Anne Lamott Books

I found this anthology wonderfully refreshing, and very validating. It gives affirmation to the intense emotional endeavor of raising a young man, and allows a communal feeling with other mothers on the same journey. The stories are poignantly shared, and are passionately detailed. I recommend this book to any Mother raising a son!

Perhaps this collection resonated more deeply with me than other reviewers because I consider myself a feminist *and* a mother of two spirited sons. My eldest son is only five years old and his nemesis/favorite person in the known universe a mere three and a half, but this rich book struck a chord deep within me that has not been played enough as a busy mother. I couldn't get enough of these esays. I am still hungry for more, so I pick up my pen and write a little bit everyday now.

As with many short story / essay collections, it is hard to review the book overall as the individual contributions are uneven.
In this case, almost all are moving and at least some will touch a heartstring (or raw nerve!) in every mother.
Many play the feminist angle, which I felt may be somewhat misplaced in a mother-son relationship.
A couple I'd already read in other collections (e.g. `Toddler'), including one of my personal favourites, Jonathan Bing by Priscilla Leigh MacKinley, about a mother who lost her sight during childbirth and has to adapt to becoming blind and the responsibility of responsibility of caring for a new baby at the same time ... the thought alone makes me shudder, but she writes about it beautifully and it was a joy to read again.
All-in-all, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

I bought Between Mothers and Sons for myself as a Mother's Day gift when my son was 3 months old. I was moved viscerally by the essays contained in this book. Although I do agree with the reviewer from Wisconsin that the collective voice of these essays is limited, I feel that the emotional tumult felt and expressed by these very talented women is universal.

Each in her own way, the writers in this collection make complex connections -- with their sons and with readers. There's a great range of experiences here for the reader who wants to concentrate on the mother-son relationship rather than on family relationships in general.

I sometimes cried and more often laughed -- but I also thought about my female friends and their sons, and agreed with what I was reading -- then remembered my mother and sisters and their sons, and argued back -- considered my male friends, and understood more than I had before.

The authors had some great stories to tell, and the quality of the writing fully repaid a second (and for some essays, a third) reading. The author's own very moving contribution was my favorite, but months after reading the book, there are many moments I remember.

This book gives hope and inspiration to many who wish to change or break through a fear. I enjoyed every story and could in some way relate to them all. Ms. Conway has a refreshing and witty way of writing and look forward to her next book!! I recommend this as a gift to someone that needs a little boost.

A light delightful read that offers hope to those who feel caught in a life of few choices. It's a basic follow-your-heart advice manual which also questions how much one depends on money for happiness.

Just what I needed to refocus and prioritize after 20 years in the same job. This was an instant sabbatical for me. Gave me the energy boost I needed to move forward.

This book is fantastic in pushing us all to our very limits, posing the best of the best "what if" questions, and ecouraging us to act on them! So much fun to read, dream, and answer with action-- what would you do if you had no fear???

A magazine article prompted me to buy this book. Conway's humor's engaging, and the anecdotes are inspiring. But the book stops there.

Each section is headed with an aspect of the title's question:

*What would you do [if you had no fear]?
*Who would you be [if you had no fear]?
*Where would you go [if you had no fear]?

Your answers are likely to be:
...I would do/make/be/write/create ____, if I had ____.
...I would go to ____, except that I don't have _____.
...I would be a ____, if I'd ever gotten to ____ like I wanted to, all those years ago before ____.

And you are left hanging with your answers. Conway does inspire you to rekindle your desires, but she doesn't help you deal with the rationalizations standing in your way.

[For that, honestly, I'd suggest Laura Berman Fortgang's "Living Your Best Life."]

Conway often alludes to what occurs in her seminars. So the reader (or at least this reader) is left to wonder whether the seminars have the same content as the book, or whether they have more meat to them--and if so, why isn't that in this book?

