What do you think?
Rate this book
Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Nonfiction (2017)From the bestselling author of Help, Thanks, Wow and Stitches comes a powerful exploration of mercy, its limitless (if sometimes hidden) presence, why we ignore it, and how we can embrace it
Mercy is radical kindness, Anne Lamott writes in her enthralling and heartening book, Hallelujah Anyway. It's the permission you give others--and yourself--to forgive a debt, to absolve the unabsolvable, to let go of the judgment and pain that make life so difficult.
In Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy Lamott ventures to explore where to find meaning in life. We should begin, she suggests, by-facing a great big mess, especially the great big mess of ourselves. It's up to each of us to recognize the presence and importance of mercy everywhere-within us and outside us, all around us-and to use it to forge a deeper understanding of ourselves and more honest connections with each other. While that can be difficult to do, Lamott argues that it's crucial, as kindness towards others, beginning with myself, buys us a shot at a warm and generous heart, the greatest prize of all.
Full of Lamott's trademark honesty, humor, and forthrightness, Hallelujah Anyway is profound and caring, funny and wise--a hopeful book of hands-on spirituality.
Mercy is radical kindness, Anne Lamott writes in her enthralling and heartening book, Hallelujah Anyway. It's the permission you give others--and yourself--to forgive a debt, to absolve the unabsolvable, to let go of the judgment and pain that make life so difficult.
In Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy Lamott ventures to explore where to find meaning in life. We should begin, she suggests, by-facing a great big mess, especially the great big mess of ourselves. It's up to each of us to recognize the presence and importance of mercy everywhere-within us and outside us, all around us-and to use it to forge a deeper understanding of ourselves and more honest connections with each other. While that can be difficult to do, Lamott argues that it's crucial, as kindness towards others, beginning with myself, buys us a shot at a warm and generous heart, the greatest prize of all.
Full of Lamott's trademark honesty, humor, and forthrightness, Hallelujah Anyway is profound and caring, funny and wise--a hopeful book of hands-on spirituality.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published April 4, 2017
About the author
Anne Lamott
70 books9,679 followersAnne Lamott is an author of several novels and works of non-fiction. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, her non-fiction works are largely autobiographical, with strong doses of self-deprecating humor and covering such subjects as alcoholism, single motherhood, and Christianity. She appeals to her fans because of her sense of humor, her deeply felt insights, and her outspoken views on topics such as her left-of-center politics and her unconventional Christian faith. She is a graduate of Drew College Preparatory School in San Francisco, California. Her father, Kenneth Lamott, was also a writer and was the basis of her first novel Hard Laughter.
Lamott's life is documented in Freida Lee Mock's 1999 documentary Bird by Bird: A Film Portrait of Writer Anne Lamott.
Lamott's life is documented in Freida Lee Mock's 1999 documentary Bird by Bird: A Film Portrait of Writer Anne Lamott.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,428 reviews
April 10, 2017
I generally read anything this author writes but even if I didn't the title in this one made it a must read. This world needs more mercy and compassion, it is I feel sorely lacking. Although I found this offering more scattered, less concentrated than her usual works, some of what she talks about just seems like common sense, there are as always phrases and thoughts that amaze.
One of the things that I like about Lamott is that even though she quotes the bible often, she also, admits that it is not as easy in every day life to practice everything it teaches. We are human, and as she admits she has thoughts that are contrary to how she wants to feel, behave.
I loved this thought, "Everything slows down when we listen and stop trying to fix the unfixable. We end up looking into other people's eyes and see the desperation, or let them see ours. This connection slips past the armor like water past stones. Being slow and softened, even for a few minutes or seconds, gives sneaky grace the chance to enter." This is easy to remember, that by just listening we may be of help, show a form of mercy.
A nice, thoughtful book about ways to show mercy, caring and love, not easy at times, but something of limitless value.
One of the things that I like about Lamott is that even though she quotes the bible often, she also, admits that it is not as easy in every day life to practice everything it teaches. We are human, and as she admits she has thoughts that are contrary to how she wants to feel, behave.
