Blue Shoe, Anne Lamott (3 stars)

From Amazon: Mattie Ryder is marvelously neurotic, well-intentioned, funny, religious, sarcastic, tender, angry, and broke. Her life at the moment is a wreck: her marriage has failed, her mother is failing, her house is rotting, her waist is expanding, her children are misbehaving, and she has a crush on a married man. Then she finds a small rubber blue shoe—nothing more than a gumball trinket—left behind by her father. For Mattie, it becomes a talisman—a chance to recognize the past for what it was, to see the future as she always hoped it could be, and to finally understand her family, herself, and the ever-unfolding mystery of her sweet, sad, and sometimes surprising life.
 

Review

Nobody writes “marvelously neurotic” as well as Anne Lamott. As a writer, I loved her novel on writing, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (read my 5-star review here). And I’ve said time and time again that I wouldn’t have survived my first year as a mom without her memoir, Operating Instructions: A Journal of my Son’s First Year. Her willingness to lay it all on the line, flaws and all, is appealing and endearing.

So I was excited to finally read one of her fiction novels. Blue Shoe is about Mattie Ryder, a woman struggling to find herself after divorce. Along the journey, she falls for a married man, discovers her father’s secrets, begins to understand her mother, and starts to find her strength.

While searching for answers, she discovers a small rubber blue shoe in her father’s things. It becomes a beacon of hope and a charm for protection. Mattie and her brother ultimately discover just how dysfunctional their family is, and how it has affected who they have become.

I’m all for flawed characters and families, but there has to be an underlying likability that makes you want to endure the character’s struggles. Hopefully the payoff is a slightly less flawed character in the end, one you care about. This book simply ended up being a struggle for me. I kept feeling like I was on the edge of liking it, of really embracing the characters, but I never made it there. It makes me sad, because I really wanted to love it.

I have enough faith in Anne Lamott’s writing and ability to create raw and emotional story that this book will not make me give up on her work. But I’ll be doing a bit more research on which of her fiction books I try next.

Rating: 3 stars

More about the author: Anne Lamott is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Grace (Eventually), Plan B, Traveling Mercies, and Operating Instructions, as well as seven novels, including Rosie and Crooked Little Heart. She is a past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.

 *****

This book was part of my 2012 TBR (To Be Read) Pile Challenge. Now, I only have six more to read by the end of the year. No pressure!

Thankfully, I love to read. Bring it on!

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott (5 stars)

From Amazon: Think you've got a book inside of you? Anne Lamott isn't afraid to help you let it out. She'll help you find your passion and your voice, beginning from the first really crummy draft to the peculiar letdown of publication. Readers will be reminded of the energizing books of writer Natalie Goldberg and will be seduced by Lamott's witty take on the reality of a writer's life, which has little to do with literary parties and a lot to do with jealousy, writer's block and going for broke with each paragraph. Marvelously wise and best of all, great reading.

My oldest daughter owes Anne Lamott big time! Thanks to her Operating Instructions: A Journal of my Son’s First Year, I survived my first year as a mother. Another new mom recommended the book to me. I clearly had been living under a rock, because I never heard of Lamott prior to this.

Fast forward ten years (and yes, I’m still surviving motherhood. I even added two more daughters to the mix). Many fellow writers were touting Lamott’s craft book, Bird by Bird. I knew I had to read it. If she could make me laugh and give me strength during the most sleep-exhausted and difficult (although insanely rewarding) early parenting years, I had no doubt she could inspire my writing.

Again, she did not disappoint.

Similar to Stephen King’s On Writing, I felt like I was sitting in the room with the author while she told me stories and offered advice. Her candor lulled me in like a comforting lullaby.

Not one to sugarcoat things, something I find quite endearing, Lamott emphasizes the idea that publication is not the end-all be-all for writers. It, like most things we romanticize, is not all it’s cracked up to be. Writing because you love it should be enough.

