Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott

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An Overview

Grace (Eventually), Anne Lamott’s candid thoughts on her conversion and faith will make you think twice. Christians and non-Christians alike may disagree with some of the author’s political viewpoints or interpretations on the Bible, but one thing is for sure, Lamott lays herself out in the open as a flawed sinner who knows that she is just as much in need of grace as the next person.

Main Body

Lamott is certainly no goodie two shoes, and that makes her all the more reliable. In Grace (Eventually), the author continues with a series of essays similar to those found in her other books Plan B and Traveling Mercies. Her journey of faith is an imperfect but genuine one as she tries to live out her beliefs with a number stumbles along the way.

The best part about Grace (Eventually) is how seldom Lamott takes herself seriously. She readily owns up to her mistakes as well as her need for a God greater than herself. With humor and a dose of irreverence, Lamott gives us a peek into her pursuit of God and truth.

In “The Carpet Guy” the author wrestles with her own bad behavior in the face of an unfortunate misunderstanding when money for a returned rug goes missing. As her anger over the situation mounts Lamott thinks about Jesus in everyday terms “His message,” she writes, “is that we’re all sort of nuts and suspicious and petty and full of crazy hungers, and everything feels awful a lot of the time, but even so–one’s behavior needs to be better.”

Other essays deal with the everyday people and everyday events of life that shape us and that we shape. From a scary taxi ride home to raising a child as a single parent to adventures in a special-ed dance class, Lamott’s stories are full of insight and easily relatable to the experiences of anyone who has ever been confused on their journey through life.

The Narration

Anne Lamott reads her own work in the audio book version of Grace (Eventually). Unfortunately, the liveliness of the book does not come out in Lamott’s monotone narration of the novel.