I loved this thought, "Everything slows down when we listen and stop trying to fix the unfixable. We end up looking into other people's eyes and see the desperation, or let them see ours. This connection slips past the armor like water past stones. Being slow and softened, even for a few minutes or seconds, gives sneaky grace the chance to enter." This is easy to remember, that by just listening we may be of help, show a form of mercy.
A nice, thoughtful book about ways to show mercy, caring and love, not easy at times, but something of limitless value.
July 19, 2017
For me, Anne Lamott's nonfiction books on living in faith (and I don't mean denominational Faith) are not individual volumes but one continuing narrative. I mean this as a compliment. True, some books are slighter than others, either literally or figuratively, but all are needed and welcome. If you're a human being who struggles --with everything from trying to make sense of the current political environment to envying your girlfriend who, unlike you, doesn't have to contend with an arthritic hip -- Anne Lamott is the friend who listens, empathizes, eats ice cream with you, and then suggests you go for a walk together to lubricate that hip. Maybe next week you'll talk about organizing that letter-writing campaign for immigration reform, or maybe not, but knowing that you're in the muck together makes the struggle easier. And from time to time, when you do something that helps or strengthens you or someone else, you know that it's because you and your friend and others like her are members of the same club, trying--mostly failing, but sometimes succeeding--to experience and share moments of grace.
January 1, 2018
“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
-- Micah 6:8
”I came into this world with mercy for nearly everyone, everywhere, and for all cats and dogs at the pound.”
”Mercy is radical kindness. Mercy means offering or being offered aid in desperate straits. Mercy is not deserved. It involves absolving the unabsolvable, forgiving the unforgiveable. Mercy brings us to the miracle of apology, given and accepted, to unashamed humility when we have erred or forgotten. Charge it to our heads and not our hearts, as the elders in black churches have long said.”
“Mercy, grace, forgiveness and compassion are synonyms, and the approaches we might consider taking when facing a great big mess, especially the great big mess of ourselves — our arrogance, greed, poverty, disease, prejudice. It includes everything out there that just makes us sick and makes us want to turn away, the idea of accepting life as it presents itself and doing goodness anyway, the belief that love and caring are marbled even into the worst life has to offer.”
”Kindness toward others and radical kindness to ourselves buy us a shot at a warm and generous heart, which is the greatest prize of all. Do you want this, or do you want to be right? Well, can I get back to you on that?”
Unfailingly honest, simple thoughts, sanding down the sharper edges with humour, on a topic which would imply a more serious nature. If there’s one thing I’ve found through the past years by beginning each year by reading something new (to me) by Anne Lamott, her words never imply that the path will unfold easily before you. She’s put in some work to get to where she is, but there is also a journey into one’s thoughts, one’s feelings, a re-examination of who we are and if that person is anywhere near that ‘who we want to be’ person.
She doesn’t claim to be perfect (and she acknowledges that lack of perfection in everyone else, as well), and it’s likely she fails often to live up to the person she wishes she already were. Someone unfailingly kind, never jealous, helpful, gentle in nature, nevertheless it remains what she aspires to, despite bumps in the road. She learned to extend mercy and compassion, and it keeps making its way back to her.
Lessons taught. Lessons learned. One involves her now grown son, a disagreement they had, a public statement he felt she should publicly admit to being wrong about. Pride. Eventually a lesson was learned.
”…mercy is a cloak that will wrap around you and protect you; it can block the terror, the dark and most terrifying aspects of your own true self. It is soft, has lots of folds, and enfolds you. It can help you rest and breathe again for the time being, which is all we ever have.”
Although this is theological in nature, it reads more like roaming thoughts that aren’t practiced or edited to perfection, more as though you were having a one-on-one conversation with her. It is not wedded to doctrine. I get the sense that she learns as much as she imparts while she’s writing, that the act itself brings further clarity. And yet – for me, anyway – year-to-year, it’s like picking up in the middle of a conversation I left off at mid-point last year, and walked back in at just the right moment.
