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

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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.

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!

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.

I love this book. my grandma told me to read it while i was trying to decide what name I wanted to choose for my Confirmation. St. Therese led a simple and beautiful life. She never did anything amazing while on earth, she just loved everybody. I felt that i could actually use her as a role model. And i pray to her all the time.

Rather than doing great deeds for God Saint Therese did little things with GREAT LOVE. One does not have to do great deeds like St. Francis Xavier, one can use everyday life as steps to holiness. All Christians should read this book. An easy read too.

God should be praised by allowing this Saint's autobiography to be published and to inspirational. This story, an account of St. Therese of Lisieux's life from what she remembers, is extraordinary. I have read many biographies, but none have been interesting and inspirational at the same time like this one is. Her stories of past faults brings comfort to those overwhelmed by sins they have committed, for it shows us that even the greatest of Saints are still sinners, and the lowliest of all in their own eyes. I suggest this book to all looking for consolation and a great read.

As a child I have heard of St. Therese but have never known her life and why she is so popular. I even went to a church dedicated to her. I was familiar with her image, a young nun carrying a bouquet of roses and a crucifix. This book was recommended to me by a friend and what a great introduction this was to a great saint. Here we have her life and her thoughts in her own words. It's really a wonderful experience to read it, it's like having a conversation with St. Therese. Everytime I open it's like meeting a friend for a chat. This book have made me a devotee of this great saint. Sometimes it's a little bit hard to read, you have to watch out for the notes below, they are very helpful in understanding what she is trying to say. Indeed a great way to get to know St. Therese personally.....

Once in a while 'special' kinds of people come to inhabit the earth, living lives that are remarkably pious and outstanding. Therese Martin was one such person. This simple Carmelite nun presents her life in such detail that makes on wonder how blessed she was. Her life is infinitely beautiful; it is like a painting filled with beautiful colurs that one would want to stare at forever. Therese of the Child Jesus is a witness to the Gospel teaching that perfection is attainable here on earth if we try. As a person, she knew her Lord and Master very well and Jesus Christ did use her as an instrument of peace, perfection and simplicity.

Today's world is filled with unbelief, frustration, anger and selfishness. Yet, at the end of the nineteenth century, when the industrial revolution was at its peak in Europe, this lady lived a life so holy in practically total isolation in a convent. Nevertheless, her story radiates to all who seek to find it today. She is a testament to the fact that no matter how much knowledge or wealth we have in life, they are worth nothing without love.

A number of people have claimed that this book has helped change their direction in life. It is now wonder, for there are times when while reading it, one finds ones eyes filled with tears as a result of the beauty of the life of Therese. Please read this book, whether or not you are a Catholic. Its message is deeply spiritual and universal. The autobiography of Therese of the Child Jesus, presents the story of a simple and loving soul in simple language.

Beautiful little Therese, insignificant and hidden away from the world, is today considered one of the greatest saints of the Church. One might wonder how this can possibly be, and it is by reading this wonderful book that we can begin to understand. If you find yourself struggling every day to be pleasant, kind, and patient with those difficult people around you, let Therese show you her amazing "little way" of loving them and of loving the good God who made them. If you have ever been plagued by doubts of the existence of a loving God or of an afterlife in heaven, let Therese show you how to overcome the darkness by falling madly in love with the Light. Therese is physically frail, yet a powerhouse of internal strength and trust in her beloved Jesus from Whom she withholds nothing, not even her dying breath. This book, her own story, is to be pondered and treasured by anyone who genuinely aspires to holiness.

The book will be an eye-opener to folks who only know of Saint Therese through popular myth. Like a lot of people, I labored under certain false ideas about the Saint, suspecting that her appeal, for instance, was mainly rooted in nostalgia. The trouble with this view is that Therese was very much a product of the century that produced Darwin, Marx, and Freud. The first segment of her autobiography will satisfy nostalgists to be sure. But it's the 3rd part, which describes Therese's great trial of faith, that makes her our contemporay. Her message still resonates because she faced the same doubts and difficulties that that all us face who live in a world that no longer takes for granted the real living presence of God. That she is able to reach a high state of spiritual perfection whilst acknowledging her difficulties is truly awe-inspiring.