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The Hidden Face: A Study of St. Therese of Lisieux

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This remarkable book broke new ground in hagiography when it came out in the 1950s. Prior to this study, books about the saints centered on miracles, super-human feats and basically ignored the subject's upbringing, personality, and quirks. In this study, St. Therese is presented as Therese Martin, an intelligent, complex and totally God-focused individual who willed her way to sanctity. It seems that her nature was fully developed from infacy--from the start, she would do nothing by halves and insisted on making every moment of her life meaningful. Yet, she somehow avoided self-centeredness and by the end of her short life this very introspective young woman was simplicity itself. Her life was an unlikely interior adventure, leading her ever deeper into the mystery of God and of love. As told by Goerres, the journey was rough, uneven, and costly. But Therese Martin was no plaster saint, no little flower. This is the unsentimental story of a mighty oak.

This is the best book on St Therese - far superior to anything written before or since. It is thoroughly researched and, thankfully, strips away the sugar-coated sentimentality that bogged down her other biographers - as well as Story of a Soul itself. Gorres guides you along the path to sanctity that St Therese followed and reveals how the saint was able to avoid strong temptations - such as how her sisters constantly venerated her during the her life in the convent without it causing St Therese to become self-centered - while making use of every day events to follow the path of humility and self-abnegation. I thoroughly recommend this biography much more than anything Bishop Guy Gaucher has written or some of the biographers

It is unfortunate that Therese of Lisieux has become known primarily by the term "The Little Flower" and is expected to drop roses from heaven on her followers. This study of her life and "Little Way" reveals the journey of a pampered, excessivly emotional and devout middle-class French girl who was formed into one of the only three women who have been declared Doctors of the Church. Ida Gorres strips off the sentimentality that has threatened to turn Therese into a sugary caracature of herself. She carefully deals with all the negative aspects of Therese's culture, upbringing, life as a nun, and unglamorous, excruciating and humiliating death of TB at age 24. When Gorres has exposed all the aspects of the sentimental religiosity of that time and place, sparing nothing in revealing Therese and her family to us with all their "warts", she then proceeds to delineate how Therese rose above all that, and even contradicted it in her "new" spiritual understanding. It becomes clear that it was a direct action of the Holy Spirit, needed by the modern religious seeker.

Jansenism still tainted the devout Catholicism of that time. Somehow, Therese saw through the heresy and formulated a spirituality that returned the Church to the basics of Christianity. What is most surprising to me is that she did it alone, with no person to teach or counsel her. Indeed, very few of the people around her even understood her, including her loving blood sisters who were also in the same convent. Ida Gorres tells this story clearly and with considerable insight into true sanctity.

This is not a book to approach lightly, although it is not hard to read. It stretches the reader's understanding, calling one to greater love of God and the truth about following Jesus. One dares to try Therese's Way even in very different circumstances of life. Gorres does away with the plaster saint figure of church statues and gives us an intelligent, flesh-and-blood, mature, serious, and appealing saint to be our teacher. I recommend this book highly for anyone who is seeking true teaching and inspiration in their Christian walk.

Exhaustive expose of Saint Therese of Lisieux. Insightful and highly enjoyable to read; the text will edify any Christian striving to do God's will and longing to be encouraged on a sound method. Be aware: "Little Way" is a blatant oximoron; Therese's path is no small feat! Consider Jesus' admonitions and modelling in the Gospel accounts. However tall the order may be, it is not impossible to imitate. Therese's rose petals are made of steel. Coupled with Jesus, she is one of the greatest inspirations for attaining intimacy with God.

As Ida Gorres examines the life of St. Therese she challenges the longheld idea that Therese was some mamby pamby creature who earned sainthood by never complaining that her woolen habit was scratchy. This biography teaches not only about Therese's life, but about the Christian life and how to respond to the grace of God. An exquisite biography of an amazing woman!

First published in Germany in 1944, The Hidden Face: A Study Of St. Therese Of Lisieux by Ida Friederike Gorres is a remarkable biography of a young nun who entered a convent at fifteen and died at twenty-four. The spontaneous veneration following her death brought one Pope to call her "the greatest saint of the modern times". The Hidden Face looks at the life of St. Therese Of Lisieux with a scholarly objectivity, interpreting her life and sainthood for appreciative readers of the Catholic faith. This latest English translation is based on a new, revised edition of the original that reflects the latest and most authentic edition of the saint's writings, and is very highly recommended for students of Catholicism and any lay member wanting to find out more about this remarkable and beloved 19th Century saint.

I have been searching for this title for many years and was very excited when I found it republished. It is a very different look at the life of the "Little Flower". This is not a book for anyone beginning to learn of her life and spirituality. This book is for those seasoned souls whom have already read and studied "Story of a Soul" and other books on her life. It is very arduous reading for even those who are familiar with St. Therese's life and spirituality. However, if a reader can get through the beginning chapter, (which is lengthy & somewhat complicated), you will garner many beautiful spiritual insights--and you will find it hard to put down. One of the best books I've ever read on St. Therese..a real treasure.

I have to admit, when I read Story of a Soul I didn't understand it at first. Then I read this biography. I feel like I have a better understanding of St. Therese. I couldn't put this book down!

This book has been unavailable for years, and it is a delight to be able to order it. For Theresian admirers it is one more opportunity to learn more. For serious spiritual readers, it is an absolute treasure.

I spent a 7 year period in my life studying the life of Saint Therese of Lisieux as a person in religious life at the time. I studied Therese because there was something about her that drew me to her "little way". There was also something that repulsed me about the way she was portrayed by most of the media available out at the time. I had the interesting experience of running across a first copy of "The Hidden Face" published in 1959 and was drawn to it like a bee to honey. After having read The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme): The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux and her The Letters of St. Therese of Lisieux, Vol. I: 1877-1890 as well as her Letters of St. Therese of Lisieux, Vol. II I quickly discovered that her writings reflected the historical context in which she lived where monastic life was romanticized. The sweetness and romanticism was a staple of the times.

If you are a follower of St. Therese, it is important to see both sides of the Saint. The true person and her familial circumstances (some of which would certainly be considered dysfunctional these days) and the person of Therese who is human. Ida Goerrs' book shows that the life that Therese lived was not perfect (whose life IS perfect). The author makes Therese accessible to humanity ... and I think that this is the heart of the message in this book.

Another companion book that shares a less-sugary Therese is The Story of a Life: St. Theresa of Lisieux. Mr. Gaucher shares Therese at the same sort of level -- a human being who had a ton of courage to enter religious life and make the most of it. Through the life of Therese, the "Little Way" was born.

The Hidden Face is a wonderful book because it makes the life of Therese attainable. She may be a Doctor of the Church at this point, but we are all called to live her simple spirituality and work on it day to day. That task becomes much more palatable when we meet a saint who resembles a real person that we can know and identify with in some ways. Therese IS that kind of person.

By reading The Hidden Face you will get to know what made Therese who she was and who she really is. You will learn it not from the writing of a religious but from the writings of someone steeped in philosophy with the desire to break the veil of religious piety and sugary coating that is so often portrayed in touched-up photos and stories of her life.

I encourage the reader to read this book with an open mind and heart and get to know the person of Therese at a level that is human and at a level that you can meet. Through her humanity, shown clearly and wihtout doubt in The Hidden Face, you can draw closer to her and Jesus.

5 Fabulous Stars.