”Hallelujah, that in spite of it all, there is love, there is singing, nature, laughing, mercy.”
I have my own personal Hallelujah that follows me all of my days, reminding me that sometimes all we really need is someone to listen even when we’re not saying a word.
February 7, 2017
(2.5) I’ve read all of Lamott’s nonfiction, and am quite fond of her rambly theological memoirs. Although this is probably one of her two weakest books, her fans will want to read it anyway. The overall theme is a bit loose and the personal anecdotes seem tired and/or thin on the ground, especially in the early chapters (she argues with her son about an unwise comment she made about a transgender person; she tries to resist buying an expensive sweater), which mostly hold forth on the struggles of a generic “you” or “we.” Chapters 3 and 7 are highlights, though, and eventually she starts drawing in more apposite stories, like one about a trip to Japan and another about helping with the funeral for a man who committed suicide. But in general I think this pales in comparison with her best books, and boy did she miss an opportunity to turn her old Dubya ire against Donald Trump. (The title is from a Candi Staton song. Releases April 4th.)
Favorite line: “mercy is a cloak that will wrap around you and protect you; it can block the terror, the dark and most terrifying aspects of your own true self.”
Favorite line: “mercy is a cloak that will wrap around you and protect you; it can block the terror, the dark and most terrifying aspects of your own true self.”
January 31, 2019
#mystrangereading Hallelujah Anyway by Anne Lamott ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I really enjoyed this exploration of mercy. It felt a little existential and too philosophical at times which made the application pieces a little harder to nail down but I still appreciated her message. It was short sweet and a great audiobook
December 29, 2020
"My humility can kick your humility's butt..."
Life hurts. Often. To be human is to bleed, whether physically or metaphorically.
Our fears and traumas tend to be the foundations that build our lives, or the borders that hem us in.
Vulnerability and an open heart can be traits which much of the world seems hell bent on walking over.
But we didn't all start life this way. Neurotic behaviours tend to be learned. As a buffer to stop the jagged edges of life cutting us too deeply. Over eating. Over drinking. Over anything. To blunt the hurt.
"Tangled lives and minds..."
Mercy, kindness, compassion and forgiveness are running themes. Especially mercy. It's referred to often. It's also the most difficult to practice. To offer. Both to others as well as ourselves. Particularly ourselves. We can be quite judgemental.
"The rosary of loss." The power of those words. I'll be pondering on this thought for a long time.
Some of us run away by shopping, buying more than we can possibly use or need. Looking to fill a hollowness that is infinite. As is the list of what we do, to not spend time with ourselves. In our own company, with our thoughts. Most of us seek answers externally.
And yet, in spite of this all, there can be "love, singing, nature, laughing, mercy..." I guess we just have to make an effort to make these part of our daily lives.
This book is about connecting and re-connecting. Especially with yourself.
I'd not heard of Anne Lamot before stumbling across this audio book when returning another one. For some reason on a whim I borrowed it. It's an unusual mish mash of biographical snippets, musings, thoughts, observations of human nature and theology. Or should that be religion? Parables are read and expanded on with examples in modern life. Existentialism. Ethics. Connections. Questions. So many questions.
I don't quite know what the ultimate goal or answer of the book was, or if indeed there was one. It was quite circuitous. It meandered. I kind of got lost in it, but that was ok.
I'm confused from the thoughts and stories which have been shared by the writer, and yet I got a real sense of comfort from listening to this. I don't know why.
3.5⭐ of pause and contemplation.
Read by the Author. Which I liked, as it added an authenticity to such personal vignettes and sharing. I'd consider reading her other titles, as there's something about what she says. I'm kind of curious. Big shout out to Randwick City Library for such an eclectic selection of audio books.
April 13, 2017
Just okay. Maybe me, maybe her, but nothing special about this one.
March 25, 2017
Every time Anne Lamott releases a book, it is somehow just what I needed to read.
I definitely struggle with forgiving people, and I do fully grasp that the only one hurt by this is me. (People should never be allowed to keep hurting you, and one of the ways they can do that is if you keep dwelling on it, and them.)
