Rating: 
Summary: Refreshingly Honest and Inspirational
Review: "Gift From the Sea" is the kind of book that makes you want to leave your life for a couple of days and find the existance that Anne Lindbergh seemed to be living in when she wrote it. When I began reading it (by accident), I felt that she must have found some secret passage into my own soul and put its meaning into words I could never even dream of thinking. Her approach is incredible- because it seems as if she took no approach. She just sat down and wrote what seemed to pour uncontrollably from her own soul. She is heroic in her honest, simple view of life and its possibilities. It is a book I advise every woman to read at every stage of her life to remind her of the opportunity she has as as woman- to not only be equal to the opposite sex, but to also delve deep within herself to be what she was created to be.
Rating: 
Summary: Every Woman
Review: "I begin to understand why the saints were rarely married women," Anne Morrow Lindbergh writes. "The problem is not merely one of Woman and Career, Woman and the Home, Woman and Independence. It is more basically: how to remain whole in the midst of the distractions of life; how to remain balanced, no matter what centrifugal forces tend to pull one off center; how to remain strong, no matter what shocks come in at the periphery."Using the illustration of shells from the sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh clears away the clutter of life, pares it down to its most simple form, that of an internal life that lends clarity to the externals. Each section of the book is a different shell, and a different lesson learned. Peace within one's self, simplicity, clarity, joy, the validity of each cycle and era of a lifetime, strength, and wholeness are just some of the lessons she imparts. In about 50 years things have not become any less complicated, and this short, simple little book is even more relevant to our busy and noisy modern lives. The lesson one takes away from the book is not how to get rid of all the things, but how to find a calm, still center within one's self to maintain sanity, and that need never change, no matter what the distractions might be.
Rating:
Summary: So few pages, so many gems
Review: "I begin to understand why the saints were rarely married women," Anne Morrow Lindbergh writes. "The problem is not merely one of Woman and Career, Woman and the Home, Woman and Independence. It is more basically: how to remain whole in the midst of the distractions of life; how to remain balanced, no matter what centrifugal forces tend to pull one off center; how to remain strong, no matter what shocks come in at the periphery." Using the illustration of shells from the sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh clears away the clutter of life, pares it down to its most simple form, that of an internal life that lends clarity to the externals. Each section of the book is a different shell, and a different lesson learned. Peace within one's self, simplicity, clarity, joy, the validity of each cycle and era of a lifetime, strength, and wholeness are just some of the lessons she imparts. In about 50 years things have not become any less complicated, and this short, simple little book is even more relevant to our busy and noisy modern lives. The lesson one takes away from the book is not how to get rid of all the things, but how to find a calm, still center within one's self to maintain sanity, and that need never change, no matter what the distractions might be.
Rating:
Summary: The most important book I have ever read
Review: "A gift from the Sea" was given to me by a friend to read recently and it really did turn out to be a "Gift". I cannot believe that this book was written over 40 years ago as it is just so relevant today. I have already ordered three copies for my friends and the audio tapes for myself which I just love. This is such an important book for women, but sadly I imagine very few men read it and they should. Her words are just as meaningful for the males species of this world.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshingly Honest and Inspirational
Review: "Gift From the Sea" is the kind of book that makes you want to leave your life for a couple of days and find the existance that Anne Lindbergh seemed to be living in when she wrote it. When I began reading it (by accident), I felt that she must have found some secret passage into my own soul and put its meaning into words I could never even dream of thinking. Her approach is incredible- because it seems as if she took no approach. She just sat down and wrote what seemed to pour uncontrollably from her own soul. She is heroic in her honest, simple view of life and its possibilities. It is a book I advise every woman to read at every stage of her life to remind her of the opportunity she has as as woman- to not only be equal to the opposite sex, but to also delve deep within herself to be what she was created to be.
