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Anne Lamott burst onto the literary scene in 1993 with Operating Instructions. This now-classic memoir of her son Sam's first year of life endeared her to single mothers, parents, and even non-parents across the country. With her new book, Some Assembly Required (Riverhead), she is set to do the same for grandparenthood. Stunned to learn that Sam, now 19, is about to become a father, Lamott begins a journal about the first year of her grandson Jax's life, recalling her own experiences with Sam when she was a single mother. Over the course of the year, the rhythms of life, death, family, and friends unfold in surprising and joyful ways. Please note: This ticketed event takes place at the Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Tickets, $26.95, include admission and a copy of Some Assembly Required and are available at the Bagdad Theater, the Crystal Ballroom, CascadeTickets.com, or by phone at 855-227-8499. Books distributed at event.
If Elizabeth Ferguson had her way, she'd spend her days savoring good books, cooking great meals, making fun of tedious suitors, and waiting for the love of her life to walk in the door. But it's not a man she's waiting for, it's her daughter, Rosie — her wild-haired, smart-mouthed, wise-beyond-her-years alter ego. With Rosie around, the long days aren't quite so long, the long nights easily blunted by a few too many glasses of wine. But Elizabeth can't keep the realities of the world at bay, and try as she might, she can't shield Rosie from its dangers or mystery. As Rosie grows older and more curious, Elizabeth must find a way to nurture her extraordinary daughter — even if it means growing up herself.
Review:
"A fine novel about an eccentric, non-nuclear family with two, then three, and finally four heads, but always with just one heart: Rosie." The New Yorker
Review:
"Anne Lamott is an original: a bright, fresh voice. Rosie is not so much a celebration of the ordinary as it is a recognition of the extraordinariness of life." San Francisco Chronicle
Review:
"A sunny, strong-backed novel — featuring great, good people and a rare bird in Rosie herself." Kirkus Reviews
Review:
"A strong, funny and memorably original novel." Alice Adams
Synopsis:
The bestselling author of Bird by Bird and Operating Instructions delivers a witty and wise novel about the growing pains of motherhood. In the inimitable style that makes her delightful prose leap off the page, Anne Lamott has fashioned a true coming-of-age story with a modern-day twist. As a woman's daughter grows older and more curious, she must find a way to nurture her extraordinary daughter — even if it means growing up herself.
Anne Lamott is the author of the bestsellers Traveling Mercies, Operating Instructions, Bird by Bird, as well as six novels including Crooked Little Heart which is the sequel to Rosie. Her column in Salon magazine was voted the Best of the Web by Newsweek. She is a past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.
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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"Review"
by The New Yorker,
"A fine novel about an eccentric, non-nuclear family with two, then three, and finally four heads, but always with just one heart: Rosie."
"Review"
by San Francisco Chronicle,
"Anne Lamott is an original: a bright, fresh voice. Rosie is not so much a celebration of the ordinary as it is a recognition of the extraordinariness of life."
"Review"
by Kirkus Reviews,
"A sunny, strong-backed novel — featuring great, good people and a rare bird in Rosie herself."
"Review"
by Alice Adams,
"A strong, funny and memorably original novel."
"Synopsis"
by chrisb@powells.com,
The bestselling author of Bird by Bird and Operating Instructions delivers a witty and wise novel about the growing pains of motherhood. In the inimitable style that makes her delightful prose leap off the page, Anne Lamott has fashioned a true coming-of-age story with a modern-day twist. As a woman's daughter grows older and more curious, she must find a way to nurture her extraordinary daughter — even if it means growing up herself.
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