One of the things I love most about Anne Lamott is that she seems to struggle with this, too, and she'll have these amazingly witty one-liners, things that are so me and I will totally agree and keep reading and the next thing I know, she nails me with absolute truth and I never see it coming. Very tricky!
Highly recommended.
I definitely struggle with forgiving people, and I do fully grasp that the only one hurt by this is me. (People should never be allowed to keep hurting you, and one of the ways they can do that is if you keep dwelling on it, and them.)
One of the things I love most about Anne Lamott is that she seems to struggle with this, too, and she'll have these amazingly witty one-liners, things that are so me and I will totally agree and keep reading and the next thing I know, she nails me with absolute truth and I never see it coming. Very tricky!
Highly recommended.
September 8, 2022
HALLELUJAH ANYWAY is a book about how life is hard, but it's still worth it to try to be a good person. Most people would probably like it. I absolutely did not like it, but not because I don't like mercy.
I wanted to like this book, which is why I read the whole thing. But I wanted to DNF several times.
I even liked how Lamott sort of writes the first half of the book for those readers who need to give mercy, and the second half for those readers who need to receive mercy. Right? Am I giving her undue credit?
I have an issue with Lamott's voice. I just can't connect with her at all, to the point I find her anecdotes grating. As I recall, I had a similar issue with another book of hers.
There are also big issues: I don't like the way she looks at and writes about a poor alcoholic in one section, referring to him as "common" (p61) and separating him from "fun to be with" and "housebroken." She insinuates (p76-77) that holiness and mental problems cannot coexist. She calls mental illness "bad brain" and writes of suicide, this complicated public health issue that affects so many, as some kind of mercy (p104). I do not like any of this, no matter how much I like the stories of her travel, her recovery, and her family.
Rating 2 stars
1st Reading, Finished July 2022
Recommended for fans of Anne Lamott, Christian contemporary nonfiction
I wanted to like this book, which is why I read the whole thing. But I wanted to DNF several times.
I even liked how Lamott sort of writes the first half of the book for those readers who need to give mercy, and the second half for those readers who need to receive mercy. Right? Am I giving her undue credit?
I have an issue with Lamott's voice. I just can't connect with her at all, to the point I find her anecdotes grating. As I recall, I had a similar issue with another book of hers.
There are also big issues: I don't like the way she looks at and writes about a poor alcoholic in one section, referring to him as "common" (p61) and separating him from "fun to be with" and "housebroken." She insinuates (p76-77) that holiness and mental problems cannot coexist. She calls mental illness "bad brain" and writes of suicide, this complicated public health issue that affects so many, as some kind of mercy (p104). I do not like any of this, no matter how much I like the stories of her travel, her recovery, and her family.
Rating 2 stars
1st Reading, Finished July 2022
Recommended for fans of Anne Lamott, Christian contemporary nonfiction
February 3, 2018
I can't speak for what she's like in person but on the page, Anne Lamott has a warm and welcoming persona. Just spending time with her in these pages is restorative. This book is her meditation on mercy; what it is and why we need it, even (or especially) when we most feel we don't deserve it.
The pages that deal with her experiences were the most alive for me. Her more general comments on the human condition and mercy felt true and healing but were less vivid for me than her true life stories. Of course, I love stories, they feed me and heal me in the most loving way I can imagine.
Her stories of early sobriety have always struck a chord in me, what we're like when we think we've reached the end of our being, when we have reached that end but what it becomes is a new story, a beginning. When Lamott shares her experiences, I feel like I have found a friend.
There are many lovely moments in these pages.
The pages that deal with her experiences were the most alive for me. Her more general comments on the human condition and mercy felt true and healing but were less vivid for me than her true life stories. Of course, I love stories, they feed me and heal me in the most loving way I can imagine.
Her stories of early sobriety have always struck a chord in me, what we're like when we think we've reached the end of our being, when we have reached that end but what it becomes is a new story, a beginning. When Lamott shares her experiences, I feel like I have found a friend.
