Hope and Repair, Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning

Anne's words take this huge often (always?) mess of a world and brings it down to the elements that matter. It's not answers, it's directions. I don't know how she has managed this, my brain swirls with trying to understand it and she is one of the few that makes it make sense for me. It's calming. This book is like a crack that lets the light in - or makes you realize there is light everywhere in disguise, or that we have the ability to be light, no matter our circumstances.

Anne LaMott not only thinks rings around most of us, she writes beautifully about daily happenings and profound thoughts and experiences. The theme of stitching life's tapestry is consistent throughout, and thought-provoking.

After "Help, Thanks, Wow!" I think anything would pale in comparison. It was too singular a topic, not enough for a whole book. Nothing terribly insightful, and although it was meaningful to her, I thought the part about her trip to southeast Asia was overdone.

The discs were in perfect condition. It is easy to read (listen to), much like a conversation, but not to helpful. Just like someone's journal. Ut would be nice to have more depth, insights, solutions even, or at least the authors summation of what she learned from each experience.

I urge you to read this wonderful book, filled with Anne Lamott's wisdom and advice on "collecting the ripped shreds of our emotional and spiritual fabric" and how to "sew them back together, one stitch at a time." While there are indeed descriptions of sewing and quilting woven throughout the book, there is also so much more. She even shares her perspective on the horror of the Newtown shootings.

Lamott doesn't gloss over hard truths. She acknowledges that life can sometimes be so painful that it seems unbearable. It can be incredibly difficult to search for even a tiny shred of meaning in the midst of emotional and physical chaos. I admire such honesty, the kind that pulls no punches but also sheds light on ways to survive even the hardest times, finding ways back to joy.

I also savored the details about how she - and some of those she knew- struggled to hold the "fabric" of their lives together amid great challenges. Sometimes comfort comes from special possessions. Lamott clings to the shirt of a beloved friend who died, even as it becomes worn and threadbare, afraid that losing the shirt will threaten her memories of their friendship. A friend helps her find an unorthodox way to salvage cherished curtains torn by her dog, leading to new insights about the beauty of imperfection, both in the patched curtains and in life.

I was deeply moved by her description of a couple, married for forty years, being torn apart "like a strip of old cloth" in the wake of the husband's faltering mind. Lamott doesn't shy away from the pain of such moments but also shares moments of hope, comfort, and humor. Her previous book focused primarily on prayer, faith, and gratitude. This time around she has written one which is "intended to be useful on the bad days." For me, it is that and more, with a depth and power that has me convinced I'll be revisiting this one for years to come.

I like Anne Lamott. She has a very easy, flowing style to her writing. She is self-deprecating and witty. She seems like a thoroughly decent person, though a bit bedraggled and off-kilter perhaps. This is not my first book by her, and it is my least favorite.

I did not have a sense of an arc to this book. The stories were cute, sad, and heart-warming (Note to self: Never befriend Anne Lamott, as something terrible will surely happen!), but I did not really detect a theme or a deeper meaning other than "we all suffer, and it hurts a lot, and we are all in this together." I do not disagree with her analysis, and there were points in the book that I had the feeling: "Anne has been inside my mind!" But, for the most part, the book did not truly speak to me.

I would recommend this book to true aficionados of Anne Lamott. Others should probably pass on this particular book.

Anne Lamott's writing thrills and delights me...Always has. While this was not my favorite of her works, she never the less has such a sweet and sharp perspective. Born in the same year, in the Bay Area, I think of Miss Lamott as a kindred spirit. Her thinking on religion, politics and aging among everything else gives such joy. It's a pity I can't read her in bed...keeps my husband awake with outbursts of laughter.

Absolutely my favorite. Lamott brings together pieces of stories from previous writings. She is boldly honest about life on life's terms ; yet , produces the stories in very relatable ways. Funny , honest, & expands on personal parts of her life with which readers previously have privy. A must, and retead!

But somehow, Stitches felt like a meandering set of examples of why being nice to each other is a good thing. I missed the freshness and immediacy of Traveling Mercies or Grace, Eventually, both of which surprised and challenged me. Her style is, as always, enjoyable and insightful. Perhaps Anne Lamott is in a more reflective phase. So if you are too, and you're a fan, you may well enjoy this.

Coming from a place of spiritual conflict it was necessary for me to read this book. I feel like it was placed in my hands at just the right time - helping me to learn to look at each forward motion as a stitch in time.

Dear Anne Lamont, please keep writing books. I will read anything you care to write. You make me feel at home in a faith that sometimes feels alien (Christianity). You help me feel O.K. about my frequent stumbles as a human being. You lift me up and make me ponder life's uncertainties and injustices, while tickling my funny bone. Really, just keep writing!

This is another excellent work from Anne Lamott!!! I have given it as gifts to several people. Just yesterday, one of these recipients told me how much it means to her--and had messages that she really needed to read.

I liked this book and would recommend it for anyone who is struggling with any type of loss. It is straight forward and typical of Anne Lamott which includes frankness, humor, and faith. A very good read.

The book is written with such wisdom... It feels that the author "'s been there in the trenches" and not only survived, but came from there with strength and readiness to help others to live. Thank you, Anne!

I read everything I can of Anna Lamott. This book was not a disappointment, but a surprise in how she can continue to connect with so many parts of our life without becoming repetitious. We all need stitching together in one way or another. I think of many others I would like to share this book with.

Anne Lamott asks early on in her new book, "Where is the meaning in the meteoric passage of time, the speed in which our lives are spent?" Questions that, as I age, I want to know the answers to. I don't always know how to ask but am happy to see someone does and that Anne Lamott knows how to walk us through them. I heard her on an audio book awhile back and imagine her reading this book aloud. It is definitely a great book for meditation. I worry about my grown children and wonder why they did not take my advice and avoid the mind fields I saw them heading for. Then I read one of Anne's sentences such as, "When we try to see a damaged person as one of God's regular old customers, instead of a lost cause, it takes the pressure off everybody." It smooths me right out. Another good one, "Sometimes love does not look like what you had in mind." I have a lot of underlining in this book. I love Anne's style of writing, her humor, her inspiration. This is another jewel from a great author.

Anne Lamott can take the most apparently mundane event in her day and turn it into a jewel. Not everything is seen as glorious or wonderful, but in her world meaning can be found, and the lessons are not always what she or you expected.

Anne Lamott is one of America's great treasures...always honest. sometimes funny. sometimes poignant. always worth the read. This one had a few more stories included than her usual fare but provocative throughout. Her Christian faith perspective always shines but always challenges the reader to look at life differently. Oh how we need a dose of that today!

Anne Lamott's writings are very personal and reassuring - in the face of trauma and big disappointment, she described avenues to improve my state of mind. Her style is straight forward, very readable.........I have since read one of her novels and the same style makes a good read.