Name: Story of a Soul
Rating: 4.666666666666667 (6 reviews)

St. Theresa of Lisieux

Story of a Soul

Saint Thérèse de Lisieux

Two and a half years before her death in 1897 at the age of 24, as Thérèse Martin began writing down her childhood memories at the request of her blood sisters in the Lisieux Carmel, few could have guessed the eventual outcome. Yet this "story of my soul," first published in 1898 in a highly edited version, quickly became a modern spiritual classic, read by millions and translated into dozens of languages around the world. Decades later, in response to growing requests from scholars and devotees of the Saint, a facsimile edition of the manuscripts appeared, along with more popular French editions of what the Saint had actually written. Here, expressed with all of Thérèse's original spontaneity and fervor, we rediscover the great themes of her spirituality: confidence and love, the "little way," abandonment to God's merciful love, and her "mission" in the church and world today. Father John Clarke's acclaimed translation, first published in 1975 and now accepted as the standard throughout the English-speaking world, is a faithful and unaffected rendering of Thérèse's own words, from the original manuscripts. This new edition, prepared for the centenary of the Saint's death, includes a select bibliography of recent works in English on Thérèse, along with a new referencing system now widely used in studies of her doctrine. Includes general and biblical index, with 8 pages of photos.

The Autobiography of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Dana Kraft

I'm not sure what i expected from this book. The first 2/3 or so are pretty boring. The last several chapters were much more interesting as she describes her Little Way. By then i was also more accustomed to her unique voice. I'm probably comparing this unconsciously to other spiritual autobiographies from people like Merton and Day, which isnt fair. The writing isnt as "good", but the spiritual lessons are at least as profound. I like her analogies in several cases and there are some inspiring words. 

At some level, the writing is just very unusual. If i read this from a contemporary writer, i would dismiss it. But, then i remember that Jesus described the Kingdom of God in ways that were radically different from people's expectations, and still seem radical today. With that in mind, this book (or at least the last third of it) is much more instructive and thought-provoking.

Story of a Soul

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