There are many lovely moments in these pages.
April 9, 2017
I'm sorry to be giving this book such few stars, but it was mostly a miss for me. I love Anne Lamott's writing - she can be funny and biting and tender all at once. But this writing was often rambling and repetitive, with little of her usual humor. There were many times I had to reread a particular passage in order to understand what she was trying to say and to try to figure out how it fit in with the passages before or after it. I've always loved reading snippets of her life as she related them to her point, but there weren't enough of them in this book, and several of the ones she did include I'd read/heard from her previously. Ultimately, there were a few chapters or passages that really spoke to me, though.
February 6, 2017
I must admit that this is my first book that I've read by her, but I really, really loved it. It was exactly what I needed to her. This world could definitely use more mercy and kindness.
August 12, 2017
Great to read when you're feeling run down or needing to hear something hopeful. This is your vitamin. Such a cool lady, transparent soul, and the epitome of God's grace & mercy in action.
April 8, 2017
I woke up early today, Saturday, and knew exactly what I wanted to do. My husband and 2 dogs were still sleeping. I brewed a pot of coffee and began reading this wonderful book which arrived yesterday. Actually, I ordered 3 because they were so inexpensive on Amazon and thought it only fair to Anne Lamott to start with a few copies. I've read several of her other books. This may be my favorite. I took a gardening break as the day was perfect to be outside. Finished the book late this afternoon. It is tender, poignant, endearing, pulls no punches, spiritual, beautifully written and accessible. Upon finishing, I thought of all the people I love who I want to share this book with and was surprised at how many faces popped into my mind. The realization brought such gratitude. Thank you Anne Lamott. My copy, per my husband's request, is on his nightstand. Perhaps it is the time we are living in but if you are feeling a bit anxious, uncertain and wondering WTF is going on in our world, you might need this book, too.
May 9, 2017
This is what I get for rushing to load my Kindle before vacation. I though it said from the author of "THE Help." Oh the power of a tiny article! This author wrote a book called "Help..." not "THE Help."
Anyway, the wordy first person testimony didn't work for me. It came across as condescending. I totally agree that we need to be more merciful. Our society gets entirely too much enjoyment from finding fault in my opinion. However, this book didn't make that point well enough for me to recommend its reading.
Anyway, the wordy first person testimony didn't work for me. It came across as condescending. I totally agree that we need to be more merciful. Our society gets entirely too much enjoyment from finding fault in my opinion. However, this book didn't make that point well enough for me to recommend its reading.
April 25, 2017
I loved this book as I have all of Anne Lamott's books. She is so imperfectly perfect! Real Christianity here for us to relate to. This is one I will read over and over.
The only flaw was she never said how she worked out her problems with her son.
The only flaw was she never said how she worked out her problems with her son.
February 13, 2018
This book was little more than cliches and platitudes juxtaposed together without any proper assertions or arguments. Ms. Lamott's conception of mercy has little to do with true forgiveness and much to do with feeling good about oneself.
As a theologian, this was painful to read.
As a theologian, this was painful to read.
May 30, 2017
50% poetic writing, 50% A.D.D. list making, 100% challenging to process, Hallelujah Anyway is a casserole of Anne Lamott's personal observations, experiences and brushes with mercy, recovery and Catholicism.
By page three, I found myself less interested in the topic and experiences of the author than the way she laid her thoughts out on the page. To achieve a B.A. in Philosophy, I had to read some pretty 'dense' texts, but nothing like Anne's writing. She doesn't really do a 'train of thought.' More like several taxis of thought that dart around downtown N.Y. while also teleporting and jumping through time. Okay, maybe not that bad, but the disjointed writing style did hold me at arm's length. Let's call it refreshingly, maddeningly engaging. I didn't learn as much about mercy as I did about Anne's hop-skip-jump thought process and (vividly real) personal relationships and recovery.
How much does this book really teach about mercy? Precious little. Mercy is forgotten. Mercy is good. Mercy can heal. Mercy is in short supply. Mercy is everywhere. Mercy can be found even in the shade of a tree on a sunny day...
