Rosie

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OneMansView, April 13, 2010 (view all comments by OneMansView)
How can I do this to my adorable little girl?

In this somewhat autobiographical work, the author paints a sharp, poignant, and painful portrait of a widowed woman in her thirties, Elizabeth Ferguson, who, though blessed with a sharp mind and striking looks, cannot find equilibrium in her life and turns daily to the soothing, if not numbing, comforts of excessive alcohol consumption. Having grown up in a dysfunctional family – both parents being drinkers, she had managed to shove much of that into the background with her deceased husband being a pillar of strength for both her and her precocious, grade-school-age daughter Rosie. Now, she agonizes over subjecting her adorable daughter, at times wise beyond her years, to a similar unstable environment.

While the focus of the story is on Elizabeth’s struggles and Rosie’s swings from reproving her mother to being an apprehensive little girl, other interesting characters appear to help the situation. Rae is an upbeat, chubby, earth-mother type who is there when needed. And James, despite his faults, “gets” Elizabeth. They are both literary intellectuals to some degree, but the real issue is can she learn to trust and give herself to a man when she has so much insecurity.

The author really captures what it must be like for a person who recognizes but rationalizes his or her own self-destruction through alcohol or drug dependence. It is an understanding, but realistic, treatment: at times the picture is not pretty. It’s easy to hope that Elizabeth can get it together and that Rosie can get the adult support that she needs. It’s a tough world for an eight year old girl to fend for herself, as one particularly ugly incident clearly demonstrates.

Some may find the author to be unkind, or even harsh, towards Elizabeth. In fact, Elizabeth has resources that many don’t: financial stability gained from her husband’s death, a reflective though troubled mind, and a minimal network of friends and acquaintances. In a sense, Elizabeth is a disappointment to the author and to the reader. The basis of Elizabeth’s hopelessness, concealed while married, is not particularly clear – perhaps that is the point; there is no rational explanation. Elizabeth’s situation is a nightmare that we can experience from afar through this book and learn from.

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Product Details

ISBN:

9780140264791

Author:

Lamott, Anne

Publisher:

Penguin Books

Author:

Lamott, Anne

Location:

New York :

Subject:

General

Subject:

Fiction

Subject:

Mothers and daughters

Subject:

Identity (psychology)

Subject:

Mothers

Subject:

Literary

Subject:

Domestic fiction

Subject:

Literature-A to Z

Copyright:

1997

Edition Number:

Reprint ed.

Edition Description:

Trade Paper

Series Volume:

57

Publication Date:

June 1997

Binding:

TRADE PAPER

Grade Level:

from 12

Language:

English

Illustrations:

Yes

Pages:

288

Dimensions:

7.77x5.07x.55 in. .43 lbs.

Age Level:

from 18