What spoke most to me:

Shitty first drafts: Yep, that’s what she calls them. And I can tell you from experience, that’s what they are. But it’s nice to know an author I admire has them, and not just me. “Besides,” Lamott says, “perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness and playfulness and life force.”

Short Assignments: Instead of sitting down and trying to write a novel, writers should remember to embrace the short stuff and use their creative juices.

Characters: They are your story. Authors need to know their characters, down to the smallest detail. Lamott emphasizes dialogue in fleshing out characters: one line of dialogue that rings true reveals character in a way that pages of description can’t. According to Lamott, “plot grows out of character.”

Index cards: A writer should never be without a way to record thoughts and feelings. Nobody knows when or where inspiration will strike, so no reason to get caught off guard or unprepared. I will be throwing a notebook in my purse!

Finding Our Voice: Above all, she tells us to believe in ourselves, a theme that ran through Operating Instructions as well. She says, “We write to expose the unexposed. If there is a door in the castle you have been told not to go through, you must.”

Rarely do I quote so many passages during a review, but I could have quoted this book all day long.

I’ll leave you with a final thought from Anne Lamott: Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul.

I couldn’t agree more.

Again, like King, Anne doesn’t set forth rules and bullet points or outline the secret to writing success. Instead, she inspires you to find the secret to writing within yourself. Most of her advice applies to living, not just writing.

 
Rating: 5 stars

For more information on other Anne Lamott books, please visit her Amazon author page.

Stories for Women: Musing Mondays

Another Musing Mondays prompt from Should be Reading:
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What do you think are the top 5 books every woman should read? (And for the men who might be playing today: What do you think are the top 5 books every man should read?)

Wow, that's a tall order. Let me start with the men. I need to be totally honest here. Although I read many genres, I tend to stick to stories with a strong female character or about female relationships. I simply find women more interesting and complex. No hate mail, please.

I'm occasionally surprised, and I'm always happy about it when I am. Recently, I read a great "guy" book: The Voynich Cypher. My husband loves Dan Brown, Robert Ludlum, Clive Cussler, and Tom Clancy. I've read at least one by each and give them props.

Now to women's literature. More problems (if you call these problems): I'm all over the place and have so many books I love.

My thoughts:

For Moms
Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions: A Journal of my Son's First Year. It doesn't matter if you have a son or daughter. Lamott offers us all an in-depth and raw look into honest Mom thoughts. No sugary, my-children-are-perfect stories here. I read this during my first daughter's first year, and it helped me own those moments where you feel less than worthy to be a parent.

For Moms of Girls
Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. Not only did this book help me in my teenage years, it has also helped my tween daughter. It's timeless.


And, in a bit of shameless self-promotion, my book, Depression Cookies. It's a coming of age story from both the mother and daughter's perspectives (which I wrote with my own mother). It's journey through body image issues, stranger anxiety, emotional drama, and finding common ground. Moms and daughters can read it together and discuss the different perspectives and timeless teen issues.

For Fans of Historical Fiction
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross. I read this several years ago in my book club, and I was fascinated. It was the book that made me embrace historical fiction. And you can't ask for a stronger female character.

For Nonfiction Fans
James Fox's Five Sisters: The Langhornes of Virginia. The story focuses on Nancy Astor (married Waldorf Astor), Britain's first female MP, but includes all five sisters. It's female power and strength in spades. (My review)

A close second, if not a downright tie, is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. It shows the complexity of the female spirit and reads like fiction. (My review)


For Young Adult
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Yes, the subject matter is difficult, but it's an amazing book with a strong, memorable female lead. Although classified young adult, it's for teens and up.

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Only listing five doesn't seem fair (and I even snuck in two extra). I loved The Help, and all dog lovers should read The Art of Racing in the Rain. As far as classics, my all-time favorites are The Good Earth and A Separate Peace. And my go-to romance author is Nora Roberts, hands down.

What's your top book recommendation for women?

I can't wait to hop around and read others' opinions on this subject. If you are also interested, please check out the commenters here.

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