Plan B: Further Thoughts On Faith - Anne Lamott - A Short Summary & Review

 Plan B: Further Thoughts On Faith - Anne Lamott - A Short Summary & Review

By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures

A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review

Positive thoughts on hope and faith in a negative world.

A short summary:

Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott is a collection of short, personal essays wrestling with faith, hope, despair, and grace in a world that rarely feels orderly or reassuring. Written with Lamott’s characteristic humor and blunt honesty, the book refuses tidy theology in favor of lived experience.

Rather than offering answers neatly wrapped in doctrine, Plan B explores what faith looks like when plans fail, life disappoints, and belief feels improvised. Lamott writes from the tension between doubt and devotion, insisting that faith is often messy, provisional, and stubbornly persistent.

My favorite quote from the book:

"A lot is better not gotten around to."

- Anne Lamott, Plan B

Questions to ponder while reading:

What have you recovered from?

What are you STILL recovering from?

My review:

Plan B is, at times, a jumbled mix of philosophy, personal reflection, and irreverent language, and it knows it. The prose is peppered with curses and contradictions, and the structure resists polish or systemization. Yet beneath the roughness lies a surprising amount of wisdom.

Lamott’s reflections on hope and faith feel universal precisely because they are imperfect. She speaks to readers who are tired, disappointed, and unsure what belief even looks like anymore. Her faith is not triumphant or serene, but dogged and humane, a belief that survives not because it is certain, but because it is necessary.

Surprisingly, this book resonates beyond religious boundaries. Its honesty, humor, and refusal to pretend make it approachable for believers, skeptics, and anyone living in the tension between hope and reality. Plan B is not a guidebook—it’s a companion for the moments when faith feels improvised and grace feels like a second chance.

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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life

She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.

You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.

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