Total Page : 275
Publisher : Anchor
Publication Date : 2000 02 15
>> Steps to Faith
Well I feel like I ve just read a very funny Sienfeld episode Not that there s anything wrong with that
So is this woman a mess Is she completely self absorbed Yes
But she s also a very gifted writer So much so that I m leaning towards reading another one of her books
I laughed out loud at times cringed at other times and found her annoying more than once or twice her contempt for the mom in bicycle shorts who drives her son to school just bothered me sorry
But she writes powerfully and is very poetic at times plus the book is a quick read
If you re looking for some kind of epiphany or revelation of some sort in terms of faith I might pass I see though that many others differ so who knows She certainly takes steps unglamorous sometimes very sad steps in the right direction steps in kindness patience joy but her steps toward faith didn t move me the way it seems to have moved others I was sort of waiting for that big moment
All that said the book is worth reading and we re all different so if you ve lost all hope maybe this book would help you It seems to have helped others
I d recommend the book in that she is just such a good writer
>> More than good writing this is a ministry
In this beautifully written book Lamott describes how all of our lives are lead by spirit and marked by little miracles whether we able to recognize it or not We are reminded that nobody is exempt from the first noble truth that the price of being human brings with it tears sorrow pain and death But it is also up to us to recognize the joys and gifts with which we are graced I am convinced that anyone giving this a low rating is likely a conservative Christian threatened by her radical slant on truth But in her book she is even able to find grace in her encounters with those archetypes For those who are liberal Christians interfaith or with Buddhist leanings this book is a welcomed read and goes down like honey when your throat is too parched to swallow I myself lost my husband to head/neck cancer a few months ago and now find myself not only a widow but alone and wheelchair bound with an advanced form of multiple sclerosis at the age of 42 In so many words I have wanted my relatively young life to end a hundred times This book has given me a greater sense of affirmation comfort strength and hope than have the clergy and shrinks with whom I have consulted since my husband s death combined This is not only incredible writing it is a form of pastoral ministry Thank you Anne for being such an AUTHENTIC guiding light May God in all its miraculous and merciful forms keep you travelling always
>> Disappointed Reader
I love Ann Lamott s writing style and her wonderful imagery but her narcissism got in the way of my really enjoying the book as much as I was hoping to In the beginning her egocentricity and narcissism were acceptable because of the humor with which they were depicted but after a while I found myself becoming somewhat disenchanted and hoping that by the end of the book she would grow up a little and communicate on a deeper level with her reader Unfortunately that didn t happen Disappointed Reader
