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stepanana's review against another edition
5.0
Love this book. Felt like I could've written half of it out of my own life. Love the honesty and words of wisdom. Great insight to love and life and God.
freckleduck's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. It was my first book by Shauna Niequist that I read and has made me read more. I love how she writes in a way that I feel as if I could have written, funny and honest and reflective in a way that allows me to think about my life. I consistently was referring back to this book in conversations with friends and thinking about in my daily life.
cathync's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! I love Shauna Niequist's conversational tone, the way she drew me in like I was one of the friends in her inner circle. I loved the way that she struck a balance between sharing her stories of grief and loss and her stories of joy and love. She could have wallowed in the pain and sadness, but like the Psalmist, Niequist's cup runneth over. This book gave me a glimpse of how Niequist lives abundantly, cherishing her friendships, her family, and creating joy for her loved ones.
"When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow."
"When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow."
lyssapreble's review against another edition
2.0
I could see how this book would be great more for mothers or families or someone moving. But, I just found it hard to relate to or to grasp a connection. Despite that, I did enjoy the last chapter when it brought in the bittersweet of life. Just could have used that more?
ljoyberryman's review against another edition
5.0
Still 5 stars for a re-read 5 years later. I will read whatever Shauna writes, and probably read it repeatedly.
sarahhyatt's review against another edition
I'm counting this one as read because I paid for it and I skimmed most of it after struggling through the first few essays.
I enjoyed Cold Tangerines more than I expected and as a result, have always thought I really enjoyed Shauna Niequist's writing. I don't know if I can say that anymore, and it's possible Cold Tangerines was, for me, the book that hit me in the right place at the right time. I still think her chapter on family vacations was lovely in that book.
This book never connected with me at all. It felt disjointed and vague, a series of blog entries without context, and without true connection either to the reader or to the author herself. It felt very much like a first draft, or a polite essay written for a school assignment. The author danced carefully around subjects that had great promise, areas where in my opinion she could have connected with something deep within her readers, but didn't bother. Instead, we got vagueness, polite comments likely intended to protect those involved, while at the same time an incomprehensible and never-explained list of her friends. Monica! Kirsten! Joe! I found myself flipping back through to try and remember who these people were, and how to place them in the story. I never found it. Without knowing their importance beyond their names and that they somehow are connected in this "house church", it's hard for me to then take sentences like, "Maybe you've found your own Monica or Kirsten." Maybe I have, but not knowing anything about them makes it difficult to decide if I have or not. A description of the friendship, rather than just a name, would be helpful. Describe the person or the relationship in a way that makes the reader care about him or her because they can see a reflection of someone in their own life, a reflection of QUALITY not quantity. For me, Monica is just a former boss and Kirsten is an American Girl doll. Giving these characters depth would have helped.
The other barrier for me with this book was it settled for preachy chapters and quick answers without even attempting to take the reader through the process. The author described her difficult year and life events in the beginning and basically blamed them all on her own selfishness. I have also lost a job at a church, in my case, a megachurch and a seriously emotionally and spiritually unhealthy job, and it was an event that I am still working through years later. I would change nothing, and ultimately it has been good, but it has taken a lot of pain to get here. I felt like the author didn't spend much time acknowledging or showing the actual grief of her losses (job, friends, move, miscarriage) in any way that made the reader understand the depth of that pain. Without understanding that, the conclusive answers and solutions fell short and felt shallow. It felt like the polite answer I give family friends when they ask how my year has been and it hasn't been good.
So disappointed here, because I had such high expectations.
I enjoyed Cold Tangerines more than I expected and as a result, have always thought I really enjoyed Shauna Niequist's writing. I don't know if I can say that anymore, and it's possible Cold Tangerines was, for me, the book that hit me in the right place at the right time. I still think her chapter on family vacations was lovely in that book.
This book never connected with me at all. It felt disjointed and vague, a series of blog entries without context, and without true connection either to the reader or to the author herself. It felt very much like a first draft, or a polite essay written for a school assignment. The author danced carefully around subjects that had great promise, areas where in my opinion she could have connected with something deep within her readers, but didn't bother. Instead, we got vagueness, polite comments likely intended to protect those involved, while at the same time an incomprehensible and never-explained list of her friends. Monica! Kirsten! Joe! I found myself flipping back through to try and remember who these people were, and how to place them in the story. I never found it. Without knowing their importance beyond their names and that they somehow are connected in this "house church", it's hard for me to then take sentences like, "Maybe you've found your own Monica or Kirsten." Maybe I have, but not knowing anything about them makes it difficult to decide if I have or not. A description of the friendship, rather than just a name, would be helpful. Describe the person or the relationship in a way that makes the reader care about him or her because they can see a reflection of someone in their own life, a reflection of QUALITY not quantity. For me, Monica is just a former boss and Kirsten is an American Girl doll. Giving these characters depth would have helped.
The other barrier for me with this book was it settled for preachy chapters and quick answers without even attempting to take the reader through the process. The author described her difficult year and life events in the beginning and basically blamed them all on her own selfishness. I have also lost a job at a church, in my case, a megachurch and a seriously emotionally and spiritually unhealthy job, and it was an event that I am still working through years later. I would change nothing, and ultimately it has been good, but it has taken a lot of pain to get here. I felt like the author didn't spend much time acknowledging or showing the actual grief of her losses (job, friends, move, miscarriage) in any way that made the reader understand the depth of that pain. Without understanding that, the conclusive answers and solutions fell short and felt shallow. It felt like the polite answer I give family friends when they ask how my year has been and it hasn't been good.
So disappointed here, because I had such high expectations.
brgermundson's review against another edition
5.0
I wish I would have read this when I was going through previous hard seasons in my life. Even reading it now, helps to put a bit of a bow on those tough seasons and to realize that there was some good with the rough.
ajreader's review against another edition
3.0
Read my full thoughts on this book and hundreds more over at Read.Write.Repeat.
A lovely memoir about life, faith, family, and the beauty of ordinary moments.
A lovely memoir about life, faith, family, and the beauty of ordinary moments.