Rating: 
Summary: Mothers and daughters
Review: Crooked Little Heart is a moving story about a girl named Rosie Ferguson and her jump into adolescence. Rosie is obsessed with tennis, and often competes in tournaments with her best friend Simone. From the sidelines a mysterious man constantly observes Rosie and seems to be up to no good. He frightens Rosie's recovering alcoholic mother, and Rosie is warned to stay away from him. Yet she doesn't always listen to her mother. If I were to rate this book on a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this book an eight. This book was enjoyable to read, with an interesting storyline that always moved forward. The first paragraph immediately brings you into the world of the story, giving you background on the character's lives. The only drawback in reading this book was the tennis lingo. Because I am not familiar with the game of tennis and do not understand how the scoring works, at times I couldn't understand what was going on in the game. Although this didn't matter with the overall plot of the book, it sometimes distracted me from the story. Anne Lamott is gifted in her ability to describe situations and events. On page 37 she writes, "At one point she raced after a lob that went over her at the net, and she lobbed it back so brilliantly, sending it over both boys at the net, that even Simone looked bashful and victorious when the boys shook their heads with amazement, and Luther laughed a loud throaty laugh of appreciation and something like joy, as if she had done a magic trick, and when Rosie looked up and accidentally met his eyes, he took her picture with an imaginary camera." In addition she does a thorough job in describing important details about every character, and is always reinforcing the relationships between them. Because of Lamott's wonderful ability to put the story together in a manner that continuously flows, the story is enjoyable to read. This book reminded me of another book, Anywhere but Here, because both books involve the relationship of mother and daughter. Although their plots are very different; one takes place during a move to California and the other on a tennis court, the theme of family lurks in both. In both stories you get a sense of what it's like to be a mother, and the feelings they face while their child travels through adolescence. I think anyone who enjoys sports, especially tennis, would enjoy this book. But in my book club group, the girls seemed to enjoy the book a little bit more than the boys. If you're looking for an enjoyable read, with life-like experiences, this is the book for you.
Rating: 
Summary: The book I knew Lamott could write!
Review: In my other reveiw of "Rosie", the prequel to this book, I was rather hard on Lamott. Her non fiction, Travelling Mercies, Bird by Bird, Operating Instructions, is so compassionate, witty, and funny, that it is hard to believe that she wrote Rosie and Hard Laughter. This book is finally the work of fiction I believed that she could produce. It follows the story of Rosie during the summer of her 13th year, and trials and tribulations that are realistic and engaging. Although the focus on tennis was a little too detailed and technical, the rest of the story is wrapped around it in tenderness and diverts the focus from that aspect. Although somewhat similar to Nabokov's Lolita in theme, this book explores in full the lives of each main character. You can more clearly see the effects of the events that occurred in Rosie, and they are painted more brilliantly and lovingly. The characters are easy to identify with. There's Rae who weaves beautiful tapestries with junk yarn, but seems to want to do the same with the junky men in her lives. There's Rosie who lives in frustrated teenage self-doubt. There's Elizabeth, who sinks and struggles and is, all in all, extremely irritating. Then, there's Luthor, the Steppenwolf of the story, who is dark and scary and mysterious, but has insight that Rosie desperately needs. You will find in reading this that the details of daily life are irresistably and eloquently captured - the feeling of laying with your lover knees bent into knees, the shine of dust particles in the light of the window, the fight that explodes and dissipates and the feeling of relief when love comes again. With a compassionate pen, Lamott sculpts their world not out of epic ideas or fantastic adventure, but in the love and angst and peace and war and tribulation and triumph of every day life. She finds the beauty and pain in it, and gives it the no-frills homage it deserves. Crooked Little Heart led me to examine myself more closely through the characters and their actions, and also provided me with basic tenets of living that I will cherish. A thought provoking book, with great ideas and beautiful writing, I rate Crooked Little Heart five stars, as a read that will warm your heart, make you laugh, and edify your life.
Rating:
Summary: Could Lamott BE any more gifted?!
Review: I re-read this book recently and was pleased to find that I wasn't wrong about it the first time: it's wonderful, just as satisfying as any of the others, although I am partial to each new book as it arrives, like a gorgeous newborn. I didn't read Crooked Little Heart, I absorbed it. I fell in love with Rae and Lank -- their love story is one of the most poignant ones I have ever read. I know they will end up together. I just know it. I am dying to know more about Rae, actually. Will James ever learn to dress? Will any of us? Keep it up, Anne.
