The Eyes of the Heart : A Memoir of the Lost and Found

Rating:
Summary: wonderful, beautifully written memoir
Review: A wonderful, beautifully written memoir of loved ones Buechner remembers and love ones for whom he wishes he remembered more. Basis of books and objects from his library is one part of the charm. The other, however, can not be described without dispelling part of the enchantment of the first chapter.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful, beautifully written memoir
Review: A wonderful, beautifully written memoir of loved ones Buechner remembers and love ones for whom he wishes he remembered more. Basis of books and objects from his library is one part of the charm. The other, however, can not be described without dispelling part of the enchantment of the first chapter.

Rating:
Summary: Great for fans; not a good Buechner intro
Review: Fans of Frederick Buechner's work will want to read this novel for the depth of understanding he provides regarding his relationships with his family and his appreciation of the family history, but persons who have not read his other memoirs (especially Sacred Journey, but also Now and Then, Telling Secrets, and the Longing for Home) will want to start with them to get a better introduction to Buechner's life. It is, though, a great resource for understanding the inspirations in his life, and his trademark style shines well.

Rating:
Summary: Preserving the Magic Kingdom
Review: Sharing intimate details of his childhood and adult memories--in a kaleidoscope of chronology which requires flexibility on the part of the reader--Buechner offers a gentle autobiographical
patchwork of his life. He invites us graciously into the most
hallowed rooms of his heart, describing precious objects whose
existence and display coalesce into his own personal magic kingdom. We are treated as his honored guests, allowed free access into the privacy of sacred spaces: his home, his family archives and his fluid imagination. He reveals the dreams and feelings, labors and heartache of various family members going several generations back. Not because they were noteworthy in the eyes of the world; instead because he painstakingly acquired the knowledge, and now is willing to share their human
experiences with his unknown readers--experiences which just might echo our own.

Mainly the author presents conversations with those dear ones who have gone on before. He, like us, seeks to know what really Happens after death. Endowing his characters with post-terrestrial information and wisdom, he seeks to calm his fear of the great unknown (and ours) by spiritual rationalization as viewed through "the eyes of the heart"--a quotation from Ephesians. We learn much about his family of course, but also about literature and his favorite authors, such as Trollope. Striving to comfort himself and his readers about those who have been Lost, he assures us that they have also been Found in afterlife by a benficient Divinity--a message which offers desperately-needed peace and hope for those who grieve. This plotless book consists of variations on one theme, so it can not be classified as a novel, yet it remains much more than mere autobiography. I recommend this book for introspective readers who seek meaning in this world, especially after suffering the loss of dear ones. Take hope--take heart--as Buechner strives to assuage our pain and our fears about the post-human condition.

Rating:
Summary: "Must" reading for all Frederick Buechner fans!
Review: The Eyes Of The Heart: A Memoir Of The Lost And Found contains biographical revelations about the notable people who touched the life and family of Pulitzer-nominated writer Frederick Buechner. Included among that number was "a little oddball named Truman Capote" in grammar school, Clara Barton and Karl Barth. Buechner also writes of his only sibling's death while composing this memoir, his long friendship with the late James Merrill, correspondence with his mother concerning his belief in an afterlife, the authors who most influenced him, the meaning of his personal library, and his lifelong quest to determine "if it is true about God". Buechner shares a poem addressed to his grandchildren, considers his family's many tragic deaths, and much more. The Eyes Of The Heart is "must" reading for all Buechner fans as it depicts his personal journey toward an understanding of himself, the world, and the presence of grace in an often graceless world.