Shirt of Flame

October 10, 2011
King (Parched), a self-proclaimed “sober alcoholic” and Catholic convert, combines witty humor and spiritual depth in her latest memoir, which recounts the year she spent reflecting on the life and writings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. The book explores Thérèse’s life from childhood to early death, and relates the experiences and spirituality of the 19th-century cloistered nun to King’s own life and spiritual journey in Los Angeles. Refreshingly and brutally honest, the author describes a spiritual path full of poverty, loneliness, and suffering as she struggles to come to terms with her divorce, the death of loved ones, and unrequited love. She reminds the reader that “the scandal of Christ is that to have a relationship with him means to share in his suffering,” and that to live a life of radical social consciousness in the 21st century is often an alienating endeavor. King offers a genuinely moving account of her quest to follow Thérèse’s little way, become a “victim of love” and, indeed, to redefine what love means in the modern world. Recommended for anyone who is experiencing a “dark night of the soul” or interested in contemporary Christian spirituality.

July 1, 2011

The fascination of Therese of Lisieux, known as the "Little Flower," is apparently inexhaustible. An obscure French Carmelite, dead at 24, she became celebrated and eventually canonized after the publication of her spiritual autobiography, The Story of a Soul, which spoke of the "Little Way," her distinctive path to sanctity. She has attracted a spectacular array of devotees, including John Paul I, Vita Sackville-West, Edith Piaf, and Jack Kerouac. King's (Redeemed: Stumbling Toward God; Parched) record of a year spent in the study of Therese is just the latest, then, in more than a century of mash notes for the tubercular saint. VERDICT This joins the stream of Paraclete's successful encounters--both systematic and personal--with saints; King's memoiristic approach should appeal to readers hungry for the autobiographical slant.

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