Sign in with FacebookCarrie's Reviews > Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son
Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son
by Anne Lamott (Goodreads Author), Sam Lamott
by Anne Lamott (Goodreads Author), Sam Lamott
I won this book as an Advance Reader Copy on Goodreads. Thank you for the opportunity.
I really, really wanted to like this book. I read Anne Lamott's earlier book, Operating Instructions, and loved it. It was a raw, intimate tale of a woman raising a child on her own, and the community she built around her. It was a messy, honest account of Lamott's own, personal story.
Some Assembly Required, on the other hand, feels like Lamott is telling someone else's story. Her 19-year old son and his girlfriend have a baby. Lamott's role in the story seems to be to complain: They are at her house too much; they aren't over to her house enough; her grandchild's mother isn't doing anything right, but isn't Lamott wonderful for not saying so.
Lamott's son and his girlfriend had a baby while they were still barely done being chidlren themselves. A story worth reading might have been: What was it like for them? Lamott was unable to make me care what it was like for her.
I really, really wanted to like this book. I read Anne Lamott's earlier book, Operating Instructions, and loved it. It was a raw, intimate tale of a woman raising a child on her own, and the community she built around her. It was a messy, honest account of Lamott's own, personal story.
Some Assembly Required, on the other hand, feels like Lamott is telling someone else's story. Her 19-year old son and his girlfriend have a baby. Lamott's role in the story seems to be to complain: They are at her house too much; they aren't over to her house enough; her grandchild's mother isn't doing anything right, but isn't Lamott wonderful for not saying so.
Lamott's son and his girlfriend had a baby while they were still barely done being chidlren themselves. A story worth reading might have been: What was it like for them? Lamott was unable to make me care what it was like for her.
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Pat
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Mar 08, 2012 07:39am
I wish I'd won it! Sorry you didn't like it, but maybe you'd send me your copy? (I'll happily pay postage.)
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I'm so glad I read that... I was just about to go buy this book based on my love of Operating Instructions. I'll save my money (maybe I'll just borrow it from the library...)
Hi Milly-I loved Operating Instructions too, which is why I was looking forward to this book! But lots of people seemed to love this book also--don't let me dissuade you! (I'd send you my copy, but I don't recommend it--it's an "uncorrected proof" with lots of typos and misplaced commas that drove me crazy...)
Thanks, Carrie. I may read it, just out of curiosity, but I definitely won't BUY it. I always like to see what you are reading (though I can't keep up with your speed...)
Some Assembly Required, on the other hand, feels like Lamott is telling someone else's storyYeah, that was the major problem I had with it -- with Operating Instructions (which I loved) it was all about her family -- her son, her father, her friends, her mother, her church. She seemed really unable to accept that Amy's family was in Chicago and visiting them might be good for Amy.
