With the same winning combination of humor and honesty that marked her recent nonfiction bestsellers, Operating Instructions and Bird by ...
read full description
reviews
Nov 20, 2007
Julian
rated it: 
This book is the sequel to Rosie, and they are two of my mom's favorite novels of all time, so when I read them I couldn't help looking for her in them. I found her, but I also found that I really loved Crooked Little Heart far more than Rosie. Rosie, especially the ending, didn't really push my thinking. Crooked Little Heart did. I'm glad I read it now, since starting roller derby - so much of the book focuses on a competitive sport (Tennis, my mom's favorite) as a metaphor, and it really h
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 29, 2012
Jackie
rated it: 
I liked discovering that the title originated from a line in a poem by W.H. Auden, which the author quoted on p. 181
O stand, stand at the window
As the tears scald and start;
You shall love your crooked neighbour
With your crooked heart.'
It was late, late in the evening,
The lovers they were gone;
The clocks had ceased their chiming,
And the deep river ran on.
"Expectations are resentments waiting to happen" (185).
I just found More...
O stand, stand at the window
As the tears scald and start;
You shall love your crooked neighbour
With your crooked heart.'
It was late, late in the evening,
The lovers they were gone;
The clocks had ceased their chiming,
And the deep river ran on.
"Expectations are resentments waiting to happen" (185).
I just found More...
Aug 06, 2010
In the summer of her 13th year, Rosie Ferguson is occupied and preoccupied with tennis. She's a junior ranked player and is shuttled around along with her best friend and doubles partner, Simone, to all the tournaments in the San Francisco area. Both girls are caught in that moment at the end of childhood where hints of the women they are to become begin to show--physically, mentally, and emotionally. When Rosie was four, her dad was killed in a car accident. Elizabeth, Rosie's mom, spent a few
More...
Jul 28, 2011
Rae
rated it: 
I have great affection for Anne Lamott because of 'Bird by Bird' and 'Operating Instructions', and because of that affection, I will read anything she writes. Period.
However, a writing pal/mentor of mine once said that if something doesn't directly propel the plot or significance forward, take it out. No setting for setting's sake, it needs to have meaning. While I'm not sure if I wholeheartedly agree with this- I do love a descriptive moment- I do think it's good advice, especially for me. And More...
However, a writing pal/mentor of mine once said that if something doesn't directly propel the plot or significance forward, take it out. No setting for setting's sake, it needs to have meaning. While I'm not sure if I wholeheartedly agree with this- I do love a descriptive moment- I do think it's good advice, especially for me. And More...
Jun 23, 2010
Knucklefish
rated it:
"But easy's like, who cares? Easy's like, how much is easy going to get you?" writes the wise Anne Lamott. It's quite fitting since she never lets her characters or her readers off easy. She drags us through the emotional muck. But you know what? That's life. I'm glad she doesn't gloss over the facts. The key word is compassion. She loves Elizabeth and Rosie and James even as they completely screw up. I believe Lamott even says in Bird By Bird that a writer must love her characters but
More...
Jun 30, 2011
Cdelory
rated it:
Spoilers below warning:
I knew about Anne Lamott long before I picked up this book, but never felt compelled to read her work. Now I do. I really enjoyed this study of a "garage sale family" as the thirteen year old put it. She really gets kids, and I'm looking forward to reading her book about her first year with her son. Awful things happen to the characters in this book, but they're already over and done with by the time the book starts (except for one death of an older f More...
I knew about Anne Lamott long before I picked up this book, but never felt compelled to read her work. Now I do. I really enjoyed this study of a "garage sale family" as the thirteen year old put it. She really gets kids, and I'm looking forward to reading her book about her first year with her son. Awful things happen to the characters in this book, but they're already over and done with by the time the book starts (except for one death of an older f More...
Sep 07, 2009
erin
rated it:
I picked this up at a Half Price Books sale, figuring since I had heard good things about and purchased Lamott's book on writing, 'Bird by Bird,' I should read some of the author's own fiction before taking her advice! I warmed up to the book towards the end. At first Lamott's writing seemed overly self-conscious to me. Not enough subtlety. Too many emotions written out word for word. Yet, there were also moments of delicate tenderness and drama - I found my eyes skipping ahead a page to fi
More...
Dec 16, 2009
Jess
rated it: 
Anne Lamott should have taken the advice offered her in her previously published 'Bird by Bird' and given up on writing novels before she started.
0 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Feb 01, 2009
Nancy
rated it:
Although the story held my attention, I felt the writing at times was self conscious as though she was searching for the perfect simile or metaphor instead of focusing on just telling the story. She does do a good job of developing character. I really felt like I knew these people, although at times they seemed less than real. It was hard to imagine a 13 year old girl sitting on her mother’s lap and calling her mommy. I liked Elizabeth’s tolerance and willingness to let Rosie be her own person
More...