Rating: 
Summary: Female Honesty and Emotion
Review: Crooked Little Heart, by Anne Lamott, is novel about a teenage girl named Rosie and her mother Elizabeth. It takes place in California's San Francisco Bay Area in the present day, where Rosie, Elizabeth, and her second husband, James live. Elizabeth must deal with her own demons involving her first husband's death while attempting to love her family. To complicate matters, thirteen-year old Rosie's tennis playing has attracted the attention of a dark and omnipresent fan, who attends her every match, just to watch her. I give this book a six out of ten, because though the writing was good, I found it geared toward female readers. The issues explored within were not universally engaging. It was interesting to read, but there is other, more worthwhile literature. As my first book by Anne Lamott, I selected it because of the sports aspect and the recommendation of a teacher. The language is precise and the plot is fairly easy to understand within the first twenty pages. Though the storyline is separated and choppy, the language is simple and straightforward so I found it an easy read. A major difficulty with the book is that the author unintentionally made many of the issues, emotions and all the points of view distinctly feminine. This sometimes makes it hard for male readers to become involved. The tennis aspect is also difficult to understand unless you follow the sport. Otherwise, the book is a jarringly honest piece, baring the core of the emotional turbulence that teenage girls encounter and their mothers worry over, including such current topics as abortion, abuse, grief, depression, and prejudice. The reader must be willing to go where Anne Lamott leads in her exploration of humanity's psyche. It reminded me of Of Mice and Men for its honest and believable story. Throughout the novel, the flawed characters attempt to communicate and love with all the humanness that infuses the book. "Her mother rubbed her eyes wearily. Rosie scowled and looked to the ceiling for help. 'What could have happened, Mommy, that's so bad you have to go to bed?' She walked slowly into the dark still room and sat down on the bed. She felt for her mother's long skinny shin under the top sheet. 'You weren't depressed at breakfast.'" (pg. 76). Anne Lamott does not mince words. She writes with purpose and necessary detail, each word carrying specific meaning and contributing to the world of the story. This quote demonstrates the precise words and easy language that accompanies the ardent dialogue throughout the entire book. Though it is limited in scope, Crooked Little Heart is a genuine, heartfelt novel that is interesting and involved. Tennis players, teenage girls, and lovers of earnest exposure of hidden feelings coupled with a touch of eccentricity will enjoy Crooked Little Heart. It supplies a passionate journey through intertwining lives and realistic characters, leaving the reader with some complex thoughts to digest.
Rating:
Summary: Plot too thin to sustain length of novel
Review: This book would have made a great short story. Thirteen-year-old Rosie Ferguson and her doubles partner Simone rule the world of country club tennis. However, faced with insecurities regarding the death of her father, her mother's crippling depression, and her socially akward ways, Rosie begins cheating at the game she loves. When Simone becomes pregnant, Rosie is even more alone. While a good idea for a story, the novel is told too much from the perspective of Elizabeth, Rosie's mother who is still grieving over the death of her husband some 7 years earlier. The novel takes place in the wealth country club world of the San Francisco suburbs, and has a very pretentious quality. This is the book's biggest flaw. Elizabeth's best friends are all single, without children of their own, who make such statements as "Rosie is God." All the while they seem far too self-absorbed to have children or a family of their own. Another phrase the characters in this book use often is "I need you to _____" (fill in the blank). The characters in this book--including Elizabeth and Rosie--think far too much about what they need and not enough about what others may need them to do. At least Rosie, at age 13, has an excuse. There were interesting elements in this story. Rosie's adolescent insecurities were easy for me to relate to--I think most people can identify with feeling left out or somehow not quite right when they were in junior high and high school. Elizabeth herself was not entirely unsympathetic; she loves Rosie and walks the tightrope of wanting to protect her while knowing that she must also let go. Overall, though, the story was far too drawn out. The plot regarding Rosie was enough--I did not appreciate the excessive introspection by her mother. This would have made an excellent short story or a novella that was half the length of this 300-page novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Needs a parental rating
Review: This was assigned for entering 9th graders as summer reading. The story of a dysfunctional family (alcoholism, child abuse) is maudlin enough on it's own. The author apparently thinks that teenagers need to be exposed to graphic sex and X-rated language to relate to the dilemmas of growing up. I found the story tedious, the language unimaginative and the message simplistic. Skip this one!
