Blue Shoe

Rating:
Summary: A sense of humor would have helped.
Review: Matte is a recently divorced woman with two young children who slowly recreates a fulfilling life. While told in the 3rd person, Blue Shoe is written entirely from Matte's viewpoint: I suspect this is simpler than using the first person, but perhaps not as effective. To my taste, had Matte had more of a sense of humor, it need not have been inconsistent with the rest of her character, and it would certainly have made Blue Shoe more enjoyable. On the other hand, the evolving relationship between Matte and her declining mother is superbly done, one of the highlights which makes this book worthwhile. In general, the secondary characters and Matte's relationships to them are the strength of Blue Shoe. Lamott frequently employs paragraphs of short sentences, which sometimes works, and sometimes gets tiresome, but perhaps that is Lamott's objective. While other readers have been impressed with Lamott's use and description of skies and weather, and certainly they add to the book, I don't think Lamott is particularly sharp at metaphor and language.

Rating:
Summary: I enjoyed it
Review: Simple: I enjoyed this book. Like all of Anne's books; she made me laugh, she made me cry, she made me wish that I had an old beat up van to pack up and hit the road... I'm SURE that if I could head north, up the California coast; I would run into Mattie and Daniel, walking along the beach with Isa and the kids. I'd keep an eye out for Abby as well. I'd recognize her, for sure. Anne has this uncanny ability to create characters that are not perfect people. Their flaws are revealed, and you can't help but love them anyway. You don't just see the "Christmas Card" portrait of these characters - you see what's hiding in the shadows, what clasped in the sweaty palm behind their back. If you're an "Anne Fan", read this book. If you're interested in not-so-perfect people that manage to be loveable, then read this book. If you've ever thought "OK God, I'm going to have to trust that you still love me right now, because I'm not feeling it", then read this book. If you've ever muttered it out loud in the middle of the super market, then ... well ... you understand.


Rating:
Summary: A Terrible Disappointment....Kick This Shoe to the Curb
Review: This book was terrible. There are no other words to describe it. The plot was vapid and boring, the characters were weak and flimsy, and I finished this book thinking that I just wasted several hours of my life reading it. I have never read this author before, but I can assure the general public I will never read her works again. I just wish I could get my money back, but unfortunately it isn't even worth the time to try and sell it for .78 cents on Amazon.

Rating:
Summary: Who is she kidding?
Review: Who is she--by this I mean both Anne Lamott and her central character Mattie--kidding? Mattie is a mess, no matter how "endearingly," who at the end has little to redeem her--her selfishness and blindness are overwhelming. She's sleeping with her ex-husband, who has re-married and whose new wife is expecting. And she is coveting another woman's husband. No matter how disagreeable the "other women" may be, there is no excuse for Mattie's behavior, nor her lack of honesty and candor. And she seems incapable of doing anything short of praying--and I'm a great believer in prayer. I usually enjoy Anne Lamott tremendously, and her characters equally--especially because of their flaws and their faith. But I found Blue Shoe to ask too much, even of Lamott's faithful.