Nov 30, 2011
David
rated it:
There were things I liked about this one, but also a lot I didn't care for. I didn't like it anywhere near as much as "Rosie," though it didn't end up being a saccharine al-anon tract at the end like "Imperfect Birds." I'm sure some people dig some of the stuff that bothered me, but I just didn't dig it. It felt overly sentimental, maudlin even at times. Besides the fact that it sometimes became muddled whether Rosie or Elizabeth was thinking, I think my biggest problem w
More...
Apr 22, 2009
Becky
rated it:
I'm not hugely attached to plot and don't need my books to be fast-moving, but even I felt a lack of plot on this book. It speeded up toward the end, but about halfway through, I found myself thinking, "if something doesn't start happening soon, I am going to start hating this book." Shortly thereafter, something did start happening; but she almost lost me. What kept me going was the same writing that makes Lamott's memoirs so much fun. She has a fine ear for phrases that are just righ
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 10, 2011
Shelly
rated it:
Anne Lamott is a talented writer. I love the way she writes about mothers and daughters in this book. She must have taken notes on her thoughts and feelings as a teenager -- her descriptions of Rosie's fears, hopes, joys, and incredible sadness are dead on. Rosie's mother, Elizabeth, suffers from depression and is a recovering alcoholic. You want to tell her to get out of bed and start paying more attention to her daughter, yet you sympathize with her fear and grief. Luckily Elizabeth and R
More...
Jul 22, 2011
Beth
rated it:
I actually can't say I have read this book. I have read 36 pages and I cannot stand to read one more word. I feel horrible about it but I can't do it. I adore Anne Lamott and her non-fiction but I can't stand her fiction. Truthfully I don't think I should even be giving the book 1 star since I only got 36 pages in and couldn't stand it.
What did I hate? The overuse of descriptive words - I felt like I was reading the Thesarus that had some words written in between the descriptives. More...
What did I hate? The overuse of descriptive words - I felt like I was reading the Thesarus that had some words written in between the descriptives. More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Nov 21, 2010
Fredsky
rated it:
Rosie, in her thirteenth year, with a dead father and a living stepfather and an alcoholic-in-mourning mother, is a tennis champ during this last summer of her innocent days. Lamott tells her story with such truth and warmth that I could hardly stop reading for any distraction, no matter how important--going to work, coming home, feeding my cat, feeding my fish, hauling buckets of water around, anything! There are many stories here, rich and complex, following the life of these people, this fa
More...
Jul 07, 2008
Kathy
rated it:
I have read most of LaMott's non-fiction writings and have enjoyed all of them. This novel is no exception. I truly enjoy her writing style and her sentences are works of art. The plot develops slowly so their is ample time to get to know the characters before you are thrown into the throes of conflict. There is time to become involved their lives and share the same problems and issues that are part of yours. By the end of the book all the plots are completed, and closure is created. The
More...
May 24, 2008
Catha
rated it:
This was my first fiction book to read by Lamott. I recently read her memoir-esque book Traveling Mercies, and really did like it. So I thought I would try out one of her novels.
As far as story goes, I thought Crooked Little Heart was pretty boring. Lots of details to an un-interesting plot.
However, as far as character development goes, Lamott did an excellent job. I really got into the characters and their little nuances.
I think the one thing that I really More...
As far as story goes, I thought Crooked Little Heart was pretty boring. Lots of details to an un-interesting plot.
However, as far as character development goes, Lamott did an excellent job. I really got into the characters and their little nuances.
I think the one thing that I really More...
Jul 30, 2007
erin
rated it:
Last night, as I was sleeping
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
Here inside my heart.
and the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
From my old failures. -Antonio Machada (from Times Alone)
The excerpt above is in the preface of Crooked Little Heart. I enjoyed the first Anne Lamott I picked up, but the second, for whatever reason, I didn't finish. I haven't picked one up since. Then, as I was finishing my last exam and req More...
I dreamt—marvelous error!—
that I had a beehive
Here inside my heart.
and the golden bees
were making white combs
and sweet honey
From my old failures. -Antonio Machada (from Times Alone)
The excerpt above is in the preface of Crooked Little Heart. I enjoyed the first Anne Lamott I picked up, but the second, for whatever reason, I didn't finish. I haven't picked one up since. Then, as I was finishing my last exam and req More...
Aug 08, 2007
lkt
rated it:
"Crying withheld feels sometimes like dying..."
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 st More...
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 st More...
Aug 10, 2009
Megan
rated it:
A sequel to Rosie. It chronicles Rosie's life as a 13 year-old who is experiencing that yucky teenage identity crisis. Her best friend, Simone, is her tennis partner and is Rosie's physical opposite: beautiful and curvy. This ends up getting Simone into some trouble. Rosie's relationship with her mom continues to be a bit difficult especially when Rosie has two secrets she keeps for far too long. And then there's the creepy Luther who seems obsessed with Rosie and attends all her tennis matches.
