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The Cobbler
- How I Disrupted an Industry, Fell from Grace, and Came Back Stronger than Ever
- Narrated by: Steve Madden
- Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
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The Cobbler
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Summary
Everyone knows Steve Madden's name and his shoes, but few are familiar with his story. Over the past 30 years, Steve Madden has taken his eponymous shoe company from the fledgling start-up he founded with a mere $1,100 to a global, multibillion-dollar brand. But Madden's mistakes, from his battle with addiction to the financial shortcuts that landed him in prison, are as important to his story as his most iconic shoes. In this raw, intimate, and ultimately inspiring book, Madden holds nothing back as he shares what it took to get here and the lessons he's learned along the way. From his unconventional hiring strategies to his slavish devotion to product, Madden offers a business perspective that is as unique as his styles. In The Cobbler, listeners are treated to the wild ride though his rise, fall, and comeback. But they will also walk away uplifted by a man who has owned up to his mistakes and come back determined to give back and use his hard-won platform to create positive change.
What listeners say about The Cobbler
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Linda T
- 13-10-23
Cobbler
Exactly what it says on the tin. He was a cobbler who started his business then ended up in jail . Returned and jumped right back in. Love a good rags to riches story.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Fuxi Dai
- 19-05-23
Passion always prevails
Congratulations and thank you for sharing your account of the ups and downs of Steve Madden with so much vividness and passion. The story telling feels little like a marketing stunt but more as a friend one has grown up with. When I first saw your shop in Jing'an Temple, Shanghai in 2013 , I had absolutely no idea who or what Steve Madden was about (only my Canadian gf at the time was thrilled to spot it.) Your story has defintiely made your brand so much more interesting with now the added personal touch. The character developed through your struggles and the authenticity you have so successfully conveyed in the book will definitely win many times over.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Tori
- 10-09-23
This really needs to be narrated by someone else
I’m really surprised not to find any reviews mention how terribly narrated the audible version of this book is. It totally ruined it for me, it was honestly the worst narrated book I’ve ever listened to.
Steve Madden may be a fantastic shoe designer and have built an incredibly successful business, but he’s not a narrator and unfortunately, he should’ve let someone else do this job.
If you are going to read this book I would suggest you buy the paper copy. The narration is strained, Madden often loses his place and there are long pauses right in the middle of sentences. When there aren’t long pauses because he’s lost his place, it’s like he’s trying to rush through the reading like it’s a race. There are absolutely no pauses after full stops, sentences run straight into one another until he needs to take a breath, which he often does right in the middle of sentences and very loudly. The tone is monotone and flat, never rising or lowering with the tone of the writing.
Sorry to go on but I just can’t believe no one listened to this and suggested he get a narrator in to redo it. I’ve seen far less badly narrated books get slammed in the reviews for the poor narration, to the point the author quickly rectifies it with a good narrator. Unfortunately with this, you couldn’t gain any momentum during the read as the sentences didn’t flow and it was so distracting, making it super hard to keep track of what was being said.
The overall story was interesting but not mind blowing in my opinion, who knows whether the narration influenced me more than I tried to let it, but from what I made out it was pretty average. The beginning was a little slow and boring for me, but maybe that was me needing to get used to Madden’s poor narrating skills, but the second half picked up and I found myself more intrigued to hear what happened. Particularly the parts where he went to prison and the different types of people he met. That was all very humbling and interesting.
Overall, the memoir was a 3 star for me, the narration a 1 star, so I landed on 2.
Side note: I only recently heard of the brand Steve Madden when I saw a pair of (very overpriced) trainers that I absolutely loved. Similar in design to the Adidas Ozweego’s but wayyyy cooler in my opinion (and way more expensive also). However, I tried them on and it was like standing on the concrete ground. They were so hard, with barely any cushioning and didn’t hug your feet at all. I was so surprised because of the price point, so I Googled are Steve Madden shoes known for being uncomfortable. And there’s so many forums discussing this all over the internet.
Obviously there are also people who think they’re crazy comfy. But realistically, for that many people saying they aren’t, and for the price point of the shoes, they really should relook at materials that add comfort. Obviously this is nothing to do with the book, just food for thought on the products themselves, because they are, in my opinion, really cool designs. Madden clearly has an eye for that sort of thing.
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