming out soon or just part of the Inheriting Edith book

   Reply
   • Graeme: 4 years ago

     No books by Zoe under that name have yet been published.

     Reply