More...
Nov 18, 2010
Wendy
rated it:
This is a rare book in that it didn't have much of a plot, yet I loved it. I enjoyed it much more than its sequel--I seem to be reading the trilogy in reverse order. Another oddity is that my single favorite part of this book were the fights. "From Bosnia to Paris in 24 hours" muses Elizabeth after reconciling with her husband. I've always preferred Lamott's nonfiction to her fiction, and it's her honesty that makes it great. She says out loud things I barely let myself think. Th
More...
Jul 21, 2010
Amanda
rated it: 
Anne Lamott needs to stick to personal essays. They are comfortable, hilarious, and touch your heart. This book tried to do all those things, but fell short, especially to someone who has read Lamott's essays. It reads predictably, teenage tantrums described with adult nostalgia that makes them fall flat. Everything is covered in a sticky, oozy coating of "love" that made the plot saccharine and unbelievable.
May 20, 2011
Suzanne
rated it:
Anne Lamott writes beautifully, and her characters are well developed, but everybody was too good, and too supportive to ring true to me. Even Rosie's stint at cheating and Simones promiscuousness seem to have no real negative consequences. Elizabeth spends days, sometimes weeks in bed with untreated depression- this is California! get a doctor and some medication!. I just think this could have been much better with a little more edge.
Jan 25, 2011
Taylor
rated it:
This book irritated the living piss out of me. The prose was so shambling, the psychology so overwrought, and ANNE LAMOTT IS A MIDDLE-AGED WHITE WOMAN WITH DREADLOCKS. Apparently her book on writing is good, so I will give that a shot, although I don't feel particularly inspired to take advice from a person whose sentences have this many commas in them.
Jun 22, 2009
Laura
rated it:
Sometimes beautiful writing about a weighty array of topics: teen pregnancy, death of a parent, alcoholism, depression, and competitive tennis. While I enjoyed it overall, I had to force myself to pick it up at times. This isn't a summer beach read. I recommend Lamott's book "Operating Instructions" if you want to laugh out loud and also cry.
May 18, 2009
Didn't want it to end.
A book about a thirteen year old girl reminds you of being 13.
A book this accurate about a thirteen year old girl written by the mother of a boy in real life is remarkable.
I cannot imagine having this good a relationship with my mother or a stranger who comes to my games (in my case it would have been recitals) at 13. Although the girl's mother has flaws, she's a lot better than the mother I had. I think Anne created the mother she wanted to More...
A book about a thirteen year old girl reminds you of being 13.
A book this accurate about a thirteen year old girl written by the mother of a boy in real life is remarkable.
I cannot imagine having this good a relationship with my mother or a stranger who comes to my games (in my case it would have been recitals) at 13. Although the girl's mother has flaws, she's a lot better than the mother I had. I think Anne created the mother she wanted to More...
Jun 26, 2011
Chestelle
rated it:
Loved this book! A wonderful coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old tennis player and her tennis partner. But there's another background story of her Mother having issues because of not ever properly grieving for her dead husband. In the background is a mysterious, apparently homeless, man who watches the little tennis player. Sounds dark, but it's really very sweet.
May 08, 2011
Dona
rated it:
Perfect reading for Mother's Day. Remembering that anxiety ridden teen everyone once was and still remnants remain. I enjoyed the character of Luther immensely and felt Lamott had given us just enough to imagine the worst and resurrect the best. Loved that quote about resurrecting each day.
Jun 04, 2009
Laura
rated it:
Slightly more uneven than many of Lamott's books, yet that is what made it so special. Full disclosure: I worship Anne Lamott, and feel like I am basking in her glow whenever I read any of her books, so take that into account. I highly recommend this, especially to mamas of daughters.
Jul 06, 2008
Kim
rated it:
Anne Lamott is one of my favorite authors. This is the first novel I read by her and was a bit disappointed.
This story is about a 13-year old girl who plays tennis and her mother who struggles with depression and is a recovered alcoholic. The mother is remarried but still grieving for her first husband who dies in a car accident. There are some interesting minor characters too.
Maybe it was because there was too much 'tennis talk' for my liking. I can't even keep score in More...
This story is about a 13-year old girl who plays tennis and her mother who struggles with depression and is a recovered alcoholic. The mother is remarried but still grieving for her first husband who dies in a car accident. There are some interesting minor characters too.
Maybe it was because there was too much 'tennis talk' for my liking. I can't even keep score in More...
Jun 25, 2010
Kristie
rated it:
Amazingly written - descriptive so that I could feel, hear, smell the writing. Characters are very conflicted (with themselves) and this makes for a somewhat depressing reading. However, it is wonderfully insightful into the adolescent years and I plan to reread it when my daughter is 12!
