What a beautiful, moving, gut wrenching book. When I started, I thought,
"Only about 220 pages, and a smallish book? I can read that in two days
tops." I was wrong. It's so deep, so moving, and sometimes so hard to
read that it took me nearly three weeks. After the first chapter or two I
wasn't sure I wanted to continue - the subject matter is so tough. But I
see what she was doing. She had to tell you where she came from. You
had to understand the depths of her pain and despair, and the reasons
why she had such difficulty believing in a good God. Her transformation,
due to the challenge from a friend, is remarkable.
Ann was angry
and bitter and resistant to see the good in life. She was negative
about everything, and became easily exasperated with her children and
her life. Considering she lived on a pig farm and home schooled six
kids, I can certainly understand! Then a friend dared her to write down
1,000 gifts - one thousand things that she loved, things that blessed
her, things that made her happy. Throughout the journey of this
challenge, her heart changed and she started seeing God's love in
everything around her, everything. She slowly understood what
eucharisteo, to give thanks, really means, and how it is the key to true
communion and oneness with God. She learned that living a thank-filled
life is truly the only way to know joy, and that eucharisteo - giving
thanks - always precedes the miracle.
Ann Voskamp writes her
memoir as poetry. Every sentence is lyrical and lilting and laden with
emotion. The descriptions are so vivid and sharp; you can perfectly
picture her farm house, her kitchen, her back yard, or the field where
she met the moon. It's beautiful. But because of this, it can be
difficult to read. If you're not a fan of descriptive, poetic writing,
this may not be the book for you. Oh, but you will miss a gem! It's
difficult to read this book and not be changed. Even a little bit.
The
biggest problem I had with this book, and really the only one, is that
in her poetic verse, she almost always refused to use adverbs. It was
always "His eyes smiled brave," "I breathe easy," or "My heart beat
slow." I realize it's her style, but it just irked me.
I started
my own eucharisteo journal in January of this year, but now that I've
read this beautifully moving book, I know I will see more of the miracle
and more of His love. Thanks always precedes the miracle. I love it.
Get the book on Amazon here. Read more about Ann Voskamp on Goodreads.
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