Rating:
Summary: Deeper Than Appearences
Review: Crooked Little Heart is so interesting and fascinating because it is so ordinary and captures everyday life and frames it in snapshots. Anne Lamott creates a family who is not the "Brady Bunch" type, yet they are closer to what true families are like in real life. Her main character, Rosie Ferguson, strives to fit into the adolescent world of popularity. At the same time she struggles with memories of losing her father in a car accident and having to deal with her mother's turn to alcoholism. A life that seems infallible has crumbled all at once. Rosie is a character, which reflects people doubts, fears, anxieties, and capriciousness. I am most drawn to Lamott's characters because of the fact that none are perfect and each has uncertainties just as I do. Rosie seems to escape seeing her disfunctionate family through tennis. She plays in tennis tournaments with her best friend Simone, who most people deem to be dumb because of her physique and sex appeal to young and old men alike. At all of Rosie's tennis matches, there seems to be a secret spectator, which unlike most spectators, parents of players and coaches, does not come to watch the game in fancy athletic outfits. His name is Luther and he is my favorite character because although he looks shabby on the outside, he is what people fear to truly be - himself. I really liked when Rosie confronted her mother "you just look at what people look like and think you know if they're good or bad." This book is a sure female audience grabber because it deals with predicaments and dilemmas that many women have to face or once faced in their lives. This book definitely wove itself into my crooked little heart because it made me fathom that life is an infinite goal of discovering where we truly belong in the midst of all that's happening around us.
Rating:
Summary: Deeper Than Appearences
Review: Crooked Little Heart is so interesting and fascinating because it is so ordinary and captures everyday life and frames it in snapshots. Anne Lamott creates a family who is not the 'Brady Bunch' type, yet they are closer to what true families are like in real life. Her main character, Rosie Ferguson, strives to fit into the adolescent world of popularity. At the same time she struggles with memories of losing her father in a car accident and having to deal with her mother's turn to alcoholism. A life that seems infallible has crumbled all at once. Rosie is a character, which reflects people doubts, fears, anxieties, and capriciousness. I am most drawn to Lamott's characters because of the fact that none are perfect and each has uncertainties just as I do. Rosie seems to escape seeing her disfunctionate family through tennis. She plays in tennis tournaments with her best friend Simone, who most people deem to be dumb because of her physique and sex appeal to young and old men alike. At all of Rosie's tennis matches, there seems to be a secret spectator, which unlike most spectators, parents of players and coaches, does not come to watch the game in fancy athletic outfits. His name is Luther and he is my favorite character because although he looks shabby on the outside, he is what people fear to truly be - himself. I really liked when Rosie confronted her mother 'you just look at what people look like and think you know if they're good or bad.' This book is a sure female audience grabber because it deals with predicaments and dilemmas that many women have to face or once faced in their lives. This book definitely wove itself into my crooked little heart because it made me fathom that life is an infinite goal of discovering where we truly belong in the midst of all that's happening around us.
Rating:
Summary: From Title to End...
Review: In the six months since I read CLH, I have thought of pieces of it hundreds of times. I think Anne Lamott is an amazing writer, one of the best contemporary American writers we have, along with Fred Chappell, Louise Erdrich, Kaye Gibbons, and Lee Smith, to name a few. I think with any piece of fiction the reader must be willing to enter the author's constructed world on their terms. I loved the title of CLH and wanted to know all that lay behind it. Also, I knew I liked Lamott's writing from some of her nonfiction. So, I kept going even though it took me several chapters to become fully engaged in the story. I find so much of her imagery and metaphor incredible that even without caring about tennis at all, I wanted to keep going. Plus, I trusted her to take me somewhere worthwhile. And she did. I love that Luther tells Rosie, You're not a cheater. You're someone who cheated. I saw so much compassion and honesty in that exchange. I think it's what the book was written for, and that it is more than enough to justify the story's length. Another of my favorite lines is also near the end, where Rosie tells Elizabeth, We're not like a real family, we're like some family you'd buy at a garage sale. (This may not be exact, I do not have the book with me). By that time, you realize that Lamott is saying most real families are that way, and that's the beauty of the thing--along with the fact that Rosie as an adolescent is not yet fully aware of how much of life really is like something you get at a garage sale and make do with and come to love devotedly.
Rating:
Summary: A Slow Start but a Great Finish
Review: It took a while to get into Crooked Little Heart. If I had read Rosie it might have been better, but I truly felt that I had walked into the middle of a story and was supposed to know things I didn't. Lamott often flashes back to Rosie and her family's past which helped me gradually fill in details I would have liked to have known earlier. Once I got drawn in, I enjoyed the book very much. Lamott has created a variety of interesting characters all cut from different molds. Although the focus of the book is on Rosie, the supporting characters have life as well - often their lives go on just on the edges of the story, so we don't know everything that's going on, but we know enough to know there's more to know.
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