- Paperback: 176 pages
- Publisher: Counterpoint Press; 0684832356 edition (Dec 17 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1582430543
- ISBN-13: 978-1582430546
- Product Dimensions: 21 x 14 x 1.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #459,286 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Confirming the talent evinced in Rosie (and somewhat obscured by the excessively arch tone of her last novel, Joe Jones ), Lamott here achieves her promising potential in a novel of rare sensitivity and evocative power. The rueful, elegiac tone of her prose balanced by humor and plangent insights, she tells a quiet but resonant story through the eyes of Nan Goodman, who has returned to the small northern California town of her childhood. This is a meticulously observed memoir of growing up as the child of ultra - liberal (former "commie") parents: her volatile father is a noted but not financially successful writer; her mother, a devout Christian who rails at God and seeks to reform the world through social activism. The extended family includes Nan's brother Casey, their feckless, alcoholic uncle Ed and obese aunt Peg, and Nan's mother's eccentric divorced friend, Natalie. There is little overt action here--Natalie gets pregnant by Ed, Casey smokes pot, their father leaves and comes back--but these events are magnified against the social and cultural currents of the '60s and '70s: developers change the character of the town, there is an epidemic of divorces, the drug culture takes its toll. The rural setting is integral to Nan's memories: the smell and sight of the sea, wildflowers on the brown hillsides, plum and apple and fig trees, pink and purple fog. Nan remembers it all with a clear-eyed nostalgia, acknowledging the migraines that made her an outsider, and the fear, shame and humiliation lurking even in the fondest memories of happy times. The emotional complexity of this understated tale makes it an absorbing read.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
In this child's-eye view of the fear and pain of growing up, Lamott shows in vivid word pictures that the child is parent of the adult. Nan Goodman, hurting after a failed marriage and her father's death, goes back to the town of her childhood. As skinny little Nanny, aged five to 12, she either adored or was ashamed of her leftist parents, her writer father who never made enough money for comfort and her devoutly Christian mother who was his inspiration. Wrenching memories of family disasters, and especially the cruel snubs and abject solitude of childhood, are dissipated by love and laughter, and the adult Nan makes peace with her past. In spare prose Lamott ( Rosie , LJ 10/15/83) creates endearing, quirky characters in scenes memorable for being so skillfully drawn and universally appealing. A heart-warmer, to be savored.
- Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., Va.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Michele Leber, Fairfax Cty. P.L., Va.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
New and improved,
This review is from: All New People (Paperback)
Lamott has a knack for capturing those in between moments in life-you know the ones I'm speaking of-those seemingly unimportant ones that turn out to be just what life is made out of? I'm reminded of the way Edward Hopper paints, with his innocuous and on-the-surface bland moments that he makes incredibly beautiful. It's the same way that Jackson McCrae writes in his "Children's Corner" or the way that some actors capture the subtlty of a performance. And this is what Lamott does in "All New People." The writing is great, the moments are even better. Check this one out.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Traditional Anne, but Still Good.,
By "flying_raven" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: All New People (Paperback)
This book is somewhat different than Lamott's other work, but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. It is about a girl named Nanny and her family and the sixties. It reads like a memoir, and my guess is it has very much basis in the reality that is the author's life. The narration has a very stream-of-consciousness feel to it, and covers a lot for such a quick read. I loved the way of storytelling--Nanny tells the story straight through the emotional center of the things that happen. Anyone who ever had a childhood will enjoy everything in this book. Even if that childhood wasn't in the sixties.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anne, You're da bomb!!!,
By Marion "dragonfly80@hotmail.com" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
This review is from: All New People (Paperback)
I've read all of Anne's books and this one is as good as or better than the best. Anne is the Queen of all writers of all time! Nobody does it better. She has a sense of humor like no other woman I've ever known, and it shines through in this book. The line from which the title comes is suberb---and now a part of our family lingo. "In a hundred years, all new people!" I love it!!! Thanks, Anne, for sharing your sparkling wit and unique family with us. I can't wait to read your new one coming out this year, "Blue Shoe".
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