File this alongside Thomas Moore's Care of the Soul, in which we can find faith in, wait for it... rocks and plants. Um, thanks anyway.
The places where I wanted to SEE mercy save the day... were the same places where the taxi teleport-timewarped away. How did things end up working out with her son? Her mother? Her rehab group? The only place I recall that mercy actually worked out for the author was when she had mercy (forgiveness actually, but let's just assume they're the same) on her childhood self for (possibly) misinterpreting an overheard conversation between her father and someone else. Otherwise, we are simply told or left to assume that things worked out for the best.
Sorry, but if you're selling diet pills, I need to see the before AND after pictures.
Hallelujah Anyway is filled with fascinating writing that dances around the fire of mercy, but at a very safe distance.
By page three, I found myself less interested in the topic and experiences of the author than the way she laid her thoughts out on the page. To achieve a B.A. in Philosophy, I had to read some pretty 'dense' texts, but nothing like Anne's writing. She doesn't really do a 'train of thought.' More like several taxis of thought that dart around downtown N.Y. while also teleporting and jumping through time. Okay, maybe not that bad, but the disjointed writing style did hold me at arm's length. Let's call it refreshingly, maddeningly engaging. I didn't learn as much about mercy as I did about Anne's hop-skip-jump thought process and (vividly real) personal relationships and recovery.
How much does this book really teach about mercy? Precious little. Mercy is forgotten. Mercy is good. Mercy can heal. Mercy is in short supply. Mercy is everywhere. Mercy can be found even in the shade of a tree on a sunny day...
File this alongside Thomas Moore's Care of the Soul, in which we can find faith in, wait for it... rocks and plants. Um, thanks anyway.
The places where I wanted to SEE mercy save the day... were the same places where the taxi teleport-timewarped away. How did things end up working out with her son? Her mother? Her rehab group? The only place I recall that mercy actually worked out for the author was when she had mercy (forgiveness actually, but let's just assume they're the same) on her childhood self for (possibly) misinterpreting an overheard conversation between her father and someone else. Otherwise, we are simply told or left to assume that things worked out for the best.
Sorry, but if you're selling diet pills, I need to see the before AND after pictures.
Hallelujah Anyway is filled with fascinating writing that dances around the fire of mercy, but at a very safe distance.
September 14, 2017
I almost gave up on this tiny book, and it would have been my loss. I didn't know what to make of Lamott's style. Most essays are linear, the sentences little arrows that point at the next sentence and direct you to a conclusion. Lamott's opening essays are disjointed, almost rambling. I was bummed out for her, thinking maybe her best writing days were over. Then I realized that instead of diagramming mercy, she was making a collage- overlapping thoughts, throwing something here and something there. I couldn't predict so easily. I actually found this relaxing. Maybe mercy is this thing.... maybe it's that....look a story, where is mercy in this story?
About half way through the book, it's almost as if Lamott decides to stop playing. Her essays become cohesive, pointed, piercing. They are confessional and instructional. By the time she quotes Micah, "Do good and love mercy" the phrase "love mercy" was full of a beauty and meaning it didn't have for me before. I have never though about what it means to love mercy. Thanks to this Hallelujah Anyway, I have a new standard for my soul and a peaceful meditation to dwell upon.
About half way through the book, it's almost as if Lamott decides to stop playing. Her essays become cohesive, pointed, piercing. They are confessional and instructional. By the time she quotes Micah, "Do good and love mercy" the phrase "love mercy" was full of a beauty and meaning it didn't have for me before. I have never though about what it means to love mercy. Thanks to this Hallelujah Anyway, I have a new standard for my soul and a peaceful meditation to dwell upon.
April 15, 2017
Lamott's books are always hit or miss with me. Even her misses are good for me to read, like plain oatmeal can nourish the body, even if it doesn't do much for the soul, but here, in Hallelujah Anyway, she has hit it out of the park. Her writings on faith tend towards the autobiographical, a memoir of her struggles and failings, and here she is failing in ways that I fail, and the lessons she is learning are ones that God is nudging me to sit with and contemplate and take into my life.
