The more I write about my one and done reading rule, the more the exceptions come to mind. I’ve already written about the quartet of Anne Tyler, Anne Lamott, Armistead Maupin, and Harlan Coben, all of whom have reached premiere status of ten books. It may soon be a quintet, though, with the addition of another Ann.
What do I love about Ann Hood? She’s someone who fascinates me. Like Anne Lamott, she started as a fiction writer but has become better known (at least to me) for themed memoirs. And, like Anne Lamott, I prefer her nonfiction to her novels.
She has had a turbulent life with both unusual, enviable good fortune and horrific, unimaginable tragedy. She writes about all of it in an informed, accessible way that pulls me in. I am not an easy crier, but I have been teary-eyed more than once. I’ve also felt wistful at times, wishing I had had her experiences.
Here are the books I’ve read in vague chronological order of her life.
1.
Start with the envy: Ann Hood’s childhood has a warm glow that is intoxicating. The daughter of Italian Americans, she grew up in a working class Rhode Island family with aunts and cousins nearby. She was a serious reader, devouring thick books by Louisa May Alcott and Herman Wauk. I loved every vicarious minute of this reading memoir.
2.
After doing a degree in English, Ann applied for a job as a TWA flight attendant and was accepted. This highly elite job (only 60 were hired from 2000 applicants) lead to a growth spurt in which she managed rowdy passengers, foreign menus, and chaotic scheduling. Rather than envying her this time, it was her first-class cabin that made me green: chateaubriand, specialty cocktails, and a sundae bar were a few of the treats they received while cruising high.
3.
At the end of her flight attendant days, Ann got a book deal for her fiction. A decent advance (20K in the 80s) meant she could survive in her Bleeker Street apartment after flight attendants went on strike. Her first novel was inspired by her brother and his college friends. I wasn’t crazy about it.
4.
The opposite of the sophomore slump, this novel about a New York shopkeeper was intriguing and nicely written. I loved the Greenwich Village locale and emotional journey of the characters.
5.
After having some success with her fiction, Ann got married and had two children, Sam and Grace. She and her family lived not far from Ann’s parents in Providence. Coming from an Italian immigrant family, Ann had some exposure to Catholic folk religion growing up. In this memoir she delves into it: the saints, Marian communities, Lourdes. I enjoyed reading about her search for miracles.
6.
Ann experienced unthinkable tragedy when her five-year-old daughter, Grace, spiked a fever one night and died from a freakish strep strain. It is gut-wrenching to read about the day it happens and the aftermath. Her husband returns to his faith, but Ann hates God. They meet other bereaved parents, adopt a baby, Annabelle, from China, and accept that they will live with the loss of their forever-five daughter. A sublime work.
7.
After divorcing her kids’ father, Ann finds love again. This is a memoir about cooking, though: her Italian family favorites, comfort food, experiments in carbonara that end in success. There are recipes, too: I have made her salt and pepper fried chicken many times since reading this. (It’s delicious!) Bon Appetit!
Books Smitten 