Captivating

March 28, 2005
John Eldredge became the Robert Bly of evangelicalism with his blockbuster Wild at Heart
. Now he teams up with his wife, Stasi, to encourage women to connect with their deepest desires. To facilitate this, the Eldredges reveal in the first chapter what every woman's three core desires are: to be romanced, to play a role in her own adventures and to display beauty. (This formula will be familiar to Eldredge's fans, as Wild at Heart
offered a similar tripartite model of men's desires.) The rest of the book is an extended reflection on these three impulses. Drawing heavily on popular films to prove their points, the Eldredges warn that most women tend to become either controlling or needy. Godly women, in contrast, should see God as the ultimate lover, and look to Eve (and not, say, J. Lo) as their model. Also, women should form close, intimate friendships with one another, à la Ruth and Naomi or the ladies in Fried Green Tomatoes
. These are all unoriginal themes, which evangelical women's writers have been recycling for years. Christian readers who embrace a robust egalitarianism will not find the Eldredges' perspective congenial. Regardless, the book is likely to fly off the shelves, purchased by all those women who gave Wild at Heart
to their husbands, brothers and dads.

Authors John and Stasi Eldredge interpret their own work with a brisk cadence that switches from John's clear tones and pitch to Stasi's youthful, vibrant vocal personality. Their energetic delivery captures their feminine view of women in relation to God with contrasting voices that match voice to mood with a male-female technique. Their depiction of assorted characters from movies and books supports their theories, which seem to border on pop psychology, rather than biblical content. They deftly deliver vivid but simple character sketches with a versatile range and skill that humanize God as a "lover" and "romancer." Their lightly accented enunciation animates and freshens the entire reading, which emphasizes their woman-centered point of view. G.D.W. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine


CAPTIVATING is decidedly uneven. On one hand, the delivery is strong. John and Stasi Eldredge take turns talking about the spiritual nature of femininity. This allows them to role-play male and female parts from popular movies and books, and simply to shift parts for emphasis. They strike a concerned, enthusiastic tone that fits with the honesty of the painful stories they reveal when they discuss personal matters. However, the points they make about the nature of a woman's soul and heart are often recycled from pop psychology or are simply stereotypes they repackage as spiritual without really explaining or closely examining them. The result is often confusing. G.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine