Rating: 
Summary: An OK book
Review: As an Anne-Fan it pains me to give this book three stars, but in all honesty it wasn't her best work. I liked the story, however it lacked the snap that usually grabs my attention. If you're looking for a story that dives into the complexities of real, everyday relationships pick up Joe Jones (a five star book by any means). If you're a fan, don't pass this book up because it's getting a three star average. It's a really nice story and contains enough Anne humor to make you snicker in public.
Rating: 
Summary: Feh to the naysayers. It was wonderful.....
Review: last week, a winter storm brought down power lines in my neighborhood and plunged me into a blackout for five days. luckily, i had my first edition of BLUE SHOE to tide me over until the power went back on. it was crucial to my well being, and for that I thank Ms. Lamott. BLUE SHOE offers Lamott's trademark array of real-life characters that endear one to them in much the same way that Anne Tyler's do; we relate to these people because they are not shiny and happy lobotomized versions of human beings -- deeply flawed, they struggle to the surface of their lives as we root them on, never quite knowing what will happen next. No cookie-cutter relationships here, thank GOD. although I am not religious, I didn't feel alienated by the christianity references -- this is hardly OLD TESTAMENT stuff, just a gentle sea current of spirituality that threads its way through the text. my favorite passages seemed to squeeze time sideways, protracting the moments in the character's lives that plot is made of. of particular sensitivity and beauty is Lamott's portrayal of Abby, and the tenuous relationship with her dead father which resolves itself by the end of the novel in a way that can be understood and believed in. All in al,l I got the same feeling of well being and good company that each of Lamotts novels have stirred in me. the fact that she makes it look easy does not mean that it IS easy to write about complex moral dillemmas and family secrets with such style and grace. I found the final pages of the book to be glorious and I was saddened to arrive at the last page. Closing the book with a full and round feeling of contentment, I found myself wondering whether, after all the agnostic nonsense and harsh petty criticism leveled at her on this site, Lamott will do us the honor of another novel soon. Let us hope that she does.
Annie -- you rock. -- Eve
Rating:
Summary: Not every at bat can be a home run
Review: I have loved Anne Lamott's writing, humor and life perspective for some time and was anxious to read "Blue Shoe." I must reluctantly admit that I am a bit disappointed with this latest effort. In some ways I enjoyed the slow, meandering pace of the book and appreciated the poingency of her descriptions of ordinary life and her ability to find perfection in parting with a beloved dog, mothering a dying mother and stuggling with moody, insecure children. The biggest problem with the book is a lack of substantive plot. I kept waiting for something climatic to happen and it never did. Maybe, that's Ms. Lamott's point on some level--life is just a meandering journey without an identifiable plot.
Rating: 
Summary: If you like Anne Lamott's style, you'll LOVE this book
Review: It wanders, it digresses, it circles around and sneaks up on you from behind. It beguiles, it teases, and it delivers. Mattie's life is a mess, her love affairs are a mess, her mother is a mess . . . and aren't we all in some kind of mess? What I especially loved about Blue Shoe is that there's a little mystery thread running through all the messiness that somehow manages to connect everything in a very tidy way that's not typical of Lamott's writing. Very clever and simple, at the same time. Read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good talent gone bad.
Review: If you haven't read Anne Lamott's, Traveling Mercies, read it instead of this; if you have read Traveling Mercies, read it again instead of this.
Rating:
Summary: HORRIBLE, SHALLOW AND PREACHY
Review: This book was chosen as a selection for my book club. I can honestly say this is about the worst book I have ever had the misfortune to read. Half-way through the book I found myself asking -- what is the point? where is the story? I plodded thru Lamott's ramblings about Mattie and her other uninteresting characters that were peppered with her preachy and cheesy religious references and wondered how this book made it to print. If it is true that the author uses her own life as her inspiration, she needs to get over herself and find something more interesting/compelling and important to write about. Needless to say, I do not recommend this book to anyone! (and I am bitter for having had to buy it in hardback!)
Rating:
Summary: I stayed up until three to finish this book . . .
Review: I stayed up way too late last night reading this book cover to cover, and I don't regret it one bit. Read this book if you love to meet new characters whose lives are as messy as your own, and who still get out of the bed in the morning (mostly).
Read it if you are now, or have ever been, part of a family and feel puzzled about the experience.
Read it if you have ever had a good luck piece to get you through rough times (remember, gloomy December is almost here!). I enjoyed this book as much as _Rosie_, and I will recommend it to my friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the Anne I love
Review: I bought this book eagerly hoping to be as uplifted and mesmerized as I have been by all her previous books. I was disappointed from the beginning, but stuck with it because I couldn't imagine it wouldn't get better. But it didn't! The story was predictable, the characters uneven and uninteresting, and the preachy comments annoying. She communicated her christian faith in "Traveling Mercies" with wit, finese, and grace, but none of this transpired in the pages of her current novel. I felt the characters were shallow and much of the content of the book read like a dime store romance novel rather that what her readers have come to expect from such a talented writer. I am still an Anne fan, but this one I won't recommend.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I'm a fan of Lamott's work, and even this novel her use of the language is at times beautiful and brilliant. However, I can't recall reading a book whose protagonist was less compelling. Mattie struck me as whiny, tedious, and meandering. I wasn't sure what, outside of herself and the ho-hum mystery about her father, she cared about. I would give it one star, but because I read it after The Lovely Bones, I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt and assuming the comparison did not help.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: As an Anne Lamott fan, I was very disappointed in this book.Her earlier ones were better. There was no mounting tension to hold the story together, and the main characters were people I didn't respect or even like: professional victims with no compelling goals. The people were like cartoon-characters from AA or Born Again-types-preaching to the reader. This was a novel that needed a good editor and a longer gestation period.
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