Customer Reviews

Forgiveness & Other Acts of Love

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"There are beings who come to one to tune the music," said Anais Nin. Little could I have imagined that most profoundly would be met on an ordinary night, when I turned to open the first pages of "Forgiveness and Other Acts of Love." Stephanie Dowrick communicates with a depth of human understanding that is compassionate, confident, and purely optimistic. She penetrates far into the interior spaces where people live - and provokes a fresh view and artistry for life. With beauty and tenderness, Dowrick's voice resonates with an intimate reality that moves in keenly and reverberates out towards more thoughtful and honest living. There is a purity of love and human kindness implicit to Dowrick's moving inside and out of seven restorative virtues - a universal cord that is supportive and uniting. A benevolent connection with inner and outer worlds that feels charming, calming, unfettered, necessary, and right to embrace again and again until we brighten that embrace and begin again. And that's enchanting. And that's the power of this Author and the power of this Book.

Don't wait to find any copies of "Forgiveness and Other Acts of Love" left behind on train seats. Better you will find them on bed stands or loved in someone's hands - read and reread. Like my copy that is worn. I also highly recommend "Intimacy and Solitude". Thank you Stephanie Dowrick.

If I could give this book more then five stars, I believe that would still be an understatement to the emmense treasure house of wisdom that will profoundly effect any heart/mind open enough to allow healing guidance that is based in the human virtues that all of us possess and all struggle to work on strengthening.

This is a very personal statement to make, and is not said lightly.

I feel very deeply both intellectually and emotionally about the profound impact the privledge of reading her text has and will continue to have on my own world.

This book is a treasure of literature that should be read by any who seek to live a more tranquil, focused and meaningful life!!!

This book is a virtual treasure trove of insight and inspiration for anyone looking into examining the timeless virtues of old. Stephanie Dowrick calls upon her wealth of counseling and cross-cultural experiences to help shed new light into many of today's social disturbances. Using contemporary and ancient sources of wisdom to illustrate these virtues, one can see clearly how the lack of these elements does, in fact, cause problems.

In today's world where the boundaries of what's right and wrong are often blurred, this book helps clear the heart, mind, and soul of much confusion without becoming dogmatic or preachy. I'd recommend this book for Valentine's Day or as a gift to anyone struggling with any type of emotional issue or conflicts between the heart and mind. Definitely, a good read for any time or place.

This is one of the most amazing books I've ever read. It's like a treasure chest - not something you read once, then put back on the shelf, but something to be slowly digested, savored, and worked into your life. Since the author draws on sources from many religions and view points, I think that everyone will probably find something they relate to. I know the book isn't written specifically for 12-step recovery, but it's greatly helping me in my spiritual journey.

The title is a bit deceptive, as forgiveness is one of 7 "humane virtues" discussed in depth in this book. It's beautifully written with a lot of heart and depth. I plan to read "Intimacy and Solitude" next to get more of her writing.

This is a book that I have read several times and recommended to many people with outstanding success. The author brilliantly combines psychological insights with genuine spirituality to discuss the humane virtues - including courage, generosity and forgiveness. She writes very well especially for this genre where so much writing is earnest and turgid - or banal. Stephanie Dowrick has extremely deep and useful insights but they are grounded in lives you can actually recognize. Her examples are deeply touching and bring massive hope. Also she writes with confidence about all kinds of lifestyles, and she draws on a range of great teachings, not just Christianity. I can also recommend her other books including The Universal Heart which is available only from Amazon UK for some reason. This is her most spiritual book but it will also appeal to people who are not 'into' spirituality simply because it is intelligent and contemporary and never,ever talks down to the reader or tells them how they ought to behave.She shows what works and her words have a lasting effect.

We all need to spend time every day considering or dwelling on the better aspects of human life. We need to deepen our understanding and not take these things for granted.

This book is one way you can use to spend some time re-examining six of the great virtues: courage, fidelity, restraint, generosity, tolerance and forgiveness.

Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification (Seligman et al) charts a rapidly developing field that can demonstrate the benefits of these enduring virtues in protecting us against depression and mental illness.

Stephanie Dowrick's book takes a gentle look at these virtues using material from her own life and examples from people she knows. It's a gentle encouragement to strive towards these higher challenges and realise our potential as full human beings.

I read this book for a bookclub. I found it very insightful and thought provoking. Each chapter considers a virtue and what it means in terms of personal growth and love.

As a minister, I read at least one non-fiction book per month. I can say without hesitation that this is the most wonderful and heart-touching book I have found. Stephanie Dowrick addresses forgiveness as well as courage, restraint, fidelity and several other topics using her insights along with pertinent quotes from Eastern masters and people she has met along the way. You must read this book!

I have returned to read this book so many times my copy is very worn and underlined. My Amazon purchase was to give the book as a gift to a friend. The author's writing style is very inviting, and I love the manner in which she weaves personal stories with mythology, philosophy, psychology and cultural beliefs. The subject matter is very thought provoking, and could be too heavy in the wrong hands, but Ms. Dowrick does a wonderful job keeping the reader engaged. The other nice point about this book is that the author organizes her chapters around the individual "humane virtues" of courage, fidelity, restraint, generosity, tolerance and forgiveness; so it is very easy to pick up the book and read about any one of the virtues at any point in time.