Grace, Eventually is my first experience with Ms. Lamott's writing and it will certainly not be the last. Her self deprecating humor struck a chord and has opened up my own writing to a new dimension.

For someone who seems to be very perceptive on human relations and seems to have a very close relationship with Jesus, this woman has a disproportionate and illogical hatred of Bush. Perhaps this comes from only having friends that think as she does. When she is writing about her son and her relatives, she is very good but the passages and one-liners about her Bush hatred are hard to get through. I suppose this sort of writing isi a hoot to her Salon readers but it will date the book quickly. When she writes about abortion she is doctrinaire and pedestrian.

What's not to like about Anne Lamott's Grace Eventually? A collection of essays in which she describes moments of spiritual clarity and examples of the divine in daily life, the book is a treasure trove of writings about topics ranging from abortion to euthanasia and lots of good stuff in-between. Through Sam, Lily, her mother, her vast and motley crew of friends, and even those whom she casually encounters, Lamott teaches lots of lessons on grace and love.

Some of the writing made me feel sad (Gertrud's sickness), some mad (the carpet guy), some glad (chirren musings) and some scared (shadows scenario). Although she might irritate and even anger some people with her views on George W. Bush, abortion, and global warming, Lamott makes no claim to be a saint, but rather a person who's doing her best to see God in everything and to do her part in making the world a better place. After assisting with a special-ed dance class and learning that one of the dancers said, "I liked those old ladies! They were helpers, and they danced," Lamott decided on the words that she wanted on her gravestone: "that I was a helper, and that I danced."

I would recommend this book to anyone who has past issues that they have struggled with. This is a very candid account of one person's life and the way that they have turned it around. I really liked the honesty, even if I didn't always agree with her position.

Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith I have enjoyed the books by Lamott because I can relate to them. Down to earth - up close and personal writings that most have experienced. Excellent - certainly helped me to realize that I was not atypical.

This is a wonderful sequel to "Rosie" by LaMott, but stands well on its own. It's a "coming of age" genre.

A rather heartwarming novel of adolescence, grief, sexual awakening, and tennis set in the Bay Area of California.

I really loved this book, mostly because I could empathize with Rosie's middle school angst and insecurites. But I also admire (and envy) Lamott's writing in general - she creates beautiful phrases such as "it was so hot that the only things moving outside were the crickets and the anorexics" and "the sun smelled warm, like laundry in the dryer, like melting yellow crayons." Her writing startles me sometimes, so I have to stop and reread. I would never think to associate melting yellow crayons with the sun, for example...but the comparison makes perfect sense.

Simone, Rosie's best friend, wasn't one of my favorite characters at first, but her story turned out to be heartbreaking, and I was genuinely sad for her. I can still see her sitting on the bench with Rosie, waiting for Jason. Collapsed dreams, humiliation, and the double standard all follow - as usual, the male is not castigated by society. The male is not kicked out of the country club.

I liked Rae, Rosie's mom's best friend, the successful artist. When teased for her religious views, I was so proud of Rosie for defending her, reminding everyone that America "was founded on the principle of religious freedom," and no one should trivialize a woman's deepest feelings.

I also liked Luther, the mysterious observer at the tennis tournaments. I thought he was creepy at first, but he paid attention to Rosie when no one else did (her mother might be spacing out as she retreats into the past, and her stepfather might be checking his messages). Luther helped her, was there for her, so Rosie was never alone during a game.

"Too bad about the hair.." - when Rosie's coach said this to her (upon seeing Rosie's newly shorn head), it only confirmed my belief that he's sexist, that his voice echoes a society which regards hair as something that defines women, gives them value, forms stereotypes. Alas, Simone had glorious hair, and look what happened to her...her value appeared to decline in the end.

When a woman chops off most of her hair, it is one of the most liberating things in the world. I wish I'd gotten rid of mine when I was Rosie's age, instead of waiting until I was 24.

