Customer Reviews

The Lost Soul Companion

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just finished Susan Brackney's Lost Sole Companion. Even though I don't suffer from depression, I have worked closely with those who do in the television and film industry. This book helped me understand what goes through these peoples' minds and how they approach day to day things. I commend Ms. Brackney for her courage to write such an introspective piece of work. It had me laughing in parts, crying in others and shaking my head in disbelief at times. If you have depression or know someone who suffers from this affliction, the Lost Sole Companion is a great find!

I am not a student of Carl Jung. However, I believe that if you have found this review, regardless of what you may consciously believe, you need to read the Lost Soul Companion. It is a wonderful declaration of self. In many ways reminiscent of "Generation X" before the marketing people took over. It exposes a very real community of people to each other. If you are a lost soul you may realize that it is not so lonely out there. If you know a lost soul, you might gain a small persepective on a wonderful person. In any event, I only came across the book because I had the author in my taxi as a passenger. If you have tripped upon this review, you were meant to read this book. I am here. . . where are you?

As much a lifestyle survey as a set of spiritual and practical tips for struggling musicians, artists and other free spirits, The Lost Soul Companion may prove hard to easily categorize but is packed with intriguing concepts and excellent tips. From 'fitting in' to being adventurous and exploring, this is a fine guide to happiness.

While on an island, ironically traveling alone, I remembered that I had packed a book before I left the house. During the next few days I found myself with book in hand everywhere I went. I was looking for solitude, but found myself with a companion that was so incredibly honest and witty that I could not imagine this recent vacation without The Lost Soul Companion. The book has a brutal charm. It drives into you like a grandmother's tough love. It comes across so comfortably that I felt beside myself when I would look up and realize I was still on a vacation of solitude and laughing out loud, in fact very loud--almost wildly. When I finished, I was pleased to have read such an engaging book, but also fond of something that was, as it said, a companion.

This precious little book was written for people who work in the arts and other creative fields, but it is also a wonderful book for anyone who has felt like they don't quite fit in--whether they work in the arts or not. Parts of the book deal with depression, and parts deal with how to cope in a world that doesn't appreciate people who are outside the norm.

In The Lost Soul Companion, Susan Brackney offers a superb little compendium of comfort and constructive advice for struggling actors, musicians, artists, writers, and other free spirits who march to a different drum the society as a whole. Herself a unique, sensitive, creative person, Susan draws upon her own life experiences to provide inspiration and a sense of community to those who pursue their own creative impulses, often to be ignored, rejected, or simply misunderstood by their families, employers, friends, and colleagues. Written with a compassionate practicality and an accessibly identifiable good will, The Lost Soul Companion is highly recommended reading for anyone seeking to shape an artistic, creative life in an otherwise mundane, unappreciative, and sometimes actively hostile world.

The Lost Soul Companion is a mix of touching stories, cautionary tales, quirky anecdotes and tidbits of personal wisdom that touch the heart and spirit. Ms. Brackney has written a wonderful book that holds within its pages hope for those who struggle with depression and face a world that so often shuns the most magnificent creative spirits among us. This book is for these "lost souls" and those who love them. It will delight and inspire you.

For me the most inspiring part of the book is her phrase "I wrote Lost Soul Companion because it didn't exist and I wished it did."

I enjoyed the book, and found some of it useful, but I did wish it had covered topics in more depth, especially the "surviving on your art" vs "taking a real job" issue. I wish the author had covered in more detail her own experiences trying to make it in the California art world. What was that like, and what made her give it up and return to the midwest? That might be something she could cover in Volume II, which I hear is now in the works.

Also suggested: interviews with artists at various levels of "success," meaning ability to support themselves. Also, interviews with other creatives on their way of solving the problem of art vs money.

Still, thanks Susan, for your honesty and your desire to create community for other artists.

ridiculous, useless, and written very immaturely. She states the obvious, and does it very poorly. Also the images are displayed poorly on Kindle.

This book was decent. It didn't really have anything profound or deeply moving to say though.