Children of God Go Bowling: A Novel

by Shannon Olson

We first met Shannon Olson—our semifictional heroine—in Welcome to My Planet. Now, in Children of God Go Bowling, we find Shannon in her mid-thirties and still besieged by reminders that her life is anything but normal. Her friends are blossoming in marital bliss, everyone seems to own a home, and even her baby sister is having a baby. Why, in the march to adulthood, has she been left behind?

In an effort to be proactive, Shannon embarks upon a feng shui-inspired campaign to make room in her life for a future—or at least the hope of one. She joins group therapy (to meet new people), accepts blind dates (hey, you never know), and even gives organized religion a go (with mixed results). Of course, surprises await her in the struggle against anxiety—and from some unlikely sources.

With encore performances by Shannon’s mother, Flo (called “one of the great moms of American fiction” by Garrison Keillor), and other indelible characters from Welcome to My Planet, Children of God Go Bowling is the heroic, heartbreaking, hilarious story of a woman making her life happen when it didn’t quite happen for her.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Humor, Book Club

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Melina · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG, I thought I was reading my autobiography for a little bit. Single, 30 something professional from German-heritage, midwestern family who has a best guy friend people keep bugging her to date. Hmm, too strange. But then the story takes a turn and I can safely say that this book is in fact not about me. Would recommend it though to all those single ladies out there!

[Augusta Dionysus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author came to our class at university and spoke to us about the art of writing and the inspiration behind this book. Despite several reviews that criticize the character in this book for being too focused on their own problems, I found the character's struggle with depression, anxiety, and self-deprecating thoughts to be very relatable; it is normal to focus on oneself when struggling with these things. This novel is a semi-autobiographical story that deals with themes of mental illness, loss, and learning to continue on despite past hardships, and for anyone looking for a tearjerker, this is the book for the job:)

[Sarah Hearn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually laughed out loud a few times. I gave it this lower score because I found Shannon and her issues became tiresome after awhile. It was a bit too much like Bridget Jones’ Diary with Shannon belly-aching about how she has no one to love and what about her, her, her? Nonetheless, the writing is good and the humour does shine through in spots.

[Alicia Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relatable and realistic, lots of humor and heart

Loved this book about a woman who feels out of step with her peers and struggles to find herself through introspection and therapy. It's a step above chick lit: the ending feels earned, because good things happen when you're ready; they seem easy when you have worked hard. To me, that's the message of Shannon's journey.

[Dawn Stanton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I reallyreallyreally wanted to love this book since its written by a Minnesoootan about a Minnesoootan and I am Minnesoootan...BUT...it left me wanting. What exactly I'm not sure and therein lies the rub. It was fun but not satisfying....like pieces were missing...and they were the best part.

[Grace Butler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not worth reading. Lots of therapy sessions with a pathetic lead character and her imagined boyfriend. Conflict with mother is trite. Seriously I hate books with poor/pathetic women characters. Do we have to love the MD dad?

[Allison Renner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Welcome to My Planet, I read this book a lot in my early 20s. I don’t like it as much as the first because it seems to drag regarding Adam and her waffling feelings, but it’s still a great follow-up.

[Jessi Darst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpected, feels like smaller city living that I'm familiar with. Her anxiety and restlessness were very relatable.

[Cate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the book my real life book club will be discussing on Monday. It was selected primarily because it was available as a "Book Club in a Bag." It was available because it really isn't very good.

The semi-fictional, semi-autobiographical protagonist is Shannon Olson, who lives in St. Paul, is in her early thirties, and feels stuck in her life. She thinks the answer is in finding a husband--that her real life will only begin then. The book starts with her going to visit her younger sister at the birth of her first child, repeating the mantra "It's not all about me."

Sadly, the book is--all about Shannon Olson. She writes well, and is funny, but not funny enough frequently enough to keep the book from sagging from the weight of her self-absorption. The book finally lets in some air when her best friend is diagnosed with cancer; sadly, his death serves only as a lesson to Shannon, which makes the whole thing sink again.

Olson's previous work, Welcome to My World* (*Where English is Sometimes Spoken) was well received; it had to be better than this one, or there would not have been a second book.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, probably actually like 2.5 stars, but I'm rounding up 'cause I'm nice.

Um, I don't know, it was okay, not great. Chick lit, basically: thirtysomething girl wants a boyfriend and kids and whines about it for approximately 300 pages, wondering if perhaps her long time college friend is "the one." The main character complains about not being able to "afford" a place that has a washer/dryer, but she visits two different therapists every week. ?! She also didn't really seem to have any problem, besides loneliness and some sort of "problem" or "dependence" on her mom. I'm all for therapy when it helps, but seriously?

It also tried to touch on some more "serious" issues, but was really not very deep at all. That part felt rushed, and even then, the main character paid more attention to her own imagined problems than what was really important.

It did have some parts that made me chuckle, though, and that hardly ever happens, so...yay.

[Joanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

The main character (Shannon) and her self -absorption/depression grow irritating relatively quickly, I found it interesting that the premise was her depression and inability to change is blamed on the too - close relationship of the daughter with her mother by her psychiatrist (who, interestingly, seem to grow weary of her as well after 6 years of therapy!)

