Customer Reviews

The Whole World Will Love Me

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For all those who love the Little Flower this is a must have. Written in the style of a novel rather than an autobiography her whole life is covered from beginning to end. Also I thought this presentation of her life is more down to earth than others I have read and it allowed me to feel more deeply her internal struggles with her faith.

Dorothy Scallan wrote this charming biography of St. Therese in the form of a novel and it begins years before the saint's birth. Zelie Martin, who was an amazing woman in her own right wanted to be nun but was turned down. Louis Martin wanted to be a priest in his youth but was also turned down. Although disappointed they later realized years later after meeting one another that their vocation was marriage all along. They married fairly late in life and Therese would be their ninth and last child. The breast cancer which would eventually take Zelie's life had already manifested itself before Therese was born.

Dorothy Scallan filled this book with little known details. Interestingly enough Zellie Martin had a great regard for Saint Bernadette and travelled to Lourdes shortly before her death. Later Therese upon entering Carmel was deeply influenced by a book called the Golden Arrow written by a saintly fellow Carmelite. Some books make it seem like St. Therese just sort of accidentally stumbled into sainthood or they make it seem like her path was easy. It wasn't. The Whole World Will Love shows that the sought out holiness and poured herself into her vocation.

This is a lovely biography and makes a nice companion to Story of a Soul.

CONS
--the author and/or publishers are self-indulgent. The back cover calls this the best book on St. Therese ever written--its not a review, it's in the summary of the book. Also, the author inserts a very odd supplication to the Holy See in the first few pages--basically saying that she herself and the book is relatively imperfect while the Holy See is "infallible." Also, the About the Author is nauseatingly long. Much too long for any book, let alone a book about St. Therese or any person of such influence...the author is trivial in comparison, and yet here the author is made to look important.
--this is not a biography. It is much more so an individual's opinions about who Therese was, with long dialogues between characters cut-in between these opinions. To put it more simply, it is a historical novel cut with personal reflections...
--the author has an angle. She has a great devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus. As a result she emphasizes (extremely) how devoted Therese was to the Holy Face, while neglecting her devotion to the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and to countless saints. She also paints Therese as being devoted to the Holy Face (and being devoted to Christ as a whole) for reasons which seem to be more so the author's and not the reasons of Therese herself. Those reasons being reparation to God for the "evil of communism." Now when I think of Therese I don't think of someone concerned with that particular complex historical issue, and yet the Little Flower is here depicted as such.
--the book is not very well written. I have tried to find information on the author on the web and it has been difficult. Based on the flow of this book I'm not sure how experienced she ever was in journalism/literature, etc.

PROS:
--there are many interesting elements of Therese's life put into this book.
--the historical novel type dialogue in this book is sometimes quite imaginative, at the same time it can be sweet and genuine.

In conclusion, there are many more suitable books that deal with St. Therese in a well-rounded, objective, and honest way. This book lacks credibility. I think if anyone were to read the works of Therese it would be difficult to reconcile her with the idea of her this author has put forward in this book. To find Therese, there are better places to look.

This biography on St. Therese is written like historical fiction. It is well researched, but the claim on the back cover is very subjective - "probably the best biography of St. Therese, The Little Flower, that has ever been written." It's good, but it doesn't come close to ISC Publications "The Story of a Soul" Study Edition. "The Whole World Will Love Me" is a good book to give to a person unfamiliar with St. Therese, as it "links all the elements of her life into one intimate, flowing and absolutely enthralling story" (review of the back cover). For a serious Theresian, this book remains a nice addition to your collection, but you won't learn anything new here.

This is probably the most thorough biography of Saint Therese, including the story of how her parents met and many miracles that occurred after her death. Dorothy Scallan includes many unknown facts. I highly recommend this book!

This book arrived quickly and in perfect condition, am very pleased with it. Have read The Golden Arrow and am currently looking forward to reading this one. God bless!