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tiggerser's review against another edition
3.0
My first Anne Lamott book. She has an interesting writing style that rambles from thought to thought. I enjoyed it overall, but wish her thoughts toed together a bit more thematically.
I plan to read other books by her as I enjoy her unique authenticity. This isn’t an inspirational piece, but more a reality check for the day to day and the importance of building a community that knots our tatters together to make us whole.
I plan to read other books by her as I enjoy her unique authenticity. This isn’t an inspirational piece, but more a reality check for the day to day and the importance of building a community that knots our tatters together to make us whole.
kathleenguthriewoods's review against another edition
5.0
Great follow-up to "Help. Thanks. Wow." Another one of those "little books" that takes a while to read because you want to absorb the wisdom that's packed in.
ovenbird_reads's review against another edition
4.0
What a beautiful, insightful, and deeply felt book. I want to run out and buy copies for everyone I know as Christmas gifts. Lamott covers the basics of human life, with all its grief, chaos, love, and joy. I think this will hit close to home, especially for parents and for those who have experienced a profound loss of any kind. That might actually be everyone on the planet. Okay, so I recommend this to everyone on the planet. I read it in a single sitting while drinking a pot of tea at a local coffee shop and I can not imagine a more lovely way to spend a rainy afternoon. Lamott gets it. She just gets life. And after you read this book you're going to get it just a little bit more as well. My only regret is that there wasn't more of this book to read.
mrsbrewcrew's review against another edition
4.0
Everything Anne Lamott writes is a breath of fresh air for my soul.
"When you love something like reading - or drawing or music or nature - it surrounds you with a sense of connection to something great. If you are lucky enough to know this, then your search for meaning involves whatever that Something is. It's an alchemical blend of affinity and focus that takes us to a place within that feels as close as we ever get to 'home.' It's like pulling into our own train station after a long trip - joy, relief, a pleasant exhaustion." p.22-23
"There is meaning in focus, concentration, attention. I now notice almost every single bird that flies by, as well as every single butterfly. I pay attention to most plain old butterflies, not just the ones in tiaras or argyle socks. Butterflies and birds are like one perfect teaspoon of creation." p. 87
"When you love something like reading - or drawing or music or nature - it surrounds you with a sense of connection to something great. If you are lucky enough to know this, then your search for meaning involves whatever that Something is. It's an alchemical blend of affinity and focus that takes us to a place within that feels as close as we ever get to 'home.' It's like pulling into our own train station after a long trip - joy, relief, a pleasant exhaustion." p.22-23
"There is meaning in focus, concentration, attention. I now notice almost every single bird that flies by, as well as every single butterfly. I pay attention to most plain old butterflies, not just the ones in tiaras or argyle socks. Butterflies and birds are like one perfect teaspoon of creation." p. 87
laila4343's review against another edition
5.0
Very comforting. Would be a thoughtful gift for someone who has suffered a loss. It's also just a good read for anyone who is struggling with life's big questions, namely, "WHAT THE HELL are we supposed to do with all this suffering?" You can count on Anne Lamott for some wisdom and some goodness.
ginabyeg's review against another edition
4.0
"A handbook on meaning, hope and repair." ...I wouldn't say it's a 'handbook' so much as 'reflective prose.' But it's reassuring to know that someone else out there ponders the messiness of life sort of the way I do, gleaning insights as she goes.
tolutolu9597's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
I don’t think this was really in any way life changing, but I will say it was a nice pick me up for the morning as I head into the office on a Monday morning.
Sometimes the hope doesn’t have to be life changing it just needs to be sufficiently hopeful.
No rating xx
Sometimes the hope doesn’t have to be life changing it just needs to be sufficiently hopeful.
No rating xx
justabean_reads's review against another edition
1.0
Well, this did absolutely nothing for me. I was looking through the books on my religion shelf, trying to find something for Lent, and this had a nice hand written note from Mom, who'd given it to me a few years ago. It's only ninety pages, so I just sat down and read straight through it. While there's a couple nice turns of phrase, and I liked some of her stores, none of the spiritual side connected with me at all, and there were some bits that I found actively off putting. Oh well.
toniclark's review against another edition
3.0
I haven’t read anything by Lamott since Bird by Bird (1994), which I liked, but am guessing that many of her books would not be for me. I do like her writing, her humor, her use of image and metaphor.
Anne Lamott believes in a lot of things I don’t — God, souls, afterlife, submitting to a higher power — which often makes it hard for me to relate. But she also finds meaning in the here and now, in being present, being attentive, and that’s what I respond to. Her observations and advice about how to get past the seemingly insurmountable, through the pain and injustice, are inspiring. I don’t think you have to believe in a higher power to have faith in yourself.
One of my favorite bits: “It's pretty easy to think you know the meaning of life when your children are small, if they come with all their parts and you get to live in that amazing cocoon of oneness and baby smells. But what if your perfect child becomes sick, obese, an addict, or a homeless adult? What if you wake up at 60 and realize you forgot to wake up, and you never became the person you were born to be, and now your hair is falling out? You're thinking about this for the first time when maybe it's a little late, Your life is two-thirds over, or you're still relatively young, but your girl went from being two years old to being eleven in what felt like 18 months, and then in what felt like eight weeks to 15, where she has been now, sharply dressed as a bitter young stripper, for as long as you can fricking remember. Oh honey, buckle up. It gets worse.”
Lamott quotes Ram Dass, who said said that, ultimately, we’re all just walking each other home. That’s worth keeping in mind and living by.
NOTE: If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can listen to the audio of this book free via Audible Channels.
Anne Lamott believes in a lot of things I don’t — God, souls, afterlife, submitting to a higher power — which often makes it hard for me to relate. But she also finds meaning in the here and now, in being present, being attentive, and that’s what I respond to. Her observations and advice about how to get past the seemingly insurmountable, through the pain and injustice, are inspiring. I don’t think you have to believe in a higher power to have faith in yourself.
One of my favorite bits: “It's pretty easy to think you know the meaning of life when your children are small, if they come with all their parts and you get to live in that amazing cocoon of oneness and baby smells. But what if your perfect child becomes sick, obese, an addict, or a homeless adult? What if you wake up at 60 and realize you forgot to wake up, and you never became the person you were born to be, and now your hair is falling out? You're thinking about this for the first time when maybe it's a little late, Your life is two-thirds over, or you're still relatively young, but your girl went from being two years old to being eleven in what felt like 18 months, and then in what felt like eight weeks to 15, where she has been now, sharply dressed as a bitter young stripper, for as long as you can fricking remember. Oh honey, buckle up. It gets worse.”
Lamott quotes Ram Dass, who said said that, ultimately, we’re all just walking each other home. That’s worth keeping in mind and living by.
NOTE: If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can listen to the audio of this book free via Audible Channels.