Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing Read
Review: I read the book to take part in a book group discussion. If not for that group, I would have put the book down after the first chapter. As an avid reader always on the lookout for an author I can add to my list of favorites, I was excited to start Blue Shoe, but was miserably disappointed by the lack of character development and plot development, for that matter. The book is supposed to span a period of years, yet every day seemed to be the exact same. It reminded me of the literary counterpart to the movie Groundhog Day. As I kept plowing through the novel, the only driving force for me was Mattie's mother. I kept reading solely to find out what happened to her. Lastly, a note about this book being a Christian work. I take offense at that description. As a Christian who is fond of Christian fiction and nonfiction alike, I was disturbed by the lack of morals displayed by Mattie. Although no Christian is perfect, a woman who continues to have sex with her ex-husband who has recently been remarried, is not what I would consider to be a good main character for Christian literature. Overall, I was greatly disappointed with the novel and would not recommend it or the author to others.
Rating:
Summary: Not her best work
Review: I am a big Anne fan, have read and bought all her books. However, this one won't make it to my personal library- I tried to like it, I really did, but it just doesn't come up to par with her other work. I was confused about what was happening for most of the book and more importantly, why any of it was happening. I never did understand why that one character (can't recall her name) lived in a run-down house on the beach with no electricity and acted crazy. There was not much of a plot, which is okay as long as character development is strong but we don't get that in here either. There was so much potential because all the characters appeared in-depth and complicated and interesting but we never get told why any of them act the way they do! I'm sorry to say I was disappointed in this book and can't recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Miss this book
Review: I only made it about 1/2 way through this book. I kept waiting for it to be as good as the jacket professed but it just got worse. There were so many flashbacks, it was hard to stay with the story (which was not too interesting anyway). The book was preachy, characters were uninteresting and flat, motivation was unclear. I don't recommend this at all.
Rating: 
Summary: Great writing, but not for me
Review: Blue Shoe has some of the best turns of phrase and metaphors I've ever read, and I think in this respect Anne Lamott is a genius. I just didn't find the thread of plot tight enough to draw me in. Every time I put this book down I immediately forgot where I was in the plot because it just wasn't memorable to me. I also found I couldn't remember characters, and had to go back to find out who Yvonne was. I even mixed up Daniel and...I forget who! I like really slow books, and nothing much has to happen for me to stay with a book to the end, but this is the type of book that you turn in to the library because it's due, even if you haven't finished it.
Rating:
Summary: Mattie is a Christian??
Review: Actually, I can't even give this novel one star.
This is the first "Christian" novel I've read, so I have never read Anne Lamott prior to Blue Shoe, and probably never will again. In my opinion, all the characters are lacking substance and completely unbelievable except as parody. Mattie is shallow and self serving; her children's well being is secondary to needing a man to keep her warm in bed. This is probably all right because Jesus understands her. .
If any of the the characters had an ounce of warmth and if Lamott's "Christianity" not inserted at inappropriate places, the novel might be more enjoyable and the family and situation somewhat believable.
Rating: 
Summary: A book about change
Review: This is simply a book about life's journey and the events and experiences that change us. It's about the choices we make and the consequences we live with. It's about an extremely loveable character, Mattie Ryder, and her rather messed up, gloomy life, through-out which she always seems to maintain a wry sense of humor. Now all in all the story is extremely slow paced, but, it's well-written and there are countless hidden wisdoms for you to discover. A book I recommend to the patient and particular. And if you're looking for a few other great titles, look no further than these, Buckland's Hot List: most creative, The Butterfly: A Fable (Singh); most engaging, The Alchemist (Coelho); most interesting, Life of Pi (Martel); most enlightening, 9-11 (Chomsky); most thrilling, The Lovely Bones: A Novel (Sebold); and finally, the most creative, engaging, interesting, enlightening and thrilling book of all, The Little Prince (Saint-Exupery). These are the books I'd recommend to my family, friends, students, and wife. There are many more, trust me, but these are the first that come to mind (for having left an impact slight or proud as it may be). If you have any questions, queries, or comments, or maybe even a title you think I should add to my list, please feel free to e-mail me. I'm always open to a good recommendation. Thanks for reading my brief but hopefully helpful review. Happy reading. Donald S. Buckland.
Rating: 
Summary: Lamott needs to leave the autobigraphical novel behind
Review: Anne Lamott is one of my favorite authors but she's never been able to pull off fiction in the same brilliant way she's mastered nonfiction. (Although "Rosie" came very close.) This is sadly evident in the "The Blue Shoe' which is boring and forgettable.
I still have hope for Anne. If she would just get out of her own head and create characters that are completely different from herself and the witty gang she hangs out with, I believe she'd have fiction worthy of celebration. (As long as she also included a liitle bit of plot in the mix as well.) The first rule most fiction authors learn is to leave the emotional, obviously autobiographical opuses behind. Lamott would do well to heed that advice.
Rating:
Summary: Mattie is a mess
Review: I never did learn to like Mattie. She's a pitiful person of the very first order. I got so tired of her "I-really-shouldn't-sleep-with-this-guy" and then she sleeps with that guy. Her married ex. A divorced guy. (Who she lets us know isn't as good a lover as her married ex, so she's, in her mind, making a sacrifice, & wonders if God might give her at least partial credit for giving up the married one for the unmarried!) And she is doing all of the above at the same time that she is relentlessly, shamelessly, with entitlement written all over her every move, pursuing yet another married guy, who FINALLY succumbs to her persistent interference in his life, leaves his wife, and moves in with Mattie. I'm not sure I understand other readers' irritation at Mattie's "preachiness." Based on her role model, she isn't asking anybody to exercise any self-discipline or make any positive changes in their character, courage and conscience, for goodness sake. Every self-indulgent, self-serving, self-pitying thing she says and does flies in the face of a good strong faith. People of faith are SO-O-O not perfect, but none I know persevere for such prolonged periods of time so intently and unwaveringly in a life-style which does not, except for the lip-service paid to it, reflect their faith. I kept yearning for Mattie to do something for which I could rise up and give her three cheers! There are so many of us single moms of faith who have fallen just like Mattie, and gotten up and gone on and done better. Mattie just keeps making excuses for her unacceptable behavior. Or worse, seeing it as an entitlement rather than unacceptable, she never addresses it at all.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not Great
Review: I'm an Anne Lamott fan...big time! But Anne's writing is her own brand of formula fiction and getting worn. Blue Shoe is a good read if you haven't read Traveling Mercies which is a great read. Anne seems to be getting tired and may need to explore another voice in her style. The big selling point of Anne's work is everyone thinks it is reflecting her own life. That may or may not be true. Keep in mind, this is fiction. All in all, if you're Anne fan, buy this one for your library. If you're not then try Traveling Mercies or Bird by Bird.
Rating:
Summary: Back to the Kiddie Pool!
Review: I think people are starting to catch on to the idea that Anne Lamott is a Tiny Talent, and not a writer who can create characters or present complex ideas. If she's writing Christian goo-goo stuff, it certainly is better than others in that category. And if she's writing about maternity or how to get published, she's still way ahead of the competition. But when she turns to fiction, and then asks to be compared to other major writers, her tendency to rely on cute little mannerisms, her embarassing self-regard, and her shallowness become glaringly apparent. If Ms.Lamott wants to be taken as a big deal, she ought to stay in the kiddie pool.
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