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Beauty: The Invisible Embrace Paperback – March 1, 2005

by John O'Donohue (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 520 ratings
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In this follow-up to his international bestsellers Anam Cara and Eternal Echoes, John O’Donohue turns his attention to the subject of beauty—the divine beauty that calls the imagination and awakens all that is noble in the human heart

Beauty is a gentle but urgent call to awaken. O'Donohue opens our eyes, hearts, and minds to the wonder of our own relationship with beauty by exposing the infinity and mystery of its breadth. His words return us to the dignity of silence, profundity of stillness, power of thought and perception, and the eternal grace and generosity of beauty's presence.

In this masterful and revelatory work, O'Donohue encourages our greater intimacy with beauty and celebrates it for what it really is: a homecoming of the human spirit. As he focuses on the classical, medieval, and Celtic traditions of art, music, literature, nature, and language, O'Donohue reveals how beauty's invisible embrace invites us toward new heights of passion and creativity even in these uncertain times of global conflict and crisis.

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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    March 1, 2005
  4. Dimensions
    5.31 x 0.61 x 8 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    0060957263
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0060957261
  7. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
520 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the writing style beautiful and poetic. They find the book thought-provoking and fascinating, providing a perfect balance of insightful information on day-to-day philosophies of beauty. The poetry weaves together a beautiful narrative that is imaginative and comforting. Readers describe the book as a balm to the soul and a nice addition to their collection.

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Writing qualityThought provokingPoetrySoul relaxationDepth
28 customers mention "Writing quality"28 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality beautiful and poetic. They appreciate the spiritually advanced conceptual framework and wise words from a gifted writer. The book is described as an easy read with insightful paragraphs.

"...This book is so rich with poetical, literary and philosophical insight that it's worth having a copy of your own...." Read more

"...His words are soothing and inspiring. His love of nature shines in all his work...." Read more

"...this point I'm only half way through the book but I have enjoyed the poetry of the language...." Read more

"His writing always buoys you up. This book is no exception." Read more

17 customers mention "Thought provoking"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and insightful. They say it provides a perfect balance of information on day-to-day philosophies of beauty. The topic is fascinating and has enriched their awareness and appreciation. Readers mention the book helps them change their focus and find gratitude even when circumstances are challenging.

"...This book is so rich with poetical, literary and philosophical insight that it's worth having a copy of your own...." Read more

"...It makes you re-think your ideas and strive to find new perspectives of your own." Read more

"John O’Donohue manages to provide a perfect balance of proffering insightful information on day-to-day philosophies of beauty while also connecting,..." Read more

"...I highly recommend this book if you would like something that is good for thinking, but in a light, fun sort of way :) (no dryness here!)" Read more

11 customers mention "Poetry"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's poetry rich with poetic, literary, and philosophical insights. They describe it as imaginative, hopeful, and comforting. The author explores Celtic history and poems, moving readers with the chapter on death and beauty. Some lines are intriguing, opening new horizons and weaving them together coherently.

"...This book is so rich with poetical, literary and philosophical insight that it's worth having a copy of your own...." Read more

"...navigating through those individual perspectives, and threading them together to make coherent, not overly complicated." Read more

"...John O'Donohue makes Beauty approachable and weaves together a beautiful narrative of what beauty is like and good for--not for selfish gain, but to..." Read more

"...I loved this book! It was beautiful, thought provoking, and poetic. It doesn't matter what religion you are or what you believe in...." Read more

10 customers mention "Soul relaxation"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book soothing and relaxing for the soul. They describe it as a balm that breathes right into their hearts and meets their expectations for serenity and self-exploration. The book evokes an atmosphere of presence and is described as a must-read for everyone.

"..."To behold beauty dignifies your life; it heals you and calls you out beyond the smallness of our own self-limitation to experience new horizons...." Read more

"...others of his work as well after reading this volume because I felt so at peace. And was sorry to hear that he died a few years back...." Read more

"...It makes for peaceful reading, because even though texts on philosophy tend to be so heavily saturated with theoretical discourse associated with..." Read more

"...This book is a balm to the soul." Read more

4 customers mention "Depth"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and layered. They say it's a nice addition to their collection.