It took me about 6 weeks to finish this book. I usually finish a book I like in about 2-3 days, but I just couldn't get into this one. I kept thinking it would get better...It didn't. I read one other Anne Lamott novel and never finished it. Since so many readers had raved about this book, I decided to keep reading to see why it was so highly praised. The other reason I kept reading was because it seemed like there was something dark in Elizabeth's past that was lurking and waiting to come to the surface, but I didn't feel like this ever really got explained. It seemed like the storyline kept building up and up, and then just sort of fizzled out. I sort of cared about Rosie, more toward the end then at any other time. I barely cared (if at all) about her mother, Elizabeth. There were some good descriptions and some wonderfully poetic passages, but they didn't make up for the lack of care that I felt for the characters. I cared more about the supporting characters (Lank, Rae, and Charles) than I did about the developed main characters. I really disliked some of the comparisons/similes that the author made; especially the ones about likening the characters to birds. Since I tried to read two Anne Lamott books and didn't like either of them, maybe I just don't like her writing in general. From the looks of many of these comments, she seems to have lots of fans that love her writing! I'm just not one of them.

After a slow start, I gradually fell in like with the writing style and people in this coming-of-age novel. I say "in like" because I have discovered I'm not overly partial to character-driven novels. Still, Lamott writes gorgeous descriptive sentences and uses lovely similes. Her grasp on the dynamics of a blended family and the social pressures on modern teenage girls seems effortless and without artifice.

It's a nice piece of work and well worth reading. It's just not to my taste.

This one was a tough one for me to get into for the first 100 pages. Once I was fully immersed, I found that the characters were what drew me in. They are all quite flawed in one way or another which comes out more and more by the end of the book. I most enjoyed reading about the mother, Elizabeth - especially her strangely sweet romantic relationship that comes up later in the story. Rosie was my first, but definitely not last, Ann Lamott novel.

Excellent reading. Has some unexpected turns and one of them kind of leaves you hanging.

I purchased the book because of the promise on the back cover, "As Rosie grows older and more curious, Elizabeth must find a way to nurture her extraordinary daughter - even if it means growing up herself."

I kept waiting to get to the part where Elizabeth grows up, but that isn't what the book is about at all. The book is about an alcoholic who never grows up, although she does stop drinking at the very end.

I realize Anne Lamont is an excellent author but this book I found to be extremely disturbing,actually to the point of several times putting the book down and trying to get it off my mind,but she is successful in making one reading it to the end.I did not have any sympathy for Elizabeth in this book,was enthralled with Rosie,and felt heartache for a child to have to endure the pangs of an alcoholic mother. I am sorry I read this book.

I have long been a big fan of Ann Lamont since first reading Traveling Mercies. I shared that book with friends and they too have enjoyed them. Each time I look for her books another little treasure pops up that I didn't know about.

Ms. Lamont has drawn Rosie and her family and friends with a deft pen. I couldn't put it down. I was so drawn into Elizabeth and her alcoholic spiral and then James comes along and you think maybe, just maybe things will be alright. Ann handles all the tender aspects of the story with great sensitivity and draws such compassion for the characters. She is my favorite author both as a writer and personally in her struggles with finding her spiritual path. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read her other books or to someone who is looking for a literate and compassionate look at the lives we lead. She is someone I would love to sit down and talk to for hours. I hope you will too.

I could not believe some of the negative reviews I read about this book. I normally never write reviews but I had to put in my two cents to counter the negativity. I do believe that this book is not for everyone, but for me, it resonates with such truth and clarity that it makes me smile every time I think of a passage. True, there is less in the way of plots than most books, but the plot that exists is very similar to real life, and the characters are like my own family. It is witty and well-timed, and gives those of us who sometimes question our sanity an answer: yes, there are others out there like you. The main character, Jen, copes with her father's illness in a very real and human way. All too often characters in books that are faced with a life altering situation such as a father's cancer face it in ways you can never imagine yourself doing: being full of grace, honorable, constantly patient. Jen faces it just the way I would: full of terror, trying to maintain a normal life in the meantime, and with as much humor as she can muster. It is a beautiful story, and I wish I could be friends with the characters. The verses are as comforting to me as a bible is to a devoutly religious person. It reminds me of the good things in life "love, laughter, sex, music and avocados", as one of the characters writes. The sweet, funny interactions between the family members remind me of my own family and give me the urge to call them. The anecdotes seem like something out of my own life, but told with a great deal more humor and perfect timing. I cannot recommend this book enough. It was moving and fun and I re-read it at least once every couple of months. Definitely the best of Anne Lamott's so far. I encourage everyone to read it!

