Recent Reads: "Crooked Little Heart" by Anne Lamott

"Crooked Little Heart"

by Anne Lamott

c. 1998

I really enjoyed this book.  A lot.  Excellently written, the story is about a tight-knit group of friends who become family, and is mainly told through the eyes of young Rosie and her mother Elizabeth.  Set in San Francisco and spanning a couple of years, it seamlessly blends the past with the present.  There are several different themes woven throughout this book, but they flow nicely with each character.

Elizabeth was widowed when Rosie was four.  Turning to booze to bury her grief, she kicks the alcohol habit and then finally deals with the grief through a depressive episode years later.  Fear and worry of many things, including her daughter jumping on a trampoline, runs through her daily thoughts.  She married James, a writer and a younger man, to complete their little family. 

Rosie is a little hot shot tennis star, and the is a lot of info about the ins-and-outs of tennis tournaments for young people, clubs and coaches.  Rosie's best friend and tennis partner, Simone, is too sexy for her own good and she attracts older boys and men alike.  There is also creepy Luther, who hangs around the courts, watching young Rosie intently, and giving her mom the heebie-jeebies.

Lamott delves deeply into the thoughts, motivations, character flaws and everyday doings of her characters.  They are fully developed, real people and she did a wonderful job with this book.

"Crooked Little Heart" was written before everybody and their kid had a cell phone, and that fact kept jumping out at me.  It is hard to imagine what the world was like back then, and we are only talking about 1998.

I give this book two thumbs up.  It took me awhile to read because it is pretty meaty.  

~ Kathy M.

And, now, as a bonus for today, I am posting some pretty pictures of Clearwater Falls, located near Diamond Lake.  I took them in 2007:

Can anybody out there except me see the water fairy with the huge boobies by my name in the picture above?  She surprised the heck out me!  You can click on any of the pictures above to enlarge them.

At Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy, if you miss a day, you miss a lot!  All material on this post is copyrighted and not for use without my permission ...Please click here to go to my home page and see what is happening in Mayberry today.