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stephaniesteen73's review
4.0
This book reminded me a lot of Sue Monk Kidd's Dance of the Dissident Daughter in its internal monologue and exploration of the personal growth process. However, this was much more spiritual in its focus and its central theme: give thanks to God in everything, in the mundane, really resonated with me. There were a lot of great truths in here but this writing style (meandering, artsy) was very difficult for me to digest.
aturb92's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
A great read for those who are looking to be more thankful. Life changing, and so applicable to daily life. Voskamp is incredibly poetic in her prose, a beautiful read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death
steffski's review
4.0
You have to get used to Ann's poetry type writing style but her message of seeing God in every day things is encouraging.
midwifereading's review
3.0
What did I think?
I honestly don't know. I've read Ann Voskamp's blog several times, and her writing is impeccable and beautiful. It sometimes seems as though she should be a poet, rather than a writer of prose, though. Her thought process is very similar to mine: We are both "insight-driven." We have an insight or epiphany, and we put it into practice.
In spite of recommendations from several friends, I was reluctant to pick it up, mostly because of her writing style. While beautiful and elegant--almost ethereal--it's just very verbose and poetic when it doesn't need to be. I much prefer a more straightforward style.
That said, this book was eventually given to me by someone who loves me very much, in the midst of my depression, with the claim that it would "change my life." I will admit that I put the book aside in anger at that point, reading way too much into the intent, in spite of knowing better. (You know who you are, and I humbly ask your forgiveness for that. I love you, and thank you for always having my best interests at heart.)
Needless to say, I finally picked it up and read it.
I found that this book, for me, just added a few bricks to the foundation the Lord has been building in me of thankfulness and worship in the everyday-ordinary of life. Back when I was first a mother, trudging through the daily grind of dirty diapers, dishes, and all that jazz, the Lord began to teach me vividly that Everything is Sacred, and that Everything, when done "unto the Lord," counts as an act of acceptable worship. That when I was changing diapers, I was serving my Abba Father in holiness.
This book adds gratitude to that in a way that makes sense, and built on what the Lord has been doing in me for ten years now. It wasn't life-changing for me, but there were valuable nuggets sprinkled throughout its pages that encouraged me, challenged me, and had me remembering what the Lord has done for me and in me all these years. Kind of a calling back to basics for me.
I'm also contemplating starting my own 1,000 gifts journal, to help me bring my focus back to a more Christ-centered vision.
Things I liked most about the book:
~I appreciated the uniqueness of Voskamp's approach, beginning with the word Eucharisteo. That was just cool.
~Her honesty with her own personal story.
~The lack of dogmatic formulas: "Do x, y, & z, and you will achieve a, b, and c results, be holier than everyone, and finally get it all right." She is refreshingly honest, and it is obvious she is only sharing her heart, and letting the chips fall where they may. She doesn't believe Eucharisteo will look the same for everyone who wants to implement it in their lives. She never implies that her version of gratitude is a magical spiritual panacea. I cannot emphasize how wonderful this is.
~Her use of language and word pictures is beautiful. She has beauty radar - she sees it in unexpected places, and can paint a verbal picture in such a way that you can see it yourself.
Things I didn't like:
~Her over-flowery language, and her weird word ordering. She also gets a little repetitive at times, using ten words when only five would likely do. Though I found it easy to understand, it just doesn't flow the same way my brain does. This is entirely subjective, though, and I know many poet-types who will deeply appreciate, and likely devour this book the way a thirsty man drinks until near-bursting when he finds water.
In short, this is a book I will likely pick up again in a year or two, high-lighter in hand, to capture those nuggets I missed the first time around. I think it's a valuable addition to any Christian's library, and worth a read if you have even the remotest interest in it. It really is a beautifully written book, and one I would definitely recommend.
(Please pardon typos -- I didn't bother to edit today.)
I honestly don't know. I've read Ann Voskamp's blog several times, and her writing is impeccable and beautiful. It sometimes seems as though she should be a poet, rather than a writer of prose, though. Her thought process is very similar to mine: We are both "insight-driven." We have an insight or epiphany, and we put it into practice.
In spite of recommendations from several friends, I was reluctant to pick it up, mostly because of her writing style. While beautiful and elegant--almost ethereal--it's just very verbose and poetic when it doesn't need to be. I much prefer a more straightforward style.
That said, this book was eventually given to me by someone who loves me very much, in the midst of my depression, with the claim that it would "change my life." I will admit that I put the book aside in anger at that point, reading way too much into the intent, in spite of knowing better. (You know who you are, and I humbly ask your forgiveness for that. I love you, and thank you for always having my best interests at heart.)
Needless to say, I finally picked it up and read it.
I found that this book, for me, just added a few bricks to the foundation the Lord has been building in me of thankfulness and worship in the everyday-ordinary of life. Back when I was first a mother, trudging through the daily grind of dirty diapers, dishes, and all that jazz, the Lord began to teach me vividly that Everything is Sacred, and that Everything, when done "unto the Lord," counts as an act of acceptable worship. That when I was changing diapers, I was serving my Abba Father in holiness.