Ok...so Lamott's approach might be a little "random" here, but I value her candid honesty. Most of us would never get that transparent and reflective about our most important relationships and how what happens in them shapes our lives - not only because of them, but in spite of them. I appreciate how this author lets us see, through her gifted prose, how she thinks and evolves from this very first write to her very latest. She was a disaster waiting to happen, but has much to teach us (further evidenced in her subsequent books) about a God who is there, is not silent, and works with us right where we really live. Her wacky poignant out-of-the-box humor filters for us the tough stuff of real life so we too might look at it more thoughtfully - or so that we might be able to look at it at all."

I'll admit, I'm a huge Anne Lamott fan, but this was the only book of hers that I hadn't read until now (I know, I'm about 20 years late). But I wasn't let down, even though it was her first published novel.

I've had my share of family medical scares, including one of my own, and it was amazing at how dead-on Anne illustrates the emotions that people go through in times of crisis. My family is similar to the one in the book, in that we truly exercise the "laughter is the best medicine" mantra. But sometimes you just can't laugh at the face of a horrible disease like cancer ... and sometimes you have to just to survive. That's what this book is all about.

Some people might read this and think, "What was the point?" I read it and thought, "Wow. Anne just gets human emotion and writes about it superbly." This book is basically a commentary about life and death, why bad things happen to good people, etc., told through stories about the family in the book, and it's very autobiographical.

It's not my favorite Lamott book, but it's definitely at the top of the list.

I had missed reading this book by Lamott for some reason and when I saw it on the front cover of her new book ordered it to catch up. I am so glad I did as the insights are so fun and even though the material is heavy and my life is "heavy" right now...I find a smile on my face and some laugh outloud moments....I am so glad I ordered the book and dove right into it's story.

Great light reading for late at night. Some good gems, examples; "I knew by 10 years old that life would be happier if only I were quite stupid and devoutly religious.." or, "Happy work is as gratifying as sex or hard laughter or love or good drugs." Or about boys, "I wonder if they will grow up to be adult males who are led by their penises and wallets, or if, at thirty, they will visit sad friends." And, "Your looks start to go about the time you start growing up, about the time things are starting to gel.."

This book is somewhat different than Lamott's other work, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. It is about a girl named Nanny and her family and the sixties. It reads like a memoir, and my guess is it has very much basis in the reality that is the author's life. The narration has a very stream-of-consciousness feel to it, and covers a lot for such a quick read. I loved the way of storytelling--Nanny tells the story straight through the emotional center of the things that happen. Anyone who ever had a childhood will enjoy everything in this book. Even if that childhood wasn't in the sixties.

I think that Anne Lamott is one of the most amazing writers of our time! I have read everything she has ever written, both fiction and non-fiction and have always eagerly awaited her next book! I only wish that Oprah would discover her and then the rest of the world can find out what they have been missing! I know Anne has a devoted, loyal following but she deserves to be a best-selling author! All New People was the first book of Anne's that I read and I discovered it completely by accident when I picked it up in the bookstore one day. Her characters are so real and funny and ALL of her books ALWAYS make me laugh and cry! I feel as if I know her characters and her as well. I have recommended her books to all the readers I know and I hope EVERYONE reads her books someday! Anne,your books are wonderful !

