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Blue Shoe Audiobook
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(3.00) - 4,735 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The New York Times Bestseller from the beloved author of Bird by Bird, Hallelujah Anyway, and Almost Everything
Mattie Ryder is marvelously neurotic, well-intentioned, funny, religious, sarcastic, tender, angry, and broke. Her life at the moment is a wreck: her marriage has failed, her mother is failing, her house is rotting, her waist is expanding, her children are misbehaving, and she has a crush on a married man. Then she finds a small rubber blue shoe—nothing more than a gumball trinket—left behind by her father. For Mattie, it becomes a talisman—a chance to recognize the past for what it was, to see the future as she always hoped it could be, and to finally understand her family, herself, and the ever-unfolding mystery of her sweet, sad, and sometimes surprising life.
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"I like Anne Lamott's books. This is the first novel of hers that I have read and it was an interesting read (but I still like her essays more). She has captured the life of someone who is raising children at the same time as she is dealing with an elderly parent. I would recommend this book."
— Corrine (4 out of 5 stars)
Blue Shoe Listener Reviews
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" Anne Lamott's strength is not fiction, but I sent this to my cousin's wife who is a tennis buff. "
— Sally, 2/15/2014 -
" I just love Anne Lamott. "
— Liz, 2/13/2014 -
" Nothing good to say about this one, sorry. "
— Martha, 2/10/2014 -
" Lamott tries to be soulful and quirky, but her writing is just quirky. "
— Lisa, 1/27/2014 -
" rather disappointing, but i don't regret reading it. "
— Sneha, 11/12/2013 -
" The first third of the book was deadly dull - merely this happened and then that happened - but slowly the characters took shape, the prose became more poignant, and there were many moments of insight. By the time I was half-way through, I could not put the book down. "
— Kathy, 11/8/2013 -
" Some good, some bad. A quick read. "
— Nancy, 10/12/2013 -
" I am giving this book 3 stars, because i know i read it but still i remember very little of it. "
— Melissa, 10/8/2013 -
" I loved this book. Messy,wonderful, not a perfect family. It hit home because of the "my Mom is getting old" theme. Her writing is very lyrical and filled with great imagery. "
— Marianne, 9/20/2013 -
" Love her style of writing, she made me laugh out loud over just the most ordinary things that happen in life. "
— Anna, 7/26/2013 -
" A little weird but I liked it. "
— Cheryl, 7/6/2013 -
" I found this to be a frank and quietly christian view of broken marriages and their impact on the generations that follow. Lamott is courageously honest and humble in a way that, according to some of these reviewers, seems to strike a little too close for comfort. Good work. "
— Amy, 2/28/2013 -
" I really liked this book! "
— Mary, 9/18/2012 -
" Was an ok read. Didn't leave me wowed. "
— Marni, 8/19/2012 -
" I love the characters: they are real and flawed but totally lovable. However, the plot is too slow for me. "
— Heather, 4/19/2012 -
" It held my interest enough to finish it but that's about it. It kind of skipped around and things were mentioned but nothing ever came of it making me wonder why it was even mentioned. Just not my kind of book I guess "
— Laura, 4/2/2012 -
" A candid story narrated by someone I can easily relate to. "
— Sara, 1/30/2012 -
" More than half way...and as always, cant say anything bad about Anne...just know there is 'language' involved while reading her. "
— Cindy, 1/26/2012 -
" Love Anne Lamott. Her books are smart, funny, and real. "
— Megan, 1/6/2012 -
" it was worth the late nights...something that gives hope even to the most cynical. easy read, good for the soul. sometimes quite zexy but down to earth "
— Aida, 10/26/2011 -
" well written, quirky characters- not necessarily believable. "
— Ann, 8/21/2011 -
" Loved the writing, but found the protagonist intolerable. Also found the children's dialogue to be really inauthentic. "
— Lauren, 8/15/2011 -
" I always enjoy Anne Lamott. Solid read. "
— Kathleen, 6/14/2011 -
" I thought it would be unfair to review this book because I thought it probably just wasn't my kind of thing, but then I read another review that said more or less what I thought. I really liked the sound of this book, and the idea of it, but for me none of it rang true and it just didn't work. "
— Andrea, 6/13/2011 -
" I am giving this book 3 stars, because i know i read it but still i remember very little of it. "
— Melissa, 6/12/2011 -
" A light read before bed. I'm a huge fan of Lamott's non-fiction...but I wouldn't recommend this book to many of my more literary friends. "
— Monet, 5/28/2011 -
" Well written, real characters. Bit of a downer, however- "
— Katie, 5/17/2011 -
" Amazing book so far. <br/>Great quote: "when God is going to do something wonderful, it starts with something hard, and when God is going to do something exquisite, He or She starts with an impossibility." "
— Soma, 4/26/2011 -
" Ugh. I couldn't read this...the rats are quite noisy quite early on. "
— Valerie, 4/3/2011 -
" This book is about a neurotic woman and her family and friends, and her issues with her mother and her deceased father. I found it a fascinating read. "
— Lisa, 2/17/2011 -
" I've lived 44 years and have been reading for 39 of them. This is the only book I've ever thrown in the trash. "
— Daisy, 2/12/2011 -
" Kind-of quirky, but, a good read. "
— Shelly, 2/9/2011 -
" Sometimes life is really hard, but you get through it. Kids are the best. "
— Sandy, 1/30/2011 -
" Anne Lamott's strength is not fiction, but I sent this to my cousin's wife who is a tennis buff. "
— Sally, 1/10/2011
About Anne Lamott
Anne Lamott is the author of twenty books, including nonfiction and novels and several New York Times bestsellers. She is a past recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and is an inductee to the California Hall of Fame.
About Laural Merlington
Laural Merlington is an audiobook narrator with over two hundred titles to her credit and a winner of multiple Earphones Awards. An Audie Award nominee, she has also directed over one hundred audiobooks. She has performed and directed for thirty years in theaters throughout the country. In addition to her extensive theater and voice-over work, she teaches college in her home state of Michigan.