The big lessons for me were humility, kindness, and being grateful that you only have small responsibilities instead of feeling like you need to be seen as a success by worldly metrics.
So, for me, in my journey, this is a five star volume. It may not merit the same rating from others who are at different places in their lives.
The big lessons for me were humility, kindness, and being grateful that you only have small responsibilities instead of feeling like you need to be seen as a success by worldly metrics.
So, for me, in my journey, this is a five star volume. It may not merit the same rating from others who are at different places in their lives.
April 24, 2017
I've never read any of her other books, but she came highly recommended. Plus, the title is excellent. I downloaded it immediately. The problems for me were that I couldn't relate to her, her stories were too quick and unrelated, and I read more anger, judgement, and fear than I did actual mercy. There was hardly any Hallelujah. I kept waiting for something deep and serious about mercy: giving it back to yourself, giving it to others, and how that allows us to live in joy, but it never came. The book simply ended.
March 6, 2018
Listened to the audio book read by Lamott herself. She's one of my favorite people. She always makes me feel less alone in my crazy. I don't know if I'd have liked this as much as I did if I'd read it in print form. There's something about having an author read their work that enhances it for me. Plus, quite honestly, I'm more forgiving of audio because I'm not 100% paying attention (often driving or cleaning, etc.) Still, this was just lovely. Forgiving those who've wronged you is one of the HARDEST things a person can do, but Lamott reminded me how freeing it can be if we try.
May 19, 2017
Love me some Anne Lamott but she's sounding tired. She definitely seemed to dive into the Bible more than ever before, but with it lost much of her snark and humor.
April 9, 2017
I gave Anne Lamott a five-star rating mainly because she makes me laugh out loud. And many times. I lover her writing style. I love her personality. I'm not what you might call a progressive Christian. I don't use swear words, a decision I made some time ago because I want my speech to be a blessing to others. Yet, Anne is okay with it and I'm okay with her being okay with it. We're all in the body of Christ and I actually like that she doesn't speak Christianese. She relates Bible stories in a way that I never thought of, a view told on a level that I relate to. What I loved most about this book is Anne's honesty about her weaknesses, which we all have. She doesn't hide behind them or try to elevate herself to some high standard we wish to all aspire. She's right there with us, jealousy and envy and us, her readers, feeling just exactly what she felt toward the writer who she didn't like. Well, Anne, I didn't like that writer either. I never met her but I can tell you that your writing makes you my friend and so who my friends don't care for makes it hard for me to care for as well. I loved the message of mercy. Don't we all need mercy? And so we give mercy to the unlikable writer who was rude to you Anne, my friend.
February 12, 2019
WHAT A PILE OF RUBBISH!
The reason I read this book is that is is on the list for my book club.
I can quite honestly say this is one of the worst books I have ever read. It is more of a book on feminism than it is on mercy. On that topic ... the title has nothing to go with the book???!!! Where is the hallelujah anyway??? My initial thoughts, before reading was of a book that would help to show that even when life gets kinda rubbish, we can still trust god and say hallelujah anyway. The book frequently hit out at the negative influence of men in the lives of women and made sweeping and fairly inaccurate generalisations about the lives of the reader.
Her views on Jesus are just ridiculous and, quite frankly, offensive.
Do yourself a favour and don’t even bother reading it
The layout of the book is clever... it makes it appear longer than it is. It is double spaced for one and it is written in slim columns. The book, without this editing would only be about 50 pages long.
The reason I read this book is that is is on the list for my book club.
I can quite honestly say this is one of the worst books I have ever read. It is more of a book on feminism than it is on mercy. On that topic ... the title has nothing to go with the book???!!! Where is the hallelujah anyway??? My initial thoughts, before reading was of a book that would help to show that even when life gets kinda rubbish, we can still trust god and say hallelujah anyway. The book frequently hit out at the negative influence of men in the lives of women and made sweeping and fairly inaccurate generalisations about the lives of the reader.
