Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, Third Edition [Paperback]

Therese de Lisieux (Author), John Clarke (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 1996

Translated from the critical edition by John Clarke, OCD, 3rd ed. (1997). Includes general and biblical index, with 8 pages of photos.

Two and a half years before her death in 1897 at the age of 24, as Thérèse Martin began writing down her childhood memories at the request of her blood sisters in the Lisieux Carmel, few could have guessed the eventual outcome. Yet this Story of my soul, first published in 1898 in a highly edited version, quickly became a modern spiritual classic, read by millions and translated into dozens of languages around the world.
Decades later, in response to growing requests from scholars and devotees of the Saint, a facsimile edition of the manuscripts appeared, along with more popular French editions of what the Saint had actually written. Here, expressed with all of Thérèse's original spontaneity and fervor, we rediscover the great themes of her spirituality: confidence and love, the little way, abandonment to God's merciful love, and her mission in the church and world today.
Father John Clarke's acclaimed translation, first published in 1975 and now accepted as the standard throughout the English-speaking world, is a faithful and unaffected rendering of Thérèse's own words, from the original manuscripts. This new edition, prepared for the centenary of the Saint's death, includes a select bibliography of recent works in English on Thérèse, along with a new referencing system now widely used in studies of her doctrine.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Succeeds admirably in catching the tone and feel of the original text. --Noel-Dermot O'Donoghue, Religious Life Review

A fresh, first rate translation from the original manuscripts. --John Donohue, America

Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: I C S Publications; 3rd edition (January 19, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935216588
• ISBN-13: 978-0935216585
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Catholicism > Saints
  • #82 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Religious

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

220 of 224 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant treatise on power and methods of love, April 26, 2005

By 

Glutton for books (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, Third Edition (Paperback)

I was recommended "Story of a Soul" as the favorite book of a woman I much admired, who worked at a Carmelite monastery. Initially I wondered about the recommendation when I began the book. Therese of Lisieux lived a sheltered life. Her parents were financially secure and devoutly religious (they had to be encouraged by a priest to marry rather than to join a religious order, and later to consummate their marriage). Therese knew she wanted to be a nun from an extremely early age.

My first impression was to wonder why was this book recommended to me, when she has nothing in common with my life, at a time when I didn't known how I would pay the bills and was not sure what God wanted form me in terms of a vocation. True, her health was poor and she suffered the loss of her mother early in her life, so her life was not without sorrow. But she also seemed to have security, love, and an incredible sense of direction, which made me question what I could learn from her life, when these qualities were so missing in my own. Furthermore, I questioned whether some one who lived so holy a life, could be a realistic role model for me; as I have made some pretty unholy decisions in my past.

The book quickly grew on me and eradicated my concerns about it being an inaccessible guide for spirituality. The beauty of the writing is her approach to spirituality, which is accessible to any one in any walk of life. She describes souls as similar to different types of flowers. Some are roses, others lilies, and some like orchids, for example. And all can be equally pleasing to God in their own way, when seeking his role for them. People have different talents and different struggles, but these characteristics do not mean that any type is more valued than the other.

She writes that if the Christian Church is one body, than she wants to be the heart that loves, which I thought was a beautiful sentiment and a much needed philosophy in the world today. When I look on mistakes I've made in my own life, I realized that it is easiest to succumb to temptation when one feels alone and unloved, and I believe that people would make less such mistakes if they had the support of God's love through others. She writes frequently of the many ways that God is love. She believed that heaven for her would be to be able to help people on earth after she died. Many remarkable stories have been published in books about people who claim to have been helped when having asked Therese to pray for their needs. She is one of the most common saints that people claim to have seen an apparition of during their times of trouble.

She writes that any sacrifice in daily life can be offered to God, for the conversion of souls, or help of others, whether it is the suffering of an illness or loss, or the performance of a mundane daily chore. This is a practice also advocated by saints like Gertrude of Helfta, Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, and Francis of Assisi, but it is a way of holy living that any one can practice, in any station of life, at any level of health. Therese also writes much about the prayer, and how her preferred method of praying rather than to memorize long formal prayers, is to speak directly to God as a child, or her struggles and requests.

The book is easy to read and intimate. One feels as if one is experiencing a conversation from Therese, while reading it. Excerpts beg to be read over and over again, and each reading makes me appreciate them more, and want to love others more. The only book that has made me fuller of love for God and others (outside of the Bible) is Catherine of Siena's "The Dialogues." Therese of Lisieux well earned her title as Doctor of the Church.

90 of 93 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Story of a Soul Opens the Heart, December 4, 2002

By 

Alice Bright (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, Third Edition (Paperback)

St. Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower of Jesus, gave the world a precious gift in putting her life and mission to paper. It doesn't matter where you are in life - this little saint, a sheltered nun in her mere twenties, will touch your very heart and soul with her simplicity and honesty. As she pours out her innermost thoughts and longings on the pages, you will find your own heart opening in the same way to Jesus - just like a flower.

The spiritual depth of Therese's work is astounding. Her inspiring autobiography brought the greatest of popes to their knees. Such is the power of God working through even the humblest of vessels. This book will change you for the better, as it has thousands of other souls since its publication!

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Story of A Soul, August 7, 2004

By 

M. A Hoyt - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux, Third Edition (Paperback)

I have read this book five times and have taken different spiritual aid from it each time. She is an awesome nun and her work is so profound. I have read about 20 books on St Therese of the child Jesus and the HOly Face(The little flower) and I pray to her on a daily basis. She is my inspiriation. In Her short life, she did little things with great love. She is cosidered the greatest saint of our times and on the centenary of her death in 1997 Pope John paul II made her the youngest female soctor of the church. She lived her life simply and had a great love of the Blessed Mother and Jesus. Upon her death, she said "I want to spend my heaven doing good upon the earth." Also she said, I will send down a shower of roses from heaven. I keep buying new copies of this book and loaning to people and never getting it back.