Rating: 
Summary: A book for all religions
Review: Mirabai Starr, the translator of this work, describes herself as a "Hindu/Buddhist/Jew translating the Catholic saints". Her translation is lovely, but quite different from the original, as she substitutes St. Theresa's own words with some that are perhaps more "universal". Below are Ms. Starr's own words:"I opted to minimize references to the inherent wickedness of human beings and replace such terms as "sin" and "evil" with "missing the mark," "imperfection," "unconsciousness," "limitations," and "negativity." "Mortal sin" is "grave error." I call "hell" "the underworld" and the "devil" the "spirit of evil". When I name the "three divine Persons" in the seventh dwelling is what Teresa refers to as the "Holy Trinity." As I said, the translation is quite lovely, but when St. Teresa said "sin" she did not mean "limitation" or "negativity". She meant sin. This translation is useless to me.
Rating: 
Summary: enter the castle
Review: Richly written, imaginative, insightful book by the spiritual director herself...wish she was around to ask why it is we must always fight off the imaginal beasts instead of listening to them...
Rating:
Summary: Deep Mysticism
Review: St. Teresa compares the soul to a castle with many mansions. As we move spiritually into the more interior mansions, we come closer and closer to God. The book describes our progress toward true self-awareness, which is really the awareness that God is within us. As we draw closer to God we begin to understand the things that pull us away from Him (sin), and become better able to put our thoughts and actions in the right perspective, that is thinking and acting according to God's will and not our own. St. Teresa makes an extraordinary effort to describe the indescribable--what it feels like and looks like to commune with the Lord--using vivid examples from her own experiences of where she went right...and where she went wrong. Her words are full of sound practical advice, and yet at times her ideas are so beyond my experience I wasn't able to grasp them. Subtle and profound, "Interior Castle" requires great patience to read, but is well worth the time.
Rating: 
Summary: A beautiful book on the journey of a soul
Review: St.Theresa of Avila is one of my favorite authors. She has so much insight to offer us. This book compares the soul to a castle with different rooms, which she calls mansions. Each mansion is a different stage of the soul on it's journey toward God. St. Theresa talks about seven mansions. As the soul passes from one mansion to the next the soul progresses toward God more completely. Theresa explains in each stage what is lacking and what we can to do to reach the next stage. I feel this book offers many valuable insights to help us on our journey toward God.
Rating:
Summary: Contains Incredible Spiritual Insight
Review: The Interior Castle (or The Mansions as it is known in Spain) compares the soul to a castle filled with many rooms. Each room is an aspect or stage of the soul, and one can progress into and out of each room. The more into the center of this castle one goes, the more his soul is conformed to the will and ways of God. It is the most interior chamber of this castle in which God dwells. The book describes the soul's way of making it to this chamber. St. Teresa focuses her work towards the nuns of her convent, and because of her personal relationship with them, the book is written in her typical conversational tone and humility. She only loosely adheres to the analogy of a castle. However, it contains several morsels of enlightened spiritual knowledge and insight. The principles that are expounded by Teresa testify to her intimacy with the Creator. She spends a great deal of time on mortification and prayer. Written in 1577, it still contains spiritual wisdom that can be applied today to both Catholics and Protestants.
Rating:
Summary: not a review--a comment
Review: The review entitled "a book for all religions" is in the wrong place--it refers to another translation of this book--just my opinion, but that's probably why it has such low scores--it's just misfiled.
Rating:
Summary: A true masterpiece on finding God through prayer
Review: This book is one of the small handful of essential books on prayer and the spiritual life. Unlike many contemporary books on prayer and mysticism, St. Teresa talks with authority; as you read this it becomes obvious that this women knew God like few other people have. The other difference is that this book is not about techniques or gimmicks; she stresses again and again that without living a Gospel lifestyle you will not advance in your prayer life. But it is not only a Christian masterpiece, it is a masterpiece for those of any age or religion trying to find God. People will still be be referring to this book at the turn of the next millenium. And the other amazing thing is that she is so charming! It is not surprising that her contemporaries found her so irresistible.
Rating:
Summary: A great book!
Review: This is a book I would highly recommend to anyone. Saint Teresa
was a very gifted writer. It is a book very meaningful and well
worth reading. You learn a lot about spirituality from it.
It is truly beautiful and would be on my list of top books to read. Aso I recommend "Dark Night of the Soul" by Saint John of the Cross.
Rating:
Summary: A great book!
Review: This is a book I would highly recommend to anyone. Saint Teresa
was a very gifted writer. It is a book very meaningful and well
worth reading. You learn a lot about spirituality from it.
It is truly beautiful and would be on my list of top books to read. Aso I recommend "Dark Night of the Soul" by Saint John of the Cross.
Rating:
Summary: So much unsaid....
Review: This was a hard book to read due to MY expectations. I was expecting details where St. Teresa gives almost none. One realizes why in the long run, simply that to give the details of HER experience would limit your thoughts on how God would interact with you. Yet, it is frustrating to read this and realize that she could be telling us so much more in regards to what she has been shown by God. I rate it 5 stars though because in the end one realizes that to find out what she knows, YOU are going to have to tread a likewise path...no freebies here. Therefore St. Teresa (really the Holy Spirit) is telling you no more than you need to know to become interested in following the path, and subsequently trodding that path. For those of us who are so used to getting on the Net and finding the easy way to solve a puzzle...well, God doesn't publish the Cheat Codes....
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