Story of a Soul

March 15, 2006
Canonized in 1925, Thé rè se of Lisieux was declared a doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II in 1997. Her -little way - of living her religious life has appealed to many people since she described it in her autobiography, which she wrote at the request of her superiors. Having entered the Carmelite monastery in 1888 at the unusually young age of 14, she died in 1897 from tuberculosis. The appeal of her autobiography comes from the very simple, disingenuous way she writes, relating her life story and her religious experience with the utmost candor. In a smooth translation from the French original, Edmonson (translator, Brother Lawrence's "The Practice of the Presence of God") eschews footnotes and adds clarifying phrases, set off by brackets, to the text itself. Those seeking a more scholarly footnoted English edition will still want to use John Clarke's translation (ICS Pub., 1976), which also includes photographs. Those seeking a popular biography should consider Kathryn Harrison's "Saint Thé rè se of Lisieux" in the -Penguin Lives - series. Recommended for most collections." - Augustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, NJ"

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