This book adds gratitude to that in a way that makes sense, and built on what the Lord has been doing in me for ten years now. It wasn't life-changing for me, but there were valuable nuggets sprinkled throughout its pages that encouraged me, challenged me, and had me remembering what the Lord has done for me and in me all these years. Kind of a calling back to basics for me.
I'm also contemplating starting my own 1,000 gifts journal, to help me bring my focus back to a more Christ-centered vision.
Things I liked most about the book:
~I appreciated the uniqueness of Voskamp's approach, beginning with the word Eucharisteo. That was just cool.
~Her honesty with her own personal story.
~The lack of dogmatic formulas: "Do x, y, & z, and you will achieve a, b, and c results, be holier than everyone, and finally get it all right." She is refreshingly honest, and it is obvious she is only sharing her heart, and letting the chips fall where they may. She doesn't believe Eucharisteo will look the same for everyone who wants to implement it in their lives. She never implies that her version of gratitude is a magical spiritual panacea. I cannot emphasize how wonderful this is.
~Her use of language and word pictures is beautiful. She has beauty radar - she sees it in unexpected places, and can paint a verbal picture in such a way that you can see it yourself.
Things I didn't like:
~Her over-flowery language, and her weird word ordering. She also gets a little repetitive at times, using ten words when only five would likely do. Though I found it easy to understand, it just doesn't flow the same way my brain does. This is entirely subjective, though, and I know many poet-types who will deeply appreciate, and likely devour this book the way a thirsty man drinks until near-bursting when he finds water.
In short, this is a book I will likely pick up again in a year or two, high-lighter in hand, to capture those nuggets I missed the first time around. I think it's a valuable addition to any Christian's library, and worth a read if you have even the remotest interest in it. It really is a beautifully written book, and one I would definitely recommend.
(Please pardon typos -- I didn't bother to edit today.)
mavisbird's review
5.0
This book is absolutely life changing. This book was given to me by a close friend of mine who insisted that I would love this book. He was right. This book seems so simple, but it is so much more when you look deep into it. The way Voskamp writes this book is so beautiful. One of my favorite parts is that she very rarely uses names in her book for instance, she calls her husband "the farmer". For me this seemed that she was adding something to his character. Instead of just labeling him with a name she tells us more about his character by calling him the farmer. With out having to explain it, the reader understand that he is hardworking, patient, and caring.
This book makes you change the way you see the world. This book has seriously changed the way I see my life and how I react to the world around me. Voskamp's writing style is gorgeous and will speak right to your soul. I highly recommend this book!
This book makes you change the way you see the world. This book has seriously changed the way I see my life and how I react to the world around me. Voskamp's writing style is gorgeous and will speak right to your soul. I highly recommend this book!
julie_anne's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Great book! A lovely reminder to find beauty and cultivate thankfulness wherever you are.
brendalovesbooks's review
3.0
After attempting a re-read, I think you really have to be in the mood to read her writing style. This time I just found it annoying. I think depending on where you are in life, and your mood, this book could be either great or horrible. That's why I'm changing my review to 3 stars.
Original review:
This book is going high up on my favorites list. It really was a life-changing book for me, and one that I will read again and again. I would highly recommend this book. Ann Voskamp has a style of writing that is almost like a flow of thought, and it's honestly not for everyone. The message in this book is for everyone, though. It's not really anything new: being thankful for what you have, and expressing that thankfulness. But Ann Voskamp puts a new perspective on it all. It is real, raw, and fresh, and if you let it, it could change your life too.
Original review:
This book is going high up on my favorites list. It really was a life-changing book for me, and one that I will read again and again. I would highly recommend this book. Ann Voskamp has a style of writing that is almost like a flow of thought, and it's honestly not for everyone. The message in this book is for everyone, though. It's not really anything new: being thankful for what you have, and expressing that thankfulness. But Ann Voskamp puts a new perspective on it all. It is real, raw, and fresh, and if you let it, it could change your life too.
cassiealexandra's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
3.5
This was my second time reading this book and I think I appreciated it more the first time. I was still touched by Voskamp’s story and her transformation through the practice of gratitude. I like the way she weaves suffering and beauty together and shares that giving thanks is often the key to joy, contentment, and fulfillment. But, I had a more difficult time with her writing style. There were some beautiful turns of phrase and passages of poetic prose, but sometimes the meaning felt convoluted and I struggled with her choice to leave out so many articles (dropping the word “the,” etc. often). Theologically I also felt that this toed a very fine line between God causing suffering and God being with us in our suffering. That line is very important to me. My mother-in-law gave me a copy of this book before she died years ago, and looking back, I can see why she personally loved it so much. Overall, this just didn’t hit me the same way it once did, but it was interesting to pick it up again and see some of my MIL’s footsteps in it.
— NOTES —
Genre: Christian nonfiction
Content: death of a loved one, depression, mild suicidal ideation, past self-harm
— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Levity/Humility: 4
Information: 3.5
Transformation: 3.5
My Gut Feeling: 3
Total Stars: 3.5
— NOTES —
Genre: Christian nonfiction
Content: death of a loved one, depression, mild suicidal ideation, past self-harm
— MY RATING CONSIDERATIONS —
(all out of 5)
Levity/Humility: 4
Information: 3.5
Transformation: 3.5
My Gut Feeling: 3
Total Stars: 3.5