The book was very similar to Lamotts Travelin Mercies....only fictionalzed. It was sad and sweet and in some parts you were left kind of hanging...not sure what was meant or felt. Then again, Anne Lamott does that to you. She challenges you to branch out in your way of thinking. It was a good read.

I've read all Lamott's nonfiction and fallen in love with her wit, honesty, and spiritual searching. I approached this first fictional experience wondering if her personality and style would show through. The answer: Yes.

I couldn't help but feel I was reading one of Lamott's nonfiction pieces, actually recognizing characters, quotes, and anecdotes from her own life. This is inevitable in any fiction, I suppose, but Anne's style is so unique and strong that it was somewhat distracting to me.

I do intend to try another of her fictional works--I'll read anything of hers I can get my hands on. She is poignant without being melodramatic, funny without being insulting. I love Lamott's writing; in general, though, I think I prefer to read her real life experiences.

I've read all of Anne's books and this one is as good as or better than the best. Anne is the Queen of all writers of all time! Nobody does it better. She has a sense of humor like no other woman I've ever known, and it shines through in this book. The line from which the title comes is suberb---and now a part of our family lingo. "In a hundred years, all new people!" I love it!!! Thanks, Anne, for sharing your sparkling wit and unique family with us. I can't wait to read your new one coming out this year, "Blue Shoe".

I like Anne Lamott's writings but she continuously bashes the President in this book. I think this is uncalled for. Seriously. She hates the President instead of praying for him (and as another reviewer noted she should "love thy neighbor") it totally turned me off in this book. Thank goodness I got this one at the library and did not waste my money on this book. Very disappointing.

I love Anne Lamott and this book is no exception. As always, she writes with honesty and humor about her everyday experiences. She helps me see the lighter and darker side of Christianity and life in general. I can relate to her foibles and rejoice with her in her human triumphs. I'm glad for Christian writers who I can relate to-not holier than thou, never make a mistake writers. I won't mention names. This book was a blessing.

I adore this woman for her faith, her wit and her unbelievable ability to keep on "keepin on" but the politics in this book just about drove me over the edge. I know, I know... to love Annie is to expect her political rantings. I kept reading and I did gleam little nuggets here or there of the Annie I know & love. It was worth the read, if only I could fast forward some of the politic heavy chapters.

Anne Lamott is back in all of her glorious humor, angst, and wisdom. If you haven't discovered Anne yet, she is shock therapy for those of us who learned how to be religious before we learned how to be human.

In Traveling Mercies, Anne shared her crooked journey through alcoholism, bulimia, and broken relationships to a connection with St. Andrews Presbyterian Church and Jesus. Now, in Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, Anne shares the new challenges to her faith: The Bush Administration, her aging mother, menopause, the losing friends to illness, teaching Sunday School, and raising her teen-aged son, Sam. While many of her crises in Plan B are stock milestones of middle age they are no less poignant when rendered by Anne's pen.

Anne's power comes from her unflinching authenticity, a scarce quality in the self-serving industry of memoir writing. Anne describes her life has it happens, without bothering to airbrush away her neurotic impulses and imperfections. Her self-depreciating humor and honesty creates a picture of spirituality reminiscent of Dostoevsky; we are all simultaneously noble and depraved. As I read Plan B, I laughed with Anne at her foibles and became more honest about my own.

Anne Lamott, along with Fredrick Buechner, might be the best living Christian Author that you can't find at a Christian book store. Anne elevates cursing to a literary art form. More significantly, Anne is openly pro-choice and pro-gay rights. She addresses God as a feminine being. Some readers might balk at her left-wing politics. However, I'd challenge any reader to see Anne as more than the sum of her politics and ideas. Reading anything by Anne Lamott creates the opportunity to remember that God wills and works through your bad attitudes, flawed character, and humanity. Wading through Anne's positions is worth any personal risk you might feel. Encountering her writing style is a joyous experience and you'll bump into God's grace as often as you will step in piles of human frailty.

