Customer Reviews

Mister God, This Is Anna

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

One of the most heartwarming and beautiful books one can imagine, about the major logical questions in the universe. A unique look on reality told from the perspective of a little girl and her relationship with God. The book is extremely well written and easy to read. At the same time it conveys a startling take on some of the most provocative questions the human race has been grappling with over the centuries.

All I can say to anyone reading this is: please read this book. Whatever you believe about God, religion, love, and the human condition will be radically altered for the better after you meet Fynn and Anna. It's not the usual so-called inspiration, but a real eye (and soul) opener. Highly recommended.

The title wonderfully chosen, the voice and the mood of the author is happy and yet suprised. Beautifully written book, Amazing child, the way Fynn wrote it was like he was still under shock because of the way Anna sees the world, God was friends with Anna, they communicated everyday.Fynn learned so much from Anna. The whole book was a lesson to me and I guess to all other readers, this book teaches about kids that we cannot ignore their intelligence though Anna's intelligence was scary as it always scared the hell out of Fynn. Anna is just a kid that knows God so much, one could'nt argue with her because she knews her story, she fitted into society like a glove. No questions asked that is why Fynn kept her, she was a community builder at her age, changed peoples way of thinking, she was interested in learning new things as well, the fact that she would say 'write it down big' was amazing as you can tell that she was an interesting kid that wanted to learn things that she did not know. Kids do change peoples lives everyday that is why it is always advisable that we spend sometime with them, they are as fun as Anna was. I totally agree with Fynn that she is laughing with God now. this book I will read it over and over again and I will pass it on to my kids.

First and foremost, I am an atheist. To my absolute core.

I was given my copy of this book when I was 17 (I'm 31 at the time of this writing). I have given away countless copies and I buy it whenever I find it, just to share it with another person.

I knew Anna dies. It said so in the beginning. But when she died, the means, the way, the reality of it was too much for me. I vaguely recall screaming "Noooo!" and hurling the book across the room. It was days before I picked it up and finished the last few pages.

I felt like I'd lost Anna.

But I didn't because she stayed with me. Or rather, her wonderment, her curiosity, her fearlessness.

To me this was not a particularly religious story. Odd thing to say. I take this book to mean that you should explore, and question, the world around you. Do not accept the answers you are given. Name things for yourself. Anna chose Mister God. I choose Nature. You choose what best suits you.

The book recounts the friendship formed between the author and narrator Fynn (who is in his late teens or early 20s in the narrative) and a foundling named Anna in London's East End, in the 1930s. Anna, reminiscent of a character from Dickens, is a little girl who lives on the streets until she is taken in by the narrator. She has a unique perspective on life, a mystical spirituality, and a boundless curiosity that she shares with the author and the reader on every page. She occasionally (at least once per chapter) lets loose with a metaphor or pronouncement that is as deep as they come, but it is hard to imagine a real five-year old spouting these profundities with such regularity. Was she a real kid or just a figment of the author's imagination? I have no idea, but I do know that her death in the final chapter (this isn't a spoiler---Fynn tells us about her death in the first few pages) felt real enough.

I loved the characters of Fynn and Anna, yet I have mixed feelings about the book itself. It was given to me as a gift by a good friend, who in turn had it recommended to him. Both recommendations came with the suggestion that the book had substantially shifted their perspectives. Yet in reading the book, I could never shake my suspicion that the author was just using sentimental tricks to make the book seem profounder than it really was. (It felt like the same kind of emotional manipulation that I associate with the movie Forrest Gump.) Put it this way: if the wise-sounding comments had come from an adult, rather than from a small homeless child, would they still have seemed as deep?

Luckily, the book is an easy read and is readily available in almost every thrift store in the country, so you can read it for yourself and see what you think.

...people is mostly on the outside and angels is mostly on the inside." With simple, compelling wisdom such as this, Anna inspires exciting, fulfilling and down-to-earth spiritual and religious discoveries for both Fynn and the reader. One can't help but fall completely in love with this 6-year-old angel who seems to have so strong a grasp on the true essentials of "Mister God." Fynn's entire life is irrevocably changed by this captivating little philosopher who seems to have a simple, satisfying answer to every question. Whether you are christian, agnostic or atheist, Anna has something special to teach you about embracing beliefs and bringing them vibrantly to life. Never once preaching, the novel is an endless series or discoveries which will have you laughing, crying and smiling at every step you take. The illustrations by Papas beautifully capture the warmth of the book and are a treasure unto themselves. My fiance read this book to me, and I plan to read it to each of my children. Everyone needs a little angel like Anna in their life

The first time I read this book, I could NOT believe that it could possibly be a true story. The concepts which little Anna proposes and then PROVES are too complicated for any mere child... right? But then, I realized that it doesn't really matter to me whether or not this story ACTUALLY happened; the truths it contains are what have changed my views of God, pain, sin, and true joy forever. This book not only provides answers to some of life's questions; it also provides the questions.

In much the same lyrical quality of Saint-Exupery's 'The Little Prince', 'Mister God' allows us to 'get small', as Anna would say, and see the world as a still wonderful place. I first discovered this book almost 25 years ago, and have given as gifts countless copies whenever I can find it. The copy on my shelf today is from the 19th printing in 1985. I cannot think of anyone -- young, old, sinner, cynic, saint -- who would not enjoy the wit, wisdom and other-worldliness of spritely Anna and her exuberant joust with -- and quest for -- the truest reality. Anna's relationship with Old Woody is a pattern for adult-child relationships not easily surpassed. Fynn proves coming of age often means not leaving childhood behind, but hauling it with you into adulthood. If you've not yet discovered a pair of companion books -- 'Anna's Book', and 'Anna, Mister God, and the Black Knight', both also by Fynn -- seek them out and latch onto them if you can find them. If joy has a name, it is Anna.

My goodness! I have thought about this book so often since first reading it in 6th grade 24 years ago. It just popped in my head a moment ago, and I rushed to the computer to look it up. HERE it is! I remember distinctly reading it practically all the way through in one sitting. This book was indeed one of the initial (with many to follow)spiritual steps on my ladder to getting to know God. In fact, I just told my 12-year-old daughter that I will soon be buying it for her to read and always have as a keepsake. I'm ecstatic!

Carrie Lynn Jones
Author of It All Began... When Jesus Gave Me Sneakers

I really enjoyed reading this novel of a little girl's understanding of Mister God, partially because of how it delved into personal spiritual development and fellowship, and largely because it tried to approach quandaries about faith with a scalpel and wizened simplicity. Sometimes it succeeded; other times it failed. Regardless of the misses, the entire book is a wonderful eye-opener that will inspire you to take your own inventories, conduct your own experiments, and perhaps check your insides and outsides for Mister God daily.

A friend recommended the book to me when I needed guidance on how to approach prayer; believe me, it helped tremendously.