"...There are no platitudes here. There is deep, heartfelt thought from an incredibly well-read and caring soul." Read more

"Deep, rich, insightful way of looking at life. Tools to help us to perceive and not just see." Read more

"I have two other John O'Donohue books. This is a nice addition to collection" Read more

"A sense of wonder,.. Densely, deeply layered and multifaceted yet finely focused. I consider his best work...Very soothing...." Read more

Beware of the Kindle version of Beauty: The Invisible Embrace.
1 out of 5 stars
Beware of the Kindle version of Beauty: The Invisible Embrace.
I first bought the paper version, read it and enjoyed it. I wished there was a Kindle edition [there wasn't at the time] because that is my preferred medium. I like to be able to search and highlight, etc. Last week I noticed that there is now a Kindle edition. I gave away my paper copy and bought the Kindle version - twice. First time I thought something went wrong with the download. It was only 18 pages long and had no Table of Contents. I returned it. Second time - same result. Returned it as well. The Kindle version of the book is not the book, at least not at this time. [Feb 2023] It's something else, a John O'Donohue talk or podcast, or something. But be advised, it is not the book as advertised.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Thaddeus
    5.0 out of 5 stars invaluable beauty in these pages
    Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I know my headline sounds a bit cheesy, but I mean it with a whole heart. This book is so rich with poetical, literary and philosophical insight that it's worth having a copy of your own. For a book that's this full of wisdom demands its readers to return to it, like one returns to their favorite restaurant.

    I sent a copy to an old friend when his mother passed away. There are sections on grief in the book that I thought would console him. Too bad O'Donohue has died. I would have liked to keep reading his thoughts. You can't read this book and not feel inspired to live a life that fosters what is true and beautiful.
    16 people found this helpful
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  • Glenn Russell
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Beutiful Book Written By A Beautiful Man
    Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Beauty by John O'Donohue is a beautiful book written by a beautiful man. I find a book filled with such inspiring words difficult, almost inappropriate, to read straight through. Many lines invite us to read and reread them and then close the books and linger with their fragrance for days. I would like to give a sampling of such lines here, taken from two of my favorite chapters - The Call to Beauty and The Music of Beauty. I will also include a personal reflection on each quote.

    "Indeed, the subtle touches of beauty are what enable most people to survive. Yet beauty is so quietly woven through our ordinary days that we hardly notice it. Everywhere there is tenderness, care, and kindness, there is beauty." During this past year I have been studying ancient Greek philosophy. Turns out, my favorite philosopher is Epicurus. One big reason is that Epicurus himself was noted for his kindness and incorporated the importance of being caring, sensitive and kind into his philosophy.

    "Yet beauty's visitation affects us and invites us into its rhythm, it calls us to feel, think and act beautifully in the world: to create and live a life that awakens the Beautiful." I have been involved in the creative arts for many years but I have come to realize our greatest creation is to become ourselves a being radiating beauty.

    "Even, and perhaps especially, in the bleakest times, we can still discover and awaken beauty; these are precisely the times when we need it most. Nowhere else can we find the joy that beauty brings. Joy is not simply the fruit of circumstances; we can choose to be joyous independent of what is happening around us." How true. John O'Donohue invites us to raise our own inner vibration and experience the inner joy of simply being alive. This is especially needed when we are facing our biggest challenges.

    ". . . if our style of looking becomes beautiful, then beauty will become visible and shine forth for us. We will be surprised to discover beauty in unexpected places where the ungraceful eye would never linger. The graced eye can glimpse beauty anywhere, for beauty does not reserve itself for special elite moments or instances; it does not wait for perfection but is present already secretly in everything. When we beautify our gaze, the grace of hidden beauty becomes our joy and our sanctuary." Thank you, John. `Beautify our gaze' - the experience of beauty is an inner transformation not a change of scenery.

    "To behold beauty dignifies your life; it heals you and calls you out beyond the smallness of our own self-limitation to experience new horizons. To experience beauty is to have your life enlarged." Again, thank you, John. There is a rightness and clarity when we see beauty in the world and we become fuller and more attuned to not only the outside world by also to ourselves.

    "Beauty is not to be captured or controlled for there is something intrinsically elusive in its nature. More like a visitation than a solid fact, beauty invests the aura of a person or infuses a landscape with an unexpected intimacy that satisfies our longing." Indeed, intimate and mysterious beyond any words.

