The Letters of St. Therese of Lisieux, Vol. I: 1877-1890

Rating:
Summary: a gold mine of detail about Therese's life as she lived it
Review: One of the most underappreciated books of the century. A translation of the critical edition of Therese's letters and those written to her from her birth till age seventeen. In "Story of a Soul" Therese writes "I find myself at a period in my life when I can cast a glance backward," but in the letters we accompany her day by day, and read what she wrote at 14 on the day of her visit with the Pope ("the good Pope is so old, one would say he is dead") and at 17 of her disappointment that her father could not attend her veiling ("Papa is not coming tomorrow! Celine, my tears are falling as I write . .. ") The notes are a rich documentation of Therese's environment, of the character of the Lisieux Carmel, and of her life, and reading through them chronologically yields a unique window on Therese's maturing and development over time. If you read the letters, you need no longer depend on the interpretations of others; you will be empowered to interpret Therese yourself. Please don't miss it.