Anne is back and triumphant.

Traveling Mercies ranks as one of my favorites. Though my political viewpoint is quite different from the authors, her insights that illustrate how you could work around your own bias and experience the holy in your own human failings was totally up my alley.

I was sorely disappointed by the venom that whacks you upside the head shortly after opening the book. I guess loving your neighbor as yourself only applies to those folks whose politics are not too far off from your own.

I had to get it returned before it tainted my love of her other books. If it were not for those other writings I would have rated this book NO stars! I pray that her next offering will be more about faith than hate.

Anne Lamott captures imperfect people in our imperfect world beautifully in this novel. Readers who think Lamott has left them bereft of plot aren't paying attention. The title character's imperfections construct the plot for us. This books is about loving someone despite it all.
Joe Jones is flawed, and does not realize his shortcomings, making those that genuinely care about him the central characters. I found great strength and hope in Louise - she was more physically and spiritually beautiful by the end of this novel than I ever expected. Louise also teaches us by example. Faith and inner strength are not attributes bestowed one time that last forever. They falter, need to be replenished, and are questioned daily, hourly for each of us. I think we forget that sometimes.
I always find guidance in Lamott's writings - snippets and phrases that bolster me and comfort me. "Joe Jones" is no different - the memorable phrase from this being "It's just so time-consuming being me."

In the introduction, Lamott thanks Jane Vanderburgh(sp?) for lending an editing hand to Joe Jones, published a long time ago. Having read the original and liked its quirky, flawed movements, I am now absolutely savoring this rewrite. It is a full novel, rounded and studded with unforgettable characters like the elderly Jessie (the car driving scene - the long one - isi sidesplittingly funny), the romantic but wise Lou, and of course the charming and lovely young Willie, whom we all know out there somewhere, the eternal boy-man. Oh it's all pure delight. Fey to the naysayers! A perfect read for the intelligent reader who doesnt need a Hollywood plot or a pat ending. I will not,howvever, be satisfied until Anne writes a sequel to Rae's character in Rosie. We need the Rae book, Annie! We honestly do. All hail Lamott, writer for women (and men) who think.

I had just read my first book from this author entitled "All new people" and had loved it when I picked this book up. I hated it. I didn't even finish it. I kept waiting for something to happen and nothing much ever did. I kept reading it thinking that even if nothing happened I would get involved with the characters and cherish the description of their everyday lives but that didn't happen. The writing was just too abstract and.... weird. The characters had some off-kilter characteristics about them that should have been lovable but I just didn't find endearing. Things weren't explained that should have been explained and things that I didn't care about were expanded upon. I was very disappointed since I loved the first book of hers that I had read but I will read others from this author to see if this is the exception or the rule. Overall, an extremely tough book to even start, much less finish.

I am an avid Anne LaMott reader. The commentator who said they were off to read ROSIE will NOT be disappointed. That is an extraordinary book. Although I enjoyed these characters they didn't have the usual depth of LaMott's characters. They were all full of flaws, yes, but I didn't actually believe how they felt about each other. And I could find little in me that even liked Joe Jones. I would've rather seen Louise in a book all by herself. Anyway - I am not swayed from my love of LaMott and her work but this wasn't my fave and I certainly don't reccommend it to forst time readers of her work. Do not stop go - go directly to ROSIE.

After reading Bird by Bird and Operating Instructions, I was thrilled to start on Joe Jones.
I've been terribly dissapointed by a flimsy beginning, void of storyline. I've labored through the belly of the book and now find myself wondering whether I'll ever finish it. (doubtful)
I still have faith in Anne Lammott so I'll be trying out "Rosie"... it's hard to imagine that the writer who put out Bird by Bird and made me think and wonder and laugh out loud could have written this boring story where none of the characters mean a thing to me.
oh well I guess we're all entitled to bad moments. My advice? don't read this one if you appreciate her work, it might put you off her completely.