    "To the human ear, however, music echoes the deepest grandeur and the most sublime intimacy of the soul." I find this true to my own experience. Music hits me at a much deeper level than the other arts. It is like an internal dance with my nervous system.

    "In contrast to most other forms of art, music alters your experience of time. To enter a piece of music, or to have the music enfold you, is to depart for a while from regulated time. Music creates a rhythm that beats out its own time-shape." Music is so much connected to Eros and love. Both have a dynamic aspect that short-circuits reason and reflection and both are transporting, absorbing, sensuous, kinetic, and involve your whole person, body and soul, in a most corporeal and bodily way.

    "There is a profound sense in which music opens a secret door in time and reaches in to the eternal. This is the authority and grace of music; it evokes or creates an atmosphere where presence awakens to its eternal depth." I never tire of reading these words over and over again.

    Again, a beautiful book written by a beautiful man. Please pick up a copy and be inspired.
    62 people found this helpful
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  • Paula Gardner
    5.0 out of 5 stars Where have you been all my life?
    Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    During a recent online yoga class, the Teacher read a passage that so touched me that I immediately afterward emailed her to ask the source. John O'Donohue's work is so incredibly beautiful. It breathes right into my soul. I purchased others of his work as well after reading this volume because I felt so at peace. And was sorry to hear that he died a few years back. I would very much have liked to spend time in his presence.

    His words are soothing and inspiring. His love of nature shines in all his work. And his ability to see the beauty in everything and everyone is positively transforming.

    Read this. And his other work as well. You will feel like a new person--re-energized, hopeful, loving.
    35 people found this helpful
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  • N. McLendon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I love anything by O’Donohue but this is one of my favorite books as it helps me to look for God in the beauty around me. Have given at least half a dozen of these to friends.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Honest Reviewer
    4.0 out of 5 stars An eye opener
    Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    At this point I'm only half way through the book but I have enjoyed the poetry of the language. Mr. O'Donohue takes a look at the subject through several different prisons. It makes you re-think your ideas and strive to find new perspectives of your own.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Donna Z.
    5.0 out of 5 stars John O'Donohue never fails to inspire
    Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    His writing always buoys you up. This book is no exception.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Garrett Warrick
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Amalgamation of Philosophy and Spirituality
    Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    John O’Donohue manages to provide a perfect balance of proffering insightful information on day-to-day philosophies of beauty while also connecting, or rather finding, other rooted philosophers perspectives in the process. It makes for peaceful reading, because even though texts on philosophy tend to be so heavily saturated with theoretical discourse associated with the major Western thinkers (Aristotle, Plato, Seneca, Kierkegaard, etc.), O’Donohue assists the reader in navigating through those individual perspectives, and threading them together to make coherent, not overly complicated.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • B3cc4M
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Gift for a friend and its exactly as expected. John O'Donohue makes Beauty approachable and weaves together a beautiful narrative of what beauty is like and good for--not for selfish gain, but to point one to more and a greater telos. I'm listening to this on Audible too and O'Donohue is the one who reads his own book and his Irish accent is AMAZING! I highly recommend this book if you would like something that is good for thinking, but in a light, fun sort of way :) (no dryness here!)
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Steve
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very insightful
    Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Well appreciated by the gift recipient
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  • juan k. fuentes
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of the must have books... !!!
    Reviewed in Mexico on June 22, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Love how John O. expressed thru this phrases a soothing caress to soul !
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  • Catherine M
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful inspiration
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 2, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    I love absolutely everything this author writes. There should be more beauty in our hearts, in our societies, in the natural environment. But what do we do? We're trying to destroy nature and each other!
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  • Principal
    5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible philosophy.
    Reviewed in Canada on November 25, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Beautifully written. Thoughtful.
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  • Shoppinggurl
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read
    Reviewed in Canada on January 16, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Poetic, expansive, hopeful and inspiring. I love that I have heard a few of O'donohue's interviews before picking this up--now i hear his rhythm, love and joy in his words. I can't read a lot at once; it's dense. But find I take in a little each morning and night--- I reread sections to allow the ideas to really sink in.
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