Rating:
Summary: A Roadmap for One's Life Journey
Review: After watching _The Spirit of St. Louis_ one afternoon, my boyfriend (who is also a pilot) told me that Anne Morrow Lindbergh had written a book, which, as he was told, "every woman should read." The next time I went to his house, _Gift from the Sea_ was waiting for me. What amazed me about this book was its timeliness, or should I say, timelessness. That a middle-aged Caucasian woman, writing during the 50's, could strike such a deeply-felt chord of sisterhood with me, a 30-something African-American woman living at the brink of a new millennium, is truly the mark of a gifted writer. We "enlightened, liberated" women of the year 2000 think, with a fair amount of condescension, that we have "progressed" so much from that time period. And yet, the issues Mrs. Lindbergh addressed are still very much with us today: how does a woman fulfill the roles of citizen, artist, wife/partner, mother, career person, friend, sibling/relative, and balance all of that with the time and self-commitment for spiritual/emotional nurturing? I have a quote from this precious gift posted on the wall at my workstation; it is a state of being I seek as a humble pilgrim on life's journey: "...I want first of all...to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can. I want, in fact - to borrow from the language of the saints - to live "in grace" as much of the time as possible...By grace I mean an inner harmony, essentially spiritual, which can be translated into outward harmony...I would like to achieve a state of inner spiritual grace from which I could function and give as I was meant to in the eye of God..." This is a must read for women everywhere!
Rating:
Summary: A WOMAN AHEAD OF HER TIME!
Review: Anne Morrow Lindbergh could teach today's modern woman a wealth of knowledge on fulfillment and the balancing act of motherhood, wife and self. She has come to understand, the importance of finding peace and happiness within yourself, before you can share those qualities with others. Anne was, indeed, in her simplistic approach to life, a woman light-years ahead of her time. She had discovered, long before self-help books were fashionable, the ultimate joys and pleasures of a simplistic lifestyle, the richness of spiritual well being, and the importance of inner peace. Written in a unique, vibrant, flowing style, this book says in a lot less words what dozens of other self-help books set out to accomplish in long-winded, psycho-analytic terminology. "Gift from the Sea" is truly a gift from the soul of a woman with great wisdom and inner beauty, and one which you will long remember. Another book I would highly recommend is, "A Year by the Sea" by Joan Anderson.
Rating:
Summary: A timeless classic that will touch your soul.
Review: Anne Morrow Lindbergh was ahead of her time when she wrote Gift From the Sea. Her wisdom gets to the point and hits home in comparison to all of the self-help, new age advise that is available today. I have respect and admiration for her. I read Gift From the Sea when I signed it out of my local library. I am purchasing two hardcopy books for my daughters and plan to give them their own copy when they are older. This is an excellent book to read anytime, but the perfect setting, of course, would be during a relaxing beach vacation.
Rating:
Summary: A thoughtful and lasting gift
Review: Anne Morrow Lindbergh's lovely little book recalls Thoreau's search for simplicity and meaning in his "Cape Cod" a hundred years earlier. But hers is a thoroughly feminine approach: lyrical, but not sentimental; probing, but not harshly critical. One reads it today with a touch of nostalgia: here is the quest for authenticity, the yearning for recognition that has become central to modern feminism - but it is expressed without strident rhetoric or militant posturing. The thoughts and musings inspired by the contemplation of sea shells are as fresh today as they were 50 years ago.
Rating:
Summary: reverently beautiful
Review: As a child, I was told to never mark in a book. That warning quickly went out the window when I picked up 'Gift From The Sea.' I grew up by the sea, and the words of this book sounded like an anthem to my soul. I have always recognized the intrinsic wisdom that swells like the tide when one hears the sea; allows its soft rush to sooth the tumult of one's heart. I felt that I read the words of a kindred spirit. Each essay was like a letter from a long lost friend. Her words were not so much teachings as gentle proddings to awaken the knowing soul within each of us. "Gift" reads like a psalm - melodic, reverent and quietly enlightening. Thank you for this prayer of a book and for bringing the smell of the sea to a city-stranded beach dweller.
|
