Crooked Little Heart: A Novel by Anne Lamott
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Book Reviews of Crooked Little Heart: A Novel
Book Review: A coming of age story that is just a little crooked . . . which makes it ring as true
Summary: 4 Stars
A friiend of mine turned me om to Anne Lamott and I am so gratteful. A very quirky story line is matched with a poet`s ability to express a common experience with an uncoomon clarity and brilliance. Ms. Lamottcrafts a story, that on it's face is about two teenage tennis progidies, which, if that was all it was would never have engaged me for more than a few pages.
The book is much more about how people confront the ordinary and the extraordinary cries of their lives. Annie Lamott uses the vehicle of common and ordinary to reflect on experiences with which any reader can identify. the reader becomes ally, protagonist, hero, and victim as this story unfolds. We have all been there and done that, which is what makes me care about and understand these characters.
Book Review: "Crying withheld feels sometimes like dying..."
Summary: 5 Stars
I really loved this book, mostly because I could empathize with Rosie's middle school angst and insecurites. But I also admire (and envy) Lamott's writing in general - she creates beautiful phrases such as "it was so hot that the only things moving outside were the crickets and the anorexics" and "the sun smelled warm, like laundry in the dryer, like melting yellow crayons." Her writing startles me sometimes, so I have to stop and reread. I would never think to associate melting yellow crayons with the sun, for example...but the comparison makes perfect sense.
Simone, Rosie's best friend, wasn't one of my favorite characters at first, but her story turned out to be heartbreaking, and I was genuinely sad for her. I can still see her sitting on the bench with Rosie, waiting for Jason. Collapsed dreams, humiliation, and the double standard all follow - as usual, the male is not castigated by society. The male is not kicked out of the country club.
I liked Rae, Rosie's mom's best friend, the successful artist. When teased for her religious views, I was so proud of Rosie for defending her, reminding everyone that America "was founded on the principle of religious freedom," and no one should trivialize a woman's deepest feelings.
I also liked Luther, the mysterious observer at the tennis tournaments. I thought he was creepy at first, but he paid attention to Rosie when no one else did (her mother might be spacing out as she retreats into the past, and her stepfather might be checking his messages). Luther helped her, was there for her, so Rosie was never alone during a game.
"Too bad about the hair.." - when Rosie's coach said this to her (upon seeing Rosie's newly shorn head), it only confirmed my belief that he's sexist, that his voice echoes a society which regards hair as something that defines women, gives them value, forms stereotypes. Alas, Simone had glorious hair, and look what happened to her...her value appeared to decline in the end.
When a woman chops off most of her hair, it is one of the most liberating things in the world. I wish I'd gotten rid of mine when I was Rosie's age, instead of waiting until I was 24.
Book Review: Growth experience for mother & daughter
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a wonderful sequel to "Rosie" by LaMott, but stands well on its own. It's a "coming of age" genre.Book Review: Kept thinking it would get better...It didn't.
Summary: 2 Stars
It took me about 6 weeks to finish this book. I usually finish a book I like in about 2-3 days, but I just couldn't get into this one. I kept thinking it would get better...It didn't. I read one other Anne Lamott novel and never finished it. Since so many readers had raved about this book, I decided to keep reading to see why it was so highly praised. The other reason I kept reading was because it seemed like there was something dark in Elizabeth's past that was lurking and waiting to come to the surface, but I didn't feel like this ever really got explained. It seemed like the storyline kept building up and up, and then just sort of fizzled out. I sort of cared about Rosie, more toward the end then at any other time. I barely cared (if at all) about her mother, Elizabeth. There were some good descriptions and some wonderfully poetic passages, but they didn't make up for the lack of care that I felt for the characters. I cared more about the supporting characters (Lank, Rae, and Charles) than I did about the developed main characters. I really disliked some of the comparisons/similes that the author made; especially the ones about likening the characters to birds. Since I tried to read two Anne Lamott books and didn't like either of them, maybe I just don't like her writing in general. From the looks of many of these comments, she seems to have lots of fans that love her writing! I'm just not one of them.Book Review: Lovely story
Summary: 5 Stars
A rather heartwarming novel of adolescence, grief, sexual awakening, and tennis set in the Bay Area of California.