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980 reviews for:
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living
Shauna Niequist
3.69 AVERAGE
980 reviews for:
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living
Shauna Niequist
3.69 AVERAGE
fast-paced
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
reflective
fast-paced
This was more of a memoir than a book of teaching, not that I don't enjoy memoir's but it wasn't what I was going into this book expecting. Furthermore, there is a certain amount of Christian "fluidity" when it came to faith with new age feeling spirituality mixed in and some major faulty theology. There is some truth in here, but I wouldn't recommend it to a young or impressionable believer.
DNF. I just couldn't get into this book. It felt like the author just kept going on and on about how busy her life was and that she wasn't truly happy and all that info could have been condensed to one chapter. I wanted the book to be about how to overcome that kind of life and give me new ideas, and maybe it did at the end but I was too bored to get to that point.
Somewhere maybe around 3.5 stars. I love all her other books and maybe that's problem is nothing can compete with Bread and Wine. Love her writing and the idea behind this book, it just felt a little repetitive.
Sharing a personal journey—from busy, responsible, performance-based living to that of quiet reflection and connection with one's true self—means vulnerability. It also means that you join a cadre of writers doing just that. Add the twist of being a high-profile woman of faith and this book is an act of bravery in an already challenging field: Christian memoir writing. I recognize and honor the feat. Thank you.
That said, editing matters! Many times felt I was re-reading a chapter that I'd just finished. Several ideas repeated like a refrain over and over without a deeper insight. Don't stop writing, dear Shauna, but do keep winnowing through chapters so that readers like me don't feel that keeping company with you involves backtracking through dense woods just for the sake of page count.
That said, editing matters! Many times felt I was re-reading a chapter that I'd just finished. Several ideas repeated like a refrain over and over without a deeper insight. Don't stop writing, dear Shauna, but do keep winnowing through chapters so that readers like me don't feel that keeping company with you involves backtracking through dense woods just for the sake of page count.
So helpful! This book is a wonderful book for women who need to remember that they are perfect just the way they are. The readability of it is awesome; she has a strong voice that isn't annoying or preachy. You feel like a friend of hers, sitting down on a lazy afternoon, catching up on her newfound secret to living. In a society that pushes us to be the best, this is a reminder that you don't need to prove yourself to anyone. You just need to live the life that makes you happy.
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
This was a good inspirational reminder to slow down and be present. Lots of good quotes about how to take care of ourselves and find connection. Got a little bored by her stories and examples. But overall I left feeling inspired.
It's very God central. The lessons remain apt, however it doesn't show many other options or solutions beyond...rooting yourself to God.