Invitation, The

Rating:
Summary: Not to be missed!
Review: For anyone who has lived and embraced both the rewards and disappointments of life, this profound book gives voice to the wisdom of being true to both the self AND the world. It points us in the direction of honesty, courage, passion, and joy. And such are the things of a life fully lived. I can't recommend a better book on the subject.

Rating:
Summary: Like Manna from Heaven for the Lost and Wandering Soul
Review: I first ran across the poem, "The Invitaion" on the Internet, then after I couldn't sleep for thinking of it, tracked down the book. I was even more blown away after reading it. So much so that I read it, went back and highlighted portions that had a great impact on me, then, read it a third time, going back again and again to write excerpts in my journal for everyday reflection. This book gave me the courage to get up and keep at it, after a very painful time in my life. Her message is so simple, yet so hard to do, but, has such incredible rewards.... Open yourself up to life, to all of it, the good and the ugly, no matter how vulnerable you may feel, because you can't truly appreciate the sweetness of life and all that it has to offer, unless you dare to have the courage to lay yourself, your deepest part of your soul bare, then began again from there. Until you allow yourself to do that, as she says, everything is just superficial. She teaches you how to LIVE life, good/bad/ whatever, all the way down to the marrow of your bones. A true gift to the human spirit.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: This book was chosen for our December book club thinking it might be an uplifting book for the holiday season. Not a single one of us liked the book (7 in all). We made our decision based on the poem which indeed sounded promising. We all found she contradicted herself quite often and it really was more or less one big pity party! Really deserves less than one star!

Rating:
Summary: View from the male side.
Review: Thought this book was well worth the time to read. Enjoyed the ideas of having deeper relationships. From a male point of view, this book will give an insite into the workings of the female physic.

Rating:
Summary: What love?
Review: I really loved this poem. I liked the book as well, probably more than two stars worth, because there are some decent meditations at the end of each chapter and the writing is honest if not poetic. My concern is with the author, who relates her philosophy based on experiences in her own life, and shares with us the seemingly endless relationships and marraiges she has gone through, at the expense of herself, her mates, and her children.
"I want to know if you will be there for me, always. That you will not run away during times of hardship. That you will accept me for who I am, and allow for changes I can and will make. I want to know that you will share the toil of being together, and understand that it is working through transitions where true growth can occur."
Oriah claims to have an intimate connection with nature, and her children, though her connections are without responsibility. It is as though she looks at nature through a looking glass, intimacy as pleasure alone, never really accepting her part in the process(es). It is a very narcissistic view of self, love, and being. I would love to know what she actually is looking for in her relationships, why they keep falling apart, and perhaps even how the men in her life have failed her.

Rating:
Summary: A must read book.
Review: For those of us who need to take stock of where we are and where we are going, this is a must read. The Invitation will speak to your soul and strum your heart. The exercises are great. Keep it by your bedside to read over again.

Rating:
Summary: BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN, UPLIFTING BOOK
Review: A wonderful book, authentic and realistic, it is very down-to-earth-spiritually. Oriah is an expressive, elegant writer.