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Summary: Thoughts on Christianity
Review: Reading Lamotts book, Traveling Mercies, made me rethink my own spiritual values which could perhaps be labeled "traditional". She made me think "out of the box" so to speak reminding me that God reaches people where they are. I have recommended this book to my friends and family because I think it makes one think in new ways about ones own faith. I have read several of Lamott's books and feel almost like she is an old friend as she puts her heart and soul into her books.
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Summary: Little substance, lots of self-indulgence
Review: No, I'm not an English lit professor, just a reader who enjoys a good book. I was curious about Ms. Lamott since there always seems to be controversy surrounding her and her work. Well, I'm not a member of the Christian Right, nor am I a Republican, and I am well read and I can say this book was a disappointment. If you order steak, pay for steak, and are given hamburger, you're ticked. I was ripped off and I want a refund. Ms. Lamott should take a rest.
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Summary: Mixed feelings
Review: I had mixed feelings about this book. I appreciate her honesty and her humor, and the fact that she is not afraid to be real, warts and all. I appreciate how far she has come to arrive at a real faith in God, considering her background. However, I feel that in some areas she has merely put a spiritual veneer over some of the beliefs that were formed in her during her radical, drug- and alcohol-fueled past, and it is my belief she needs to re-examine some of those values in the light of biblical Christianity. As an evangelical Christian, I am open to learning from almost anyone as long as I exercise enough discernment to "eat the meat and spit out the bones." Anne Lamott needs to use that same type of judgement, and to learn to seek guidance from other areas than the liberal wing of "Christianity".
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Summary: Intriguing and insightful
Review: I have Anne Lamott's book, Bird by Bird. It is trulyinspirational, and I love the way Annie sounds like she is sittingdown to tea or coffee with you. I saw Traveling Mercies in the bookstore and picked it up and ended up standing there in front of the display, totally captivated. I love Anne Lamott's writing style, the way she expresses just what she thinks and feels but you never feel like she's forcing it on you or teaching you a Lesson. It's simply who she is and she is sharing it for those who are interested. I can find myself agreeing heartily on some points, shaking my head no on others and laughing all the way through. I saw a clip of her reading a part of this book and it was just delightful to hear her inflections, her little lisp at times, and the comforting sound of her voice. It truly was like sitting across from her, sipping that latte or whatever and being completely enveloped in the grace of a great storyteller and the honesty of one of God's eloquent children.
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Summary: Mercies? Me, Oh My!
Review: I had no idea what to expect in this, my first encounter with Anne Lamott. The wide assortment of reviews convinced me to purchase the book--plus, the idea of reverence paired with irreverence, since we can all use a little humor to season the subjects that matter most...that therefore become so stinkin' divisive! Wow! When I'm not laughing at Anne's great writing and gritty insights, I'm pushing down that lump in my throat. Anne plants and waters the flowers of faith and grace, but pats down their seeds beneath the coarse dirt and smelly manure of life. I'm not trying to match her metaphors, I'm merely responding to the fresh light she's shone on my own recent experiences. This woman can write and, boy, does she have something to say. If she steps on your toes to get to the podium, so be it. Hear her out. She writes of a heartfelt belief in Jesus that I share. But she also drags out the skeletons that we born-again Christians are so afraid to let out. Ironic, isn't it, that those who follow Christ--the most amazing example of love and acceptance and forgiveness to the "unlovely"--are the very ones who insecurely point their fingers at those outside their box. I grew up in that box. I still love Jesus, still consider myself "born-again," but I, along with Anne Lamott, refuse to live in that box anymore. Jesus, speaking to the religious leaders of his day, called them "white-washed tombs full of dead man's bones." Anne, in her gracious, irreverent way, says the same. Mercy me! What a breath of fresh air!
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Summary: I'm Glad This Lady Decided to Write Books
Review: A wonderful, inspiring, witty look at her experiences, her flaws, her fears and her coming to understand that God loves her. She is a lovely soul and just the like that lost sheep Christ spoke of. She makes me smile, and I'm sure she makes Jesus smile. What a gift she is, and I thank her for sharing.By the way I must comment on a couple of the reviewers' observations. This book is a compilation of autobiographical sketches. I can understand why it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but complaining that an autobiography is about the author is a bit strange. I was also interested in the lady who was in the hospital and Jesus didn't visit her, therefore, Annie was making it all up. Ah, the powers of deductive reasoning. I never wrote a symphony, ergo, neither did Beethoven. Finally, am I the only one who thinks perhaps that person claiming to be an "English lit prof" from Cornell is diddling with the truth? If he is, indeed, who he claims, I strongly urge him carefully review his "Strunk and White" before he attempts another review or teaches another class.
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Summary: Funny, witty, endearing, a book for the open-minded...