Her views on Jesus are just ridiculous and, quite frankly, offensive.
Do yourself a favour and don’t even bother reading it
The layout of the book is clever... it makes it appear longer than it is. It is double spaced for one and it is written in slim columns. The book, without this editing would only be about 50 pages long.
October 21, 2018
Review to follow.
January 26, 2023
A romantic, coy portrait of mercy that left me (spiritually) gushing. This read more like a one-on-one conversation with your wise friend who knows grief intimately and has nurtured a way to spring levity on you anyway. Some people just know how to transport you to the heart of it all without being cheesy. Delightful!!
thank you, lovely @Davi <3
"Don't try harder; resist less."
"If our parents were in a bad marriage, or were alcoholic, or chain-smokers, silent, fundamentalist, unfaithful, or frequently absent, we began as fetuses to marinate in embryonic sacs of our mothers’ anxiety."
“In many spiritual and wisdom paths, it is written that God created us to have company and to be God’s loving eyes and hands on earth. But in certain African Christian catechisms, it says that God created us because He thought we would like it.”
thank you, lovely @Davi <3
"Don't try harder; resist less."
"If our parents were in a bad marriage, or were alcoholic, or chain-smokers, silent, fundamentalist, unfaithful, or frequently absent, we began as fetuses to marinate in embryonic sacs of our mothers’ anxiety."
“In many spiritual and wisdom paths, it is written that God created us to have company and to be God’s loving eyes and hands on earth. But in certain African Christian catechisms, it says that God created us because He thought we would like it.”
April 19, 2017
Anne Lamott's books are so comforting. Even when they're challenging, they are challenging in a comforting way, like a long-time, trusted friend. In the challenging times in which we live, it is comforting to know someone like Anne Lamott struggles with the same stuff I struggle with, that so many of us struggle with... relationships, growing up, deadlines, self-importance, our kids, our parents, you name it. And through it all, receiving and offering mercy helps. When things feel most hopeless, receiving mercy restores hope. This book reminds us of the stuff that matters... thank you, once again, Anne Lamott.
April 21, 2017
Anne Lamott's writing is like a warm hug just when you need it
"Mercy is radical kindness. Mercy means offering or being offered aid in desperate straits. Mercy is not deserved. It involves forgiving the debt, absolving the unabsolvable."
"I can be a hero in my storm, which is where I found a sense of value as a child, as the tense little EMT in a damaged family. Crisis, self-centered fear, and saving people were home for me, with a wet bar serving up adrenaline. The quiet, tranquil room of just being was boarded up. But love reaches out and reaches out and reaches out. It is staggering that it is always giving me another chance, another day, over and over and over."
"I want to want this softening, this surrender, this happiness. Can I get partial credit for that? The problem is, I love to be, and so often am, right. It’s mood-altering, and it covers up a multitude of sins."
"Mercy is radical kindness. Mercy means offering or being offered aid in desperate straits. Mercy is not deserved. It involves forgiving the debt, absolving the unabsolvable."
"I can be a hero in my storm, which is where I found a sense of value as a child, as the tense little EMT in a damaged family. Crisis, self-centered fear, and saving people were home for me, with a wet bar serving up adrenaline. The quiet, tranquil room of just being was boarded up. But love reaches out and reaches out and reaches out. It is staggering that it is always giving me another chance, another day, over and over and over."
"I want to want this softening, this surrender, this happiness. Can I get partial credit for that? The problem is, I love to be, and so often am, right. It’s mood-altering, and it covers up a multitude of sins."
May 24, 2017
I had never read any of Ann Lamott's books. But I had seen her quotes, her tweets and comments during this crazy political time and connected with her fully. I was lucky to see her speak and read from this amazing book. Reading this book gave me answers on how to deal with things in my life and what is going on in our world. Including scripture readings and her explanations of finding and giving mercy was so perfectly written. Thank you Ann for soothing my soul.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,428 reviews