I've not read anything else by Anne Lamott, but I plan to. I bought "Blue Shoe" on a whim and didn't expect it to be a light, easy, fluffy read. To my surprise, I've read it again since. No, the characters aren't perfect, yes, they fail. But they are so very human.

Certainly, sometimes we want to read fiction which will provide us with characters so good, so lacking in imperfection, that we can try to aspire to their perfect heights. And sometimes, conversely, we want to read about real, flawed people, ones who affirm our own lives. Which of us has never - be honest! - wanted the wrong person (or the right one) at the wrong time? has never engaged in emotionally destructive behaviors? has not known the right answer? Ms Lamott tells the story with such kindness and generosity to her characters... I can only hope to aspire to be so loving to myself and to my own friends.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. At times, I found it a bit dark and depressing, but in it I saw a bit of everyone I know embedded in its characters. As always, Ms Lamott's writing is hypnotic and poetic in a funny and sometimes melancholy way.

The S.F. Bay area's Anne Lamott is well known through her fiction (Joe Jones, Crooked Little Heart, All New People, etc.) and non-fiction (Bird by Bird, Traveling Mercies, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith). Both adored and distrusted for her outspoken faith and her hilarious candor about messy issues like sexual mores, abortion, divorce, Lamott's writings demonstrate that life is a bundle of contradictions for people like her, like me, like all of us who on the way but not there yet. A Guggenheim fellowship recipient, she has been a Mademoiselle book reviewer and a California restaurant critic. She has taught at UC Davis and teaches writing workshops across the U.S.

In Blue Shoe, Lamott allows us to eavesdrop and peek in on the tensions, struggles, and alliances made and broken by three generations of Mattie Ryder's family. She is a forty-something, perfect size 12, divorced mother of two young children, struggling to support her household, and to find her way forward amidst life's discouragements. Her narcissistic liberal activist mother. Isa, looms over the narrative as does the shadow of her dead father, Alfred. Mattie's is very much a stereotypical Marin County family, hedonistic, liberal, educated, free-living. The blue shoe named in the title is a vending machine trinket Mattie treats like a good luck charm. Tracing its origins connects Mattie and her brother Al to family secrets that will wound before they heal.

Despite Mattie's (and Lamott's) transparent Christian faith, there are no plaster saints in this book, but only gritty, real people. Lamott is a disciplined author, and knows it is best to show rather than tell. Like a sea shell left on the shore by a receding wave, the theme of this book emerges from the experience of its characters rather than being placarded and proclaimed. The theme is stated but not trumpeted as such in Chapter Ten, where Mattie tells her brother, "Yesterday I had an epiphany. I realized that all I have to do is to tell the truth, and let go of the results" (223). Her theme could be expressed in this wry version of a familiar New Testament text: "The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable."

This is my first Lamott novel, so I can't compare it to others she has written. She succeeds here in opening her theme to us like leaves of an avocado, inviting us to savor the subtle flavors and fragrances arising from her narrative. The pace is slow-moving, and this too is a credit to Lamott's artistry, because real life is not a quickly dispatched explanation, but a slow process of experience and discovery sorted out from the tangle of the mundane.

Despite her slow pace, too slow for some, I give Blue Shoe five stars because I believe this slowness is appropriate to a portrayal of life as it is, where the fragments of lessons learned assemble slowly before taking discernible shape.

I recommend Blue Shoe to anyone prepared to see life and relationships in full color rather than in black and white. Lamott calls us to openness to new information, and to willingness to seek out and face unexpected or uncomfortable truths. The rich web of relationships clustered around Mattie Ryder is transformed as a result. If our experience would reflect theirs, we will need courage, curiosity, and perhaps a lucky blue shoe of our own.