I have a habit lately of pulling two books off the library shelf by the same author, on the off chance I will LOVE the author (sort of a flea market search for new authors to explore) and so in its defense, it was good enough to get me to read the second of the books I brought home.
An easy read as the writing flows and I was curious enough to see if the relationship with the mother was more detailed in the first book by this same author.

At the end of the day, I don't recommend this author- not enough depth to validate the premise, and although the characters are likeable and relate-able, its' not enough for me.

[Ken Heard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shannon Olson is a great writer. I read her earlier book "Welcome to My Planet" and enjoyed it. This is more of the same. Her character, who is named Shannon Olson, goes to therapy, has an overbearing mother and fails in relationships. Olson has some funny moments, but she also writes from the heart. The last several chapters are really full of pathos and caring, which lifts this book far above the tales written just for funny sake. I'd recommend this for anyone who wants to read something well done.

[Traci]

"A body comes out of seemingly nowhere, grows out of a single cell. Becomes bigger than the sum of its parts, a spirit, a friend, someone you depend on.
Then you watch it decay and shrink. A body with cancer harbors hidden, furious life, taking everything in its path, taking on a life of its own, before the person inside of that body can leave."


"People want the dying person to have amazing perspective. They want him to reveal secrets. When, in reality, we are all in the same kind of boat. The dying person just knows which particular boat he'll drift away on."

[Marianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but Shannon - the character, not the author - is so self-absorbed, I found it an irritating read. Hmmmm, since the author named her main character after herself, what conclusions can we draw from that?

Anyway, being in much the same situation as Shannon (again, the character), I wanted to love this book. But it really stretched my patience! Still, there were some amusing sections that I did enjoy. Without those, this would have only received one star from me.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a sequel to What Planet Am I From, which I did not read but did not seem to detract from this story. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book as the reason I read it is because my 5-year old picked it out for me randomly in the library. It is pretty much an American version of Bridget Jones Diary. The main character can get to be quite whiney but it is overall an entertaining read.

[Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shannon Olson is my new favorite author.

The relationship between the main character, Shannon and her mother Flo is very well documented and anyone who gets frustrated by interactions with her own mother would probably be able to relate.

there is a book that goes before this, I'll try to read it real soon!

also this book takes place in Minnesota and really made me think about Jen Hill and Shiloh and their midwestern connections.

[Ally Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shannon Olson wrote an interesting take on chiclit. Her protagonist, named after her, rides a carousel of emotions as she dodges panic disorder, singledom, and life. While the pacing is slow, it still chugs along, focused more on character development and story. She has some great lines, some laugh-out-loud moments, and the end is surprisingly poignant. Definitely a read I would recommend to any woman who is not sure what being single really means.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sequel to Shannon Olsen's "Welcome to My Planet" and it is HILARIOUS. I laughed out loud and I cried. It's just about going back home and trying to fit in, trying to find that one Mr. Right, friendship, etc. It's soooo great. And, despite what I thought when I picked up the book, it is NOT about the Children of God cult. Don't worry.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Being based in Minneapolis, I enjoyed all the cultural and location references. I think I was supposed to find this book really funny but there seemed to be a lot of pain and sadness in all the witty barbs/observations. This is why I don't watch comics perform live on stage anymore. It's all kind of depressing. Maybe I'm depressed.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book centers on the emotional state of an early 30s single woman who feels pressure to make changes in her life, but she is stuck. Her personal insights and lack of insights were humorous, and her relationships with her mother, therapist and friends gave the story motion. References to Minneapolis culture and locations was amusing.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shannon Olson writes about being a single woman in her thirties, living in the Twin Cities, finding herself among the last of her friends to buy a house, have babies and "settle down." You might say I found this book pretty goddamn relatable.

As in Welcome to My World, Olson's voice is simple, vulnerable and revealing. It's like peeking inside your friend's diary.

[Holly Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun that this book was based in Minnesota but the author's woes of growing up as a Catholic in Chaska didn't really hit home for me. I enjoyed the book but it seemed like she spent a lot of time on the never ending details of her therapy and her journey to 'emancipation' for the all too quick to come to a close ending.

[suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, with great observations! Of course I liked the Minnesota setting and twin city references. I discovered the Grotto of Redemption in Iowa becasue of this book! Tour it if you can: http://www.westbendgrotto.com/

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was like talking to myself! Finally, an author who really speaks to me!

[Julie M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shannon Olson is an MFA from the UofM and took writing courses from Garrison Keillor. It's obvious in this tragicomdedy (more funny than serious) drawn from her life (memoir style) in the Twin Cities and at Northfield's St. Olaf College.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book for a couple of bucks on clearance at Half Price while on vacation, and I have to say that I ended up liking it a lot. This may be because there was tons of similarities with my own life (in terms of locations, names of characters, scenarios, etc.)

[Karen Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author is St. Olaf grad; that is of interest to me.

"chick lit" as they say. 20 somethings.

Shannon writes as herself, 33 yr. old herione looking to meet the right guy. Funny but semi-believable.

[Schmoyle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was sadly awful. I found it quite narcissistic and condescending. All of this was disappointing as I was excited to see my city highlighted, but found some of my favorite places were instead ridiculed. I could not relate with many of the main character's first world problems.

[Rebecca A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little novel. A different take and tone on the whole Growing Up Thing, in which the thirty-something protagonist, Shannon, learns how to begin to live her own life. Shannon is called a semifictional heroine, so that adds interest.

[Lauren Hills · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, hands down, the best book I have read this year.