Review: I read this book in about one day, couldn't put it down--am not now nor have ever been either Alcoholic or Christian. In fact, I seldom read books on religion, faith, or spirituality and chose this particular text because I am an Annie Lamott fan, not a believer (in the more conventional sense). I do, very sincerely, respect other people's beliefs, however orthodox or UN-orthodox, and I greatly enjoyed reading the way someone so totally unlikely to write about a spiritual journey nonetheless found herself on one when she became sober. I was very moved, and actually envious of the comfort Lamott's faith has given her life. Not only has her spiritual awakening played a role in controlling her alcoholism, but it has lead her to a Christianity more resonant of the teachings of Christ than is true of many more "traditional" spiritual authors. However, this book may in many ways appeal more to those who are TOLERANT than those who might find the word "faithful" as the first on their tongue to describe themselves. Even the deeply skeptical, or the totally without faith will enjoy this book if they are "tolerant", because it is about the faith of someone so unlike those one generally finds writing about spirituality. This fact also makes the book a great deal more interesting than one might expect of a text about a spiritual journey (for those who aren't wild about that sort of literature in general), because you get to see how Lamott sustains her faith despite a mind with little of the "obedient" nature one generally associates with religious fervor. This is particularly true for those of us who see the word "religious" and think more of Pat Robertson and the Religious Right than somebody we might like to talk with at dinner. I read this book maybe a year ago, and was shocked to see it now on the best seller list, since it's really quite liberal, and is not the sort of book I would expect to appeal to a wide range of Americans, given the fact that so many people voted in primaries for the son of George Bush--a man for whom Annie Lamott has never had a good word (to put it MILDLY! ). Anne Lamott writes for Salon.com, and is not your average American by a longshot. She's got an incisive mind, she is witty and articulate, but she is also wildly opinionated (in a way I find attractive), and so liberal that most right wing "Christians" (as opposed to Methodists or Episcopalians or Roman Catholics)will run in the other direction should they pick up this book by accident-- These are probably the people responsible for most of the one star reviews of this book. For the rest of the reading public, however, this is a taste of Annie Lamott at ALMOST her best--(I do think that "Operating Instructions" is even better, but so few books in my life have been capable of making me laugh OUT LOUD in the New York City subway system during rush hour, that it may be the funniest book about motherhood on the planet--and motherhood is its own unique kind of spiritual journey.) It is also true that this book is about religious faith--the sincerity of this woman's vision of God is very touching for those of us willing to admit more than one concept to the way in which God is defined. It's somewhat disturbing to read reviews on this page where the way Lamott talks about God is considered offensive--this book is definitely NOT for those into dogma, fundamentalism or thought control. It is however, a delight for those of us who have not entirely lost the idealism of a generation much maligned by the numbers of its members who have become so conservative with age that they view their younger selves as the enemy--if that's you, avoid this book like the plague, because there's lots of things here that will offend you. And for those who find reading about one person's spiritual life interesting--a fairly self-destructive person whose faith has enabled her to cope without flipping her out into a person who believes her way is the only way--the book is an incredibly enjoyable, irreverant and sincere journey documenting her less than well-traveled path.
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Summary: Finally...a book on faith for liberal Christians!
Review: No, "Liberal Christian" is NOT an oxymoron, thanks to Anne Lamott and "Travelling Mercies". This book is a refreshing look at faith from the point of view of a liberal Christian, one who sees God and Jesus as loving, understanding, and forgiving. While this book may make the skin of Conservaitve Christians crawl, it gets to the true essence of faith, that is, acceptance and love. Maybe this book will inspire more liberal Christians to "come out of the woodwork" and tell about their experiences. Thank God for Anne Lamott, her exceptional writing style and her powerful message.
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Summary: Ambushed by recognition
Review: Every time I picked up this book, Anne Lamott was sneaking up behind me and tapping me on the shoulder. Of course it is HER memoir, but time after time she was talking about subjects that were of importance to me. Like her I am a recovering alcoholic, I've worried about not being pretty-pretty and found myself trying to "put my father's dog suit" (as she puts it) on a man in my adult relationships. She's funny and just as honest about the absurdities in her life as the joys and the pains. Even though my interest in spirituality is not specifically Christian, I found her accounts of her experiences both moving and relevent. I loved this book.
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Summary: Hhhhmmmm
Review: This book is subtitled "Thoughts on Faith" - of course it's selfcentered. Did you think she was going to highlight YOUR thoughts on faith? That would be a difficult task for any writer. Clearly a book of this type is written from the author's perspective on her own life and experiences. I find her irreverant view of god inspiring and refreshing and while there are some things I didn't necessarily embrace, it's a glimpse into another person's life: it's not supposed to be a mirror.
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