This was my first Anne Lamott read. What people say about starting with the first books and working your way up to the most recent, is often true. Anne Lamott is obviously a very talented writer, with a wonderful dry sense of humar and excellent descriptions of setting. However, something tells me that her earlier books are even better.
To begin, what I loved about this book was the dry humor (ie: feeling like pouring Draino over the pet iguana, etc) and the lovely descriptions. I also enjoyed the themes of self-discovery, and picking up the pieces along the way in life. Anne Lamott most definitely does a better job about writing of the trials of middle age, feminism, and discovery than some writers, who fill pages with a soon-to-be Lifetime movie script, but there are some definite flaws within as well.
I wish that more depth could have been given about the characters, or that other perspectives had been given. I wanted to know about the intertwining of lives and characters, not horribly depressing pages about dementia and drawn out-death scenes of the beloved family pet. To actually shape this story, she needed to go into the past, instead of the present.
But what annoyed me the most, was the ending. The whole premise of this story was about Mattie finding herself, discovering her father's secrets and the brother she never knew. But the story ended so abruptly, that you wanted to know more. You had a part of the story, but it seemed as if Lamott just got tired and threw in the towel.
I would have given this book three and a half, or even four stars if not for the ending, but I felt horribly cheated. In a way, the characters did as well. They didn't get to complete the journey either. The ending is everything to make a good piece of literature morph into a great one.
This is a fast read (I read it in two days), and a very good beach book. I will give Anne Lamott the fact that she is very engrosing, and makes you want to keep reading.
But, if you want some true feminist literature with amazing, plots, characters, and endings, read any one of Margaret Atwood's books!
I have not completely given up on Anne Lamott, however. I look forward to actually starting from the beginning, and then seeing what I think!

Why did I think a book about a blue shoe was going to be an interesting read??? I can hardly give this book a one star. I've read some pretty awful books, but this is the only one thus far which has compelled me to write a review.

First of all, where does Mattie live? I live in Seattle and it doesn't rain as much as it does at the Ryder house. Why is it always raining and why is it so important to tell about? Every time the author wrote about the weather it was, ho-hum, here we go again. It pulled me right out of the story. There were other times too, that I was painfully aware of the writing, like with some of the author's bad analogies. The one about the cats being like Secret Service agents was definitely one of them. I am a cat lover and owner and don't get where Lamott came up with some of her descriptions and actions of the cats. While some of the analogies were very cutesy, they certainly didn't have any ring of truth to them.

Overall, Lamott's characters were only two-dimensional at best and I found none of them to have any redeeming qualities. Lamott's descriptions throughout the book , were awkward and redundant. How many times can you use the description "nuzzling"? It came to be that every time I saw that word I had to laugh. When Mattie isn't "nuzzling" her children or smelling the back of their necks she's totally neglecting them, or wanting to peel them off her like starfish, or whatever that other bad analogy was. Mattie is a horrible person and a horrible mother. Sorry, I just couldn't relate and didn't want to. I haven't always had a perfect life or the best moral judgment myself, but, my God, get over it Mattie. Grow up and quit your whining!

I do have to confess, that this book wasn't so bad that I had to put it down midway through, like some readers, though I easily could have. Yes, the writing was bad and the story and characters lacked substance, but it was plain and simple enough that at least it was an "easy" read. One you could pick up at random if you had 5 or 10 minutes to spare. Maybe I only read the book in its entirety, so I could justify writing a review about it. Halfway through, it was making me so crazy that I went on-line to read some reviews...I'd heard amazing things about this author and I had to know, "Is it just me?" It was reassuring to find that many others felt the same way that I did, kind of a support group for the mundane journey Lamott was trying to take me on.

Like many other reviewers, I read Lamott's Bird by Bird. A friend who is an avid fan of Anne's gave me the book as a gift and I fell in love. I wanted to read everything by Anne Lamott, now I'm not so sure. I will most likely give her another shot, sticking only to her non-fiction. There is so much truth and humor in her non-fiction that just doesn't seem to translate well into a novel.

I feel like this book never should have made it to print. With a lot more work, it might have earned a full one star rating.