Girl Meets God : On the Path to a Spiritual Life

Rating:
Summary: Captured the essence of religion in daily life
Review: As a daughter of a Jewish father and a Lutheran mother, I related to Winner's experiences. As a Christian, I struggle now with much of the evangelical world, which can be based upon consumerism and emotions. Winner puts into perfect description the inner turmoil many have gone through during the conversion experience. As I read her novel, it was as if she were writing my story.
... at times I was lost as to who she was speaking of, seeing as the time we were introduced to a character was many pages earlier. But, her non linear style was refreshing in the Christian work of writing.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has converted, whether to or from Christianity. I would also recommend this book to anyone who experiences difficulty connecting with Christ. Winner, and her icons, gave me a new perspective and drive to pursue holiness. Thank you, Lauren Winner, for your vulnerability and openness. Your book will be aclaimed by many for years to come.

Rating:
Summary: Page Turner
Review: It is not often a person can say a religious book is a edge of chair page turner; BUT, Lauren's book was just that. I read it in three evenings, and quickley ordered her book Mudhouse Sabbath, and can't wait to read it. Lauren's religious "travel" from reformed Judaism to orthodox Judaism to Episcopalism was both insightful and thought provoking. I highly recommend this book if you are searching spiritally, or want to learn basic tenants of Judaism and christianity from a person who lived both.

Rating:
Summary: A Dizzying Journey
Review: You might have a friend who is pretty bright, likes to talk about their struggles, desperately tries to defy any and all 'categorizations', and comes across as passionate but erratic. Chances are this friend is great at dinner parties, but you don't exactly give them the keys to your house and ask them to water your plants while you're on vacation. Maybe this is because you fear that they would suddenly, inexplicably, or tirelessly pursue a 'spontaneous' life, a life that maybe didn't include sustaining your African violets. If you don't have that friend, I encourage you to read this book. After which, Lauren Winner can be that friend.

The book is not a bad read. It's a faithful mimicry of Anne Lamott - even when it comes to sentence construction. You'll have lots of long, rambling, free-flowing sentences (with parenthetical expressions) that will be showing you the many divergent paths that her intricate mind is capable of exploring...and you'll see that she's young, hip, and flippant because there will be the necessary punctual follow up fragment. Like this.

Overall, I found her a story a little suspect, in part due to the author's note that let's us know certain "details - names, professions, chronology, and so forth" were changed. Also in part due to the freshness of the material; she's so stuck in the churn that I don't think she's fully reflected on her journey. The dust-jacket comparisons to C.S. Lewis (because he wrote a spiritual autobiography?! What about St